Rating: 
Summary: READ THIS BOOK! The plot moves like a runaway train
Review: I saw "Vertical Run" 's pre-release ad in 1995; it intrigued me: A normal guy comes to work and suddenly everyone, including his partner and best friend, are trying to kill him! Why? I finally read it this year; I'm sorry I waited. = This book moves like a runaway train and takes you with it, pulling you into the careening action in the first few pages. You have to go along, you don't have a choice. This is one of the five best action-thrillers I have read in my entire life. I will not give away the plot, it's too much fun to read it. Suffice to say, the clues are all there for those that like to puzzle out this kind of thing. Most of the action takes place in a high-rise office building, thus the title. And by God, it's a run alright. It has tension, conflict, fights, explosions (I like explosions), a little romance, and some fascinating nuggets of information on how to set booby-traps using only the materials at hand in a normal office environment (don't try those at work, kids, you'll get arrested). This book is not only worth reading, it's worth owning the hardback edition. You may have mixed feelings about the ending, but I think it's the right way for the plot to conclude.
Rating:
Summary: Vertical Run, a heart-pounding day at the office!
Review: First of all, let me say that I have listened to more than my share of audiobooks while on long road trips to a predestined vista. Placing Joseph Garber's "Vertical Run" in the tape deck was the best listening experience I've had in a long time. Stephen Lang's execution of this novel is precise and crisp! I lost myself in the characters, easily imagining what they must look like. If you think you've had bad days at the office you have no idea what the definition of a bad day is until you experience the one that David Elliott has. As soon as I finished listening to this audiobook I rushed out and bought the text version. I simply had to! I absolutely felt compelled to immerse myself in the characters once more, remembering each nuance and inflection expressed in Stephen Lang's reproduction. I absolutely must recommend this reading to anyone who's got time to enjoy themselves.
Rating: 
Summary: Talk About Disgruntled Coworkers.....
Review: It's no ordinary day at the office for businessman Dave Elliot when he shows up for work and his boss pulls a gun on him. Narrowly dodging the confrontation, Dave soon discovers his troubles have just begun. Every colleague, acquaintance, and friend he knows wants to see him extinguished. Trapped in a New York City skyscraper, Dave, a former Vietnam Veteran and Green Beret has to muster up his old survival skills as he becomes the hunted in an organized murder attempt on his life. All the while, Dave hasn't the faintest idea why everybody wants him dead.Vertical Run reads more like a movie script than a novel. It's packed full of action, however, there is really nothing original here. The story is full of cliches, typical tough-guy dialogue, and harrowing escapes by the hero in a predictable fashion. The best part of the story is figuring out why Dave Elliot is a marked man. Unfortunately for myself, another reader a few posts below me gave away the answer in his review. Perhaps I would have found this a 4 star tale had it not been spoiled for me. I still recommend this book for any action-thriller lover, but if you enjoy your suspense please don't read the reviews on the next page.
Rating: 
Summary: RUN FOR YOUR LIFE, MR. ELLIOTT
Review: Can you imagine going to work one day and your boss pulls a gun on you and wants you dead? Your wife does, too. In fact, everybody does. What in the world has Dave Elliott done to deserve this? In Garber's ferociously entertaining "Vertical Run," you join Dave in his quest to find out what in the world has happened to his life. I liked Elliott's character, even with his shady past, and he comes across as a Die-Hard/Arnold type of hero, but he's cool, and I like the way he finds out the mystery behind the sudden looniness of his friends and family. The pace moves well and there are some nasty villains, most notably of course, Mr. John Ransome. The climactic ending is satisfying, although the epilogue (a copy of a facsimile) is a little too "convenient," and it almost makes you want a sequel to find out what Dave and friends do for revenge. This would make a great movie; are there still plans for it, does anyone know? And where is Mr. Garber's follow-up book? That's a mystery too. Garber's obviously a very talented and commercially accessible writer. Let's hope for more in the future.
Rating:
Summary: Predictable and Stereotypical
Review: This is a predictable story that blends "Die Hard" with "Outbreak." The dialogue is not believable. The story; disapointing. Give the "Killer Virus" genre a rest for a bit and skip reading this book.
Rating:
Summary: Wow!
Review: This is one of those books that you reluctantly put down moments before you go to sleep at 3:00am and then is the first thing you pick up the second you're awake. It's a quick and gripping read that comes dangerously close to being a Die Hard rip-off but is so well put together that you don't care. In fact, I would love to see this as a movie. I see Nick Cage in the lead role. Anyway, I must admit, the first couple of pages had me doubtful I'd get too far-- the thing with the cat almost turned me totally off. But then I was quickly thrust into a suspenseful, action-packed story that didn't let go until the end. Are there plot-holes and weak character development? Probably but who cares? It's a superb rollercoaster ride, if I may be so cliched. If you love action, definitely get this book.
Rating: 
Summary: It's Gotta be the Monkey!
Review: A vice-president of a high-tech company is bitten by a monkey that happens to have been infected by a biological weapon. Dave (the main character with an annoying voice) then finds himself mysteriously chased by former military personnel who want to keep the whole incident under wraps. Of course, the listener isn't informed about the monkey-bite until having endured 3 1/2 hours of a 5-hour book. We are supposed to be wondering why the hell these people are chasing him around his office building with guns. Unfortunately, when the reader is supposed to be thunderstruck when Dave realizes: "It must be the monkey!", we are more likely to want to eject the tape. Ordinarily, I give higher ratings to books with flamboyant readers. In this case however, the voice of the main character comes across as a poor imitation of John Lovitz. Imagine Mr. Lovitz reciting the line "up your pooper with an ice-cream scooper". If you get enjoyment out of that line, you might add a couple stars to the above rating.
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Summary: The Best book I have read in my entire life.
Review: I started reading this book and, literally, I was not able to put it down until I was done. Why? Just imagine you go one morning to work, your boss calls you in his/her office and pulls a gun on you. Then you find out that everybody in the office wants you dead and even your own family turns their back on you. You have no idea why. That is what this book is about. I couldn't stop reading, trying to find out what the heck this normal guy did that was so bad that everybody wanted him dead. If you like action-thrillers, buy this book. You will not be dissapointed.
Rating:
Summary: Great concept, adequate execution
Review: The concept behind Vertical Run is ingenious, and sets up a tense and dramatic initial situation. However, once the reasons behind that situation have to be explained, the book's momentum can no longer carry the story smoothly over the potholes in the plot. In addition, the hero's method of finally dealing with the lead villain is so ludicrous and out-of-character as to be funny, which is not at all in keeping with the rest of the book. (And I can virtually guarantee you that it will be changed if the movie is ever made, as I can't see any of Hollywood's romantic leading men agreeing to a script involving such a scene.) It's not a bad book, but the excellent concept deserves a better one.
Rating:
Summary: If you start this one, don't make any plans!
Review: I've just read the comments by other reviewers, and as my rating indicates, I'm in agreement with the majority of them. To those who nitpicked the book to death I can only say yes, the characterizations are not profound psychological studies; yes, the plot has some holes in it; and no, this isn't literature with a capital L. It's a beach book, a page-turner--and a dandy one at that. Knowing nothing about it but intrigued by some of the cover blurbs, I bought the paperback several years ago and started reading it one afternoon. Amidst various interruptions, I got through three-quarters of it by late evening. If I hadn't had to go to work the next day I'd have finished it. As it was, as soon as I got home from work I barreled through to the end, enjoying every minute of it. I raved enthusiastically about it so much that my girlfriend, who was not much of a fiction reader and completely disinclined to read thrillers, picked it up herself. She too read it in a couple of days and, though not as enthusiastic about it as I was, admitted that she enjoyed it. If you decide to read it, make sure your schedule is clear of obstacles because you won't want to put this one down once you've started it. But for crying out loud, suspend your disbelief and don't pick it apart as though it's a work by Faulkner or Joyce! It's an action/suspense novel, and succeeds supremely well within that context.
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