Interpol agent and descendant of the great mathmatician, Henri Poincare investigates a death by a mysterious explosion at a WTO meeting. This is the first in the series and I will look for the next one. ( )

All Cry Chaos is detective work and philosophy. It is a book about God and science. All in all, it is a very satisfying read that brings up the big questions if you want to see them and an intimate book about solving a mystery if you don’t. It is a complicated and challenging book written in a beautifully straightforward style.

Henri Poincare is the fictional great-grandson of a real mathematician, Jules Henri Poincare. It is a charming conceit and ties together many of the elements of this book. He is a father and grandfather and a loving husband. He works for Interpol and is assigned the case of an explosion in which one man, Dr. Fenster, dies. Soon there are clues pointing Henri to Dr. Fenster’s former fiancé. It’s also about a criminal brought to justice by Henri and the effects of that upon Henri’s family. And, just like a fractal starting at one point and expanding forever in the same pattern, the book ties supposedly disparate actions, emotions, and theories together. It’s rather stunning, when all’s said and done.

This book will keep you on your toes. The mystery of a man’s death becomes rocket fuel, fractals, stock market trends and profit, adoption, love, tragedy, abandonment, sacrifice, and forgiveness. ( )

This is Mr. Rosen's debut thriller featuring Interpol agent Henri Poincare. A prominent mathematician is assassinated in his hotel room & he along with the room are incinerated by a very accurate bomb. Poincare's investigation takes him from there to the U.S., to Canada. Poincare not only has to deal with this case, but is also dealing with the aftermath of a series of brutal attacks on his family which seems to be related to an earlier case involving genocide. Poincare is, thus, in a very dark personal place, forced to examine his own core beliefs. This is an engrossing, exciting book, with excellent writing which only gives me an appetite for more from this author! ( )

I'm not sure what I expected when I picked this book up, but it was actually much better than anticipated. It has quite a noir feel to it: with a troubled main character facing off against great challenges, by himself for the most part. There is a very strong mystery in here, and a great emotional component to top it off.

You'll root for Henri to solve the crime, fix his troubles, and save himself, but you won't know for sure, until the end, whether he suceeds or not. He is a very likeable and relatable main character, and his motivation to solve the mystery stems from a very human place. There is a thread of 'mathematics as the underpinning of reality' (i.e. the existence/origin of everything can be calculated) which could be too heavy if you really thought about it, but you're not forced to do so in order to follow the plot - and it does add another little dimension to the story.

All in all, it was a great, suspenseful and compelling crime-mystery novel with a noir-ish setting and a likeable but troubled main character. I am looking forward to the next book to be released in this series (even though this one had no cliff-hanger at all.). ( )

What do mathematics,terrorism, the Rapture, playing the stock market, and murder have to do with each other? That's the thing Henri Poincare -- fictional great grandson of the mathematician -- has to discover.

I listened to the audio book version of this, so I commend Grover Gardner for his reading, which properly created the characters and avoided being annoying. The story itself deals with the usual stock in trade for thriller/mysteries -- convoluted situations, characters who aren't what they seem, bad people, good people, people colored in shifting greys -- all that good stuff. This time, the bones of a mystery are layered in ruminations on mathematics, God, and the nature of reality, which was surprisingly interesting (especially since I've been doing a bit of reading elsewhere on the subject). Our main character is flawed but basically good, and the things he suffers, the things that drive him into the shadows between good and evil, worked well for me in the structure of the story. Best of all, despite all the deep philosophy (which wasn't so difficult, really, and which I actually enjoyed) and darkness, the book has a happy enough ending. This is supposed to be the first of a series, which, considering the events and outcomes, surprises me. I'll have to keep up with this author.

Intense and intricate story, good summer reading. ( )

The murder mystery begins with a bang. In his room at the corner of the top floor of an Amsterdam hotel, mathematics genius James Fenster is killed in a most unusual way. He's practically vaporized by a bomb made from highly volatile--and extremely hard to come by--rocket fuel. The hotel winds up looking like a giant took a bite out of the corner of the building. Because of the complexity and high profile of the case, Interpol's senior detective, Henri Poincaré, is assigned to the investigation. Poincaré's great-grandfather, Jules Henri Poincaré, was a celebrated mathematician and, while Henri is not similarly gifted, he has an appreciation of the beauty and mystery of mathematics.

James Fenster was a Harvard professor and had been about to give a speech at a World Trade Organization meeting about the inevitability of a global economy. This expands the field of possible suspects from those who know him, and possibly other mathematicians, to opponents of globalism--you know, all those people who run amok during WTO meetings. As Poincaré investigates, he must also include the head of a fabulously successful Boston mutual fund company; a man who funded much of Fenster's work, but who seems to have a ravenous greed for access to work that he believes Fenster has left behind on a computer hard drive.

While Poincaré is investigating the Fenster murder, he has other matters on his mind as well. Stipo Banovich, a Serbian Poincaré had arrested for the horrifying murder of 70 Muslim men and boys during the Bosnian conflict, is about to be tried for war crimes and he has issued dire threats against Poincaré's family. Poincaré is a devoted husband to Claire, father to architect Etienne, father-in-law to Lucille, and doting grandfather to twin boys and to Chloe, who has completely captured his heart.

As the two plots heat up, more fuel is added to the fire by a worldwide apocalyptic Christian cult whose members believe the Rapture will arrive soon (August, 2012, in case you want to make plans). Some of the "schismatic" members of the cult want to hurry along the chaos that is supposed to precede the rapture by suicide bombings. Along with the Fenster investigation and the Banovich threat, Poincaré's team must investigate the bombings and try to prevent more of them.

Despite its complexity, the plot is lively and compelling. Chaos theory and fractals are part of the story, and author Leonard Rosen makes them fascinating. Even math-phobes are likely to think so. He tackles political, social and religious issues and respects its readers' intelligence. All the characters are well-drawn, especially Poincaré. A dogged investigator and a deeply moral man, he reminds me of Louise Penny's Armand Gamache. It's refreshing to have mystery protagonists with family lives and no substance abuse problems. (Psst: they're still interesting without all that baggage, brooding and booze.)

Since All Cry Chaos is subtitled "An Henri Poincaré Mystery," I'm thinking--hoping is more like it--that this is the start of a series. I see no evidence of a second book yet, but I'll be on the lookout for it. ( )

Interesting book. The great-grandson of Henire Poincare works for Interpol as an intelligent and dogged investigator of often terrible crimes. Having tracked down a librarian-turned-mass murderer from the Balkans, he turns his attention to a new case, one involving the murder of a brilliant mathematician by an explosion. As he investigates, colleagues are tied up with violent fringe elements from an end-of-times fundamentalist Christian movement and protests at G8 summits led by a charismatic Latin American organizer of indigenous peoples opposed to globalization. Lots going on, and an intricate investigation that has its almost theological moments, as the mathematics used to describe complex systems - the victim's specialty - reveals both similarity and order in a universe that appears disordered. Rosen plays with ideas of agency and chance and the desire for revenge - something he first encounters in his Balkan murderer that can replicate itself in different circumstances.

All Cry Chaos is a riveting crime novel. Henri Poincare is an INTERPOL agent assigned to investigate who detonated a bomb in an Amsterdam hotel. The who-done-it aspects will keep you turning pages late into the night but at the same time the book deals with questions of religious extremism, revenge, and what happens when the law and justice are in conflict. A really, really good read ( )

This is a thinking person's novel. Although it is a mystery with many satisfying twists and turns it will especially appeal to people how have some interest in math and science. This is not a Phillip Marlowe book. The characters are intelligent people as is the plot they are used in. This was a finalist for the Edgar Awards best first mystery and I can understand what the judges were thinking. Hard to believe this is a first time author and I will look forward to his next book. ( )

This is a wonderful mystery. It is very complex. The hero is a sensitive, caring man who seeks justice for those too unimportant for local police. The story is big enough to encompass the universe of mathematical questions and personal enough to make the reader care about a 6 year old granddaughter. It was a pleasure to read. ( )

When a mathematician, James Fenster, is found murdered in his hotel room, Interpol agent Henri Poincaré is on the case. Fenster was in Amsterdam for a World Trade Organization meeting, and Poincaré is left wondering: what was Fenster going to say in an economics speech? Who would want a mathematician dead?

Usually I write a review almost directly after finishing a book. I've sat on this one for a few days, unsure of how to summarize my thoughts. There is a lot going on, which is both a blessing and a curse. In addition to the central mystery, a man put behind bars earlier threatens Poincarés family, and philosophical (and mathematical) ruminations on whether there is order in the universe abound. On the one hand, it made for a somewhat complex plot; on the other, I sometimes lost track of where Poincaré was going, and what particular part of the mystery he was following up. The parts I was most interested in turned out to be those involving the Poincaré family: I felt most connected to the characters when I saw the inspector as a father and grandfather, and I loved how his relationship with his wife and son and grandkids was portrayed. The mathematical portions were interesting, but I wish they had been explored in more depth, a sort of trusting of the readers to be able to follow a more technical explanation of why the veins of a leaf are like the veins of a hand are like the ridges of a mountain range. I was engaged while reading, but except for a portion in the middle, I very seldom felt a need to grab the book as soon as I could. As a first novel, however, the book interested me enough to look for more forthcoming from this author. ( )

Spannend verhaal dat zich afspeelt rond een wiskundige formule die alle natuurverschijnsels (inclusief zelfs beurskoersen, etc) voorspelt. Op de achtergrond speelt ook nog een Einde-der-tijden beweging en een Indigene beweging een rol. Grappig dat een deel van het verhaal zich in Amsterdam afspeelt. De recensies zijn zeer positief tot het hyperige aan. Zo geweldig is het nu ook weer niet, maar zeker wel een onderhoudende, interessante en lekker geschreven thriller ( )

A brilliant mathematician dies in a bizarre bombing in Amsterdam, just before he is to present his findings on data which could be used to predict and manipulate world markets. Veteran Interpol Operative, Henri Poincaré, is assigned the investigation. Poincaré has just come from a soul wrenching investigation into genocidal war crimes. His exhaustion is palpable. Poincaré follows the lead to the U.S. before receiving personal news that forces his return to France.

Though I enjoyed the intelligent plot line and superb characterization of this novel, I felt that the author overstepped in the violence done to Poincaré and family. If I hadn’t received this book for review, I would have dropped it halfway which would have been a shame as the storyline was great. ( )

All Cry Chaos is the first book in the Henri Poincare. Henri is a field agent for Interpol and he gets the really hard to find criminals because he's so tenacious. His most recent apprehension was a librarian turned genocidal mass murderer in Bosnia, who went into hiding after the government collapsed.

His next assignment came immediately. A man got blown up in a hotel in Amsterdam. The explosion had surgical precision, and it was a mathematician who was the target. The whole thing was strange and got stranger. The more Henri dug, the more problems he found with the whole thing. Then the Bosnian struck at his family and he had other worries.

Overall, it wasn't a bad book. The writing was really very good, but the story was not as great in my opinion. Henri was an interesting character to get to know, but some of the decisions he made didn't seem to quite fit with the person we meet. I think I understand how Henri was driven to some of his decisions but I didn't fully accept the change. It was a good solid book but it was lacking something for me. I think the constant bombardment about the patterns and chaos was a little heavy handed as well. ( )

“All Cry Chaos” by Leonard Rosen is mystery thriller of a French Inspector Henri Poincare. Calling all lovers of mathematics, science and international suspense. This is the first of what promises to be a series of well written, exciting and suspenseful novels. Poincare is a well seasoned and very experienced senior investigator who has traveled throughout the country and solved many serious and hard to resolve murders.

The book is fast moving and explosive thriller with a bent toward the order of math and science as part of the processes for investigation. Inspector Poincare is a methodical and careful investigator whose brilliance, style and thoroughness are at times in contrast with the police who respond to crimes. He is tormented by memories of past scenes of death and horror and his mind keeps reliving the violence and waste he has seen which in Yugoslavia where he observed the chaos of a horrendous crime of war. His family is threatened and he is living in fear for their safety.

The question for Poincare is whether he can he continue to live and work in this world or crime and violence and maintain his own sanity and the safety of his family’s lives. This story of international intrigue will keep you captivated and looking forward to the next installment. If you enjoy the writings of Stieg Larsson, Dan Brown or Lee Child. A highly entertaining mystery which I strongly recommend. ( )

James Fenster, a famous mathematician, is murdered by a bomb just prior to his anticipated paper at WTO conference. Henri Poincare of Interpol, is assigned to the case. His family is threatened by a prisoner Poincare arrested on charges of genocide.

It took me a while to finish this book. I couldn't understand an experienced Interpol agent not protecting his family when they have been threatened. He leave them in Framce at home and travels to the S to work on the Fenster case.

The first half of the book seemed to go slowly, but the last half fortunately was more of a page turner. ( )

This book is a well written thriller that even though was over my head a few times with the talk of mathematics and chaos theory I enjoyed immensely. Henri Poincare is an Interpole agent with the task of finding out why a famous and likable mathematician has been murdered just before he is to deliver a speech at the World Trade Organizations meeting in Amsterdam. Henri has had a successful career as an agent who has traveled the globe hunting down the worlds most prolific and evil serial killers. When he takes on this case he finds is an ever deepening mystery he must unravel. Things are not as they appear. People disappear, people lie and he must discover the truth all the while trying to protect his family from the retribution of a mass murderer he recently put away.

I especially enjoyed the writers descriptions of his characters. They all have such detail to them that I could picture them exactly in my head. If these were real people I bet I could name them if I saw them on the street. Well done. The travel that Henri must do to solve this mystery is quite interesting as well. I have not been to Europe in many years and it made me want to back as soon as possible. Mr. Rosen is a master of description.

Even though I am not much of a mystery fan Leonard Rosen has probably turned me into one! Highly recommended. ( )

Do you have to be a math whiz to enjoy this novel? Absolutely not. Will it enhance the experience? I don’t know because
Book Giveaway & Review for All Cry Chaos by Leonard Rosen
I’m not a math whiz. LOL Remember how popular Dan Brown’s DaVinci Code was? Did you have in-depth knowledge about all the different kinds of symbols involved before then? I didn’t but I loved that series! I feel the same way about All Cry Chaos. I don’t think I even knew what fractals were before reading this novel but I’m seeing them everywhere now and it’s amazing. Talk about opening your eyes to a whole new world! Read the rest of my review & enter the Book Giveaway @ http://popcornreads.com/?p=1708 ( )

All Cry Chaos by Leonard Rosen is a beautifully written, atmospheric, spider web of a mystery story; it is easy to get caught up in it and be unable to do anything else until it is done. In fact, I am still thinking about it even after finishing it. The plot is deceptively simple: Henri Poincaré, a skillful & moral detective with a long history of solving cases for Interpol, is nearing retirement. One of his last cases involved bringing Stipo Banovic, accused of genocide in Bosnia, to justice. Banovic threatens him from jail. Poincaré goes on to his next case, a very mysterious case of a mathematician killed in an unusual way just prior to giving a presentation at a global conference, WTO.

In his patient, thoughtful way, Poincaré begins unraveling the clues that lead to and from the scene of the crime. The clues include the mathematician's complicated presentation, which deals with fractals. Meanwhile, Poincaré's family comes under attack, and Poincaré must discover who is targeting them, and why. The cases become more and more complex, and the web around Poincaré and his family wraps tighter and tighter, and the mathematician's obscure research begins to resound with Poincaré until Poincaré believes that it might have global implications.

The deep & convoluted plot all does make sense (eventually!) and part of the pleasure of reading the book is to see how Poincaré is able to begin interpreting the mathematician's work and other clues he discovers. It is also interesting to watch how Poincaré's relationships with his family and colleagues and new acquaintances unfold as events take place. But the biggest pleasure of all in reading this book was the writing -- beautiful, descriptive, introspective. Take this small paragraph:

"He stared out the shop window to a small, bricked courtyard, contemplating what favors the world owed the dead. He had answered that question once when he spent the better part of two years hunting Banovic. He glanced over his case notes and supposed he would be answering it again." The book was littered with gems like these, which were really the icing on top of the great plot/interesting characters cake. Well worth reading (eating?!) and amazing to think that this is Mr. Rosen's first book. I can't wait to see what he writes next. ( )

In this murder mystery thriller, veteran Interpol agent Henri Poincare works to solve the murder of James Fenster, a gifted mathematician, who is murdered in an explosion in Amsterdam before giving a presentation at the World Trade Organization. Poincare's investigation takes him from Europe to America and through several possible suspects. Thrown in are death threats from a previous nemesis, now imprisoned. The book read a little slow and tedious at times. There are many reverences to the chaos theory and mathematics, which the murder victim, Fenster, was involved in and what may have been the motive for his murder. I think those who have an interest in mathematics would be more engaged in this book than I was. However, I was fascinated by the idea, as expressed by a colleague of Fenster, that "every process in nature can be modeled by an equation" and that if an equation were intricate enough, it could actually "describe" what you may see in nature. It certainly made me think of how math and nature are interrelated. Interesting! ( )

I'm not a guy who usually notices much about the style of a writer. I'm more interested in the plot and the story built around it. But I found Leonard Rossen's writing in All Cry Chaos to be noticeable and well done.
A brilliant mathematician is killed and Interpol agent Henri Poincare investigates. Poincare is a descendant of the French mathematician, physicist, and philosopher of the same name. I did not find that the relationship between the two Poincares really effected the story. The mathematics was only superficially treated in the novel, but it was an interesting plot device.
Poincare investigates numerous suspects and motives, and this and recent previous cases put him and his family in danger of retribution from those he investigates. The ending was difficult to predict, but all threads were neatly tied up by the end of the story. Mostly a story of plodding investigation rather than fast action, All Cry Chaos was an interesting and different take on the traditional thriller. I recommend it. ( )

A man is brutally murdered the night before he is to speak at a World Trade Organization conference. A family is nearly destroyed when its members are bombed at their homes. And one man is the connection for it all: Interpol Inspector Henri Poincare. Poincare is sent to investigate the death of James Fenster, a mathematical genius, whose body was found charred and in bits after an explosion in his hotel room. As Poincare digs into the case, he starts to find interesting suspects which lead him all over Europe and to the United States. Mathematics seems to be at the center of the murder of Fenster, and Poincare needs to figure out why. As Poincare begins to put the pieces of the puzzle together, his progress is halted by the near destruction of his family. His wife, son and daughter-in-law, and grandchildren are all seriously injured in attacks which were ordered by a man who hates Poincare, a man who was put in prison by Poincare for crimes committed against Muslims in Banja Luka. A suspenseful thriller, All Cry Chaos combines a true mystery story with mathematical theory, thoughts on the economy, and religious fervor. Filled with twists unforeseeable until revealed by the author, you will be drawn into the world of Poincare and the mysteries of his life. You may even begin to see how mathematical theory can be applied and used every day. ( )

I won an arc through Librarything. I tried really hard to get into this book. It just didn't keep my attention. Sorry ( )

Leonard Rosen’s novel is a thriller that describes the end of the career of a French Interpol field investigator, Henri Poincare. For thirty years the owner of a small winery near Lyons has traveled all over the world tracking down and arresting many of the world’s worst criminals. His most difficult case is the one that will cause his transition to administrative duties.

Poincare is a tough man with old scars to prove it. He is a dogged investigator pursuing his international criminal prey no matter how long it takes until he can close the case. Yet, he retains his compassion for the victims of crimes and even has some empathy for the criminals he takes down.

In this final case as a field operative, Henri deals with international terrorism. Chaos is the word he uses when looking for the organizations of terrorists devoted to the destruction of social institutions for various reasons. Muslim extremists, far right religious fanatics, nihilists, anarchists, and profiteers seem to be working at cross purposes. The common denominator for the groups is random activity causing mayhem and death.

If there is a common denominator, then a mathematics savant may be able to work backwards and discover predictability in the chaos of data. In his investigation, Poincare encounters a mathematician who seems to have found a pattern, a universal equation for the pattern within the chaos of social destruction. This equation is very valuable to all of the interest groups involved because it will allow them to understand, predict, and control any social structure.

This is a fast-paced story with many surprises. It involves interesting mathematical premises without going into detail about equation development. There is plenty of exciting action with deadly consequences. Poincare’s investigation techniques are methodical and creative. The tone and settings of this good novel resemble those of the Robert Ludlum Bourne novels. ( )

I am not familiar with Leonard Rosen nor his main character in this book. The main character is Henri Poincare. He is an Interpol agent. All Cry Chaos is centered around Henri, his family and his cases.

Poincare is given a case after a mathematician, James Fenster, is murdered on the eve that he is supposed to give a speech at the World Trade Organization meeting. I am no math wiz and found this story interesting and confusing at the same time. When math was being discussed I sometimes found myself reading it again just to make sense of it and other times remembering my times in school and just wanting to get the answer quickly.

Poincare has a long list of suspects. You follow Poincare through all the interviews. Sometimes you were left hanging and felt there was something missing after the interview. There are a few sub-plots in this book. Poincare had caught a high profile murderer and he has threatened his family. Interpol is there to protect him but that is not enough. This is one plot that I found very interesting because of how it affected Henri and his ability to perform his job.

Another sub-plot was the story of 3 orphans. The 3 children became orphans when their parents were killed in a car accident many years before. As the story progressed I found myself trying to figure out who the orphans were. When the end of the book is reached all my questions were answered and some I had figured out before.

If you want a book with intricate story/plot lines, interesting characters with depth then I suggested trying All Cry Chaos. ( )