The First 48

Rating:
Summary: Lots of action, threadbare plot.
Review: Former cop Tom Redmon is a depressed widower who works intermittently and unenthusiastically as a defense lawyer. He is barely making ends meet and he uses alcohol as an emotional anesthetic. Tom is jolted out of his drunken stupor quickly when his daughter, Jane, suddenly goes missing in "The First 48," by Tim Green.

Jane Redmon is a journalist who gets a hot tip about a corrupt and influential senator named Michael Gleason. Before she has an opportunity to write an explosive and damaging exposé about Gleason's illegal activities, Jane is kidnapped and her apartment is ransacked. Tom and his good friend, investigator and computer hacker Mike Tubbs, decide that the only way to bring Jane back safely is to do the job themselves.

"The First 48" has crisp dialogue, non-stop action, nasty bad guys, and a ripped-from-the-headlines bioterrorism plot. Tom Redmon and Mike Tubbs are entertaining enough and Jane is the kind of spunky heroine that I like to root for. However, the plot device of relatives and friends taking the law into their own hands has been done many times before, and the story eventually sinks under the weight of too many clichés.

Rating:
Summary: Lots of action, threadbare plot.
Review: Former cop Tom Redmon is a depressed widower who works intermittently and unenthusiastically as a defense lawyer. He is barely making ends meet and he uses alcohol as an emotional anesthetic. Tom is jolted out of his drunken stupor quickly when his daughter, Jane, suddenly goes missing in "The First 48," by Tim Green.

Jane Redmon is a journalist who gets a hot tip about a corrupt and influential senator named Michael Gleason. Before she has an opportunity to write an explosive and damaging exposé about Gleason's illegal activities, Jane is kidnapped and her apartment is ransacked. Tom and his good friend, investigator and computer hacker Mike Tubbs, decide that the only way to bring Jane back safely is to do the job themselves.

"The First 48" has crisp dialogue, non-stop action, nasty bad guys, and a ripped-from-the-headlines bioterrorism plot. Tom Redmon and Mike Tubbs are entertaining enough and Jane is the kind of spunky heroine that I like to root for. However, the plot device of relatives and friends taking the law into their own hands has been done many times before, and the story eventually sinks under the weight of too many clichés.

Rating:
Summary: WEARIN DOWN OF THE GREEN
Review: Former footballer Tim Green has a raw talent evidenced in some of his action stagings, and his no-nonsense kind of heroes. In this one, it's Tom, an "over the hill" former lawyer taken down by an ambitious politician named Michael Gleason. Tom hooks up with his ex-biker/computer genius buddy Mike Tubbs, and sets out to find out where his newspaper reported daughter has disappeared to. You see, she's working on exposing Michael Gleason for the dirtbag he is. Daughter Jane is also falling in love with a mysterious informant, Mark Allen, who is probably more than he appears to be as well.
Green's plotting borders on absurdity here as the heroes kidnap and torture Senator Gleason. The probability of this is so ludicrous, one can't help but snicker when sniveling Gleason reacts to the abominable torture scenes.
The novel moves well, and aside from its incredible plotting, is an enjoyable read.

Rating:
Summary: WEARIN DOWN OF THE GREEN
Review: Former footballer Tim Green has a raw talent evidenced in some of his action stagings, and his no-nonsense kind of heroes. In this one, it's Tom, an "over the hill" former lawyer taken down by an ambitious politician named Michael Gleason. Tom hooks up with his ex-biker/computer genius buddy Mike Tubbs, and sets out to find out where his newspaper reported daughter has disappeared to. You see, she's working on exposing Michael Gleason for the dirtbag he is. Daughter Jane is also falling in love with a mysterious informant, Mark Allen, who is probably more than he appears to be as well.
Green's plotting borders on absurdity here as the heroes kidnap and torture Senator Gleason. The probability of this is so ludicrous, one can't help but snicker when sniveling Gleason reacts to the abominable torture scenes.
The novel moves well, and aside from its incredible plotting, is an enjoyable read.

Rating:
Summary: GOOD PLOT. PLENTY OF ACTION.
Review: Green's latest thriller begins with Tom Redmond, a poor lawyer, promising to sue some large conglomerates for a poor family with an ill child. His secretary wants him to take a case that pays. Later, Tom and his friend, Mike, meet up. Mike is a special kind of friend, one willing to go the extra, unusual yard. He is also one to set up Tom in a humorous situation, just because he can. Even under stress, Tom can forgive Mike for his tricks, which signifies their special friendship. This is the kind of friendship Tom needs when life gets dangerous. The camaraderie of these two keeps the story moving once the action begins.

The other person in Tom's life is his daughter, Jane. Jane is a Washington, DC, journalist. She uncovers a story about a corrupt senator, the very senator who destroyed her father's career years ago. Jane's investigative skills put her in harm's way, and lucky for her -- though not for others -- her Dad is willing to do what's necessary to find and save his daughter's life. Jane is one tough lady and adds a lot to the storyline.

Who else is in Tom's life? His late wife. Tom still sees her and heeds her advice.

_The First 48_ doesn't have the intensity of Green's earlier novel, _The Fifth Angel_, but it does have a suspenseful plot, blow-by-blow scenes and interesting twists. Green gives his readers a world of reality with some added embellishments -- perfect for the reader looking for an engaging thriller.

Actor Stephen Lang reads _The First 48_. Lang's uses his voice well in portraying the typical emotional range, and when Lang's tone drops an octave, he invokes shades of the more sinister, from ornery to bone chilling.

Rating:
Summary: Generic Thriller
Review: Having read and enjoyed a couple of Tim Green's other books, I picked this one up hoping for more of the same. But this is strictly a by the numbers mystery with boring characters and a lousy plot. The Publishers Weekly and Booklist reviews hit it on the head. Green's earlier work, like "The Fourth Perimeter" is much better.

Rating:
Summary: So Disappointed...
Review: I am a Tim Green fan. Really, I am. I live near Atlanta and while I wasn't here while he played for the Falcons it's enough to make me interested in his life-after-football work. I very much liked his first book, Ruffians, which deals with the nitty gritty aspect of a rookie year in the NFL. I even liked his growing phase with the Madison Macall (sp?) murder mystery books, because they still dealt with football and had good storylines if sparse prose. Then he switched to revenge/thriller novels and I really got into The Fourth Perimeter and The Fifth Angel. His writing seemed to get better and better. Still sparse on the prose but enough suspense and a good enough plot to keep you reading. With The Fifth Angel I thought he was finally coming into his own. And now he disappoints with The First 48. It had potential. The concepts is exciting. Former cop knows he has little time to find his vanished daughter! But Tim just didn't handle this one well at all. I want to give him some slack. Maybe he had a bad year or maybe he was really busy. But, to tell you the truth, parts of it were so bad I wondered if an editor even read it before sending it to the printers. It was written as though he squeezed a few lines in between familial obligations. So, maybe he WAS just too busy and was scrambling to make a deadline. Geezus, I hope so.

I'm sorry, Tim, I can't make myself like this book. The writing is way too corny. I can't empathize with the characters like I did in you previous books because they aren't developed at all. There wasn't even the same amount of unapologetic violence that you had in your previous books! I always look forward to that!

I'll read your next book, but please, PLEASE, pay more attention next time.

Rating:
Summary: Just Didn't Like It
Review: I have been trying to think about what makes me dislike the book. I feel the book is just thin. It has lots of action, but the characters are not well-developed. A great deal of the action within the story defies belief. This is the first time I read a Tom Green novel. I don't think I will pick up another. It is light reading with plenty of action and a simple plot.

Rating:
Summary: Tim Green scores big with new novel.
Review: I have read and enjoyed all of Tim Green's books and this new edition of his work did not disappoint. "The First 48" is an action packed adventure/mystery with all the suspense and action of a Bruce Willis or Arnold Schwarzenegger movie. In fact, I am looking forward to the day when one of Mr. Green's novels is converted into a movie. It is long overdue.

I like the way the author develops the characters in the story. The reader gets to know the main characters in a way that makes one feel they are real people by the time the book ends. They are wonderfully crafted people with all the flaws and human frailties one expects to find among people in our every day lives.

I also enjoyed the way the author builds suspense and tension throughout the book using the 48 hour time frame to drive the story line. By the time the reader gets to the end of the book the action builds to an exciting crescendo that finishes with an exhilarating and surprising ending that leaves the reader on the edge of their seat.

The only thing wrong with Tim Green's writing is that he can't write as fast as I read. Having finished this recent book in less than a week I am disappointed with the fact that I will probably wait several months before reading another new book by this author.

I highly recommend this book. It is only a matter of time before Tim Green's books share the same fame as those written by the likes of Grisham and Koontz. In my opinion, he is there already.

Rating:
Summary: (4-) A Book with an Excellent Plot but Unrealized Potential
Review: In many ways, this is a typical TIm Green thriller, a fast moving story relatively light on character development but held together by a tight timeline, non-stop action, and at least one unexpected plot twist. The story begins with a brief prologue whose relevance is only established later but which provides sufficient context to allow the reader to guess the motivations of some of the important protagonists as the story unfolds. Unfortunately, therefore, this somewhat reduces the suspense regarding one element of the story. In Chapter One we meet Tom Redmon, an almost fifty year old former prosecutor now barely making ends meet as a low-rent defense attorney who drinks too much in order to keep in touch with his dead wife Ellen and to ease the pain that remains from the long ago incident that ruined his career. Soon thereafter, we meet Tom's only friend and part time investigator, Mike Tubbs - a thirty year old, three hundred pound reformed motorcycle gang member and computer genius who feels that Tom's legal skills and persistence were responsible for keeping him out of prison and that he thus owes Tom a debt that can never be adequately repaid.

We have only just been introduced to Tom long enough to learn a little of his eccentric nature when the scene shifts from Ithaca, NY to the newsroom of THE WASHINGTON POST. There a shadowy source is feeding Tom's daughter Jane, a young reporter, very damaging information about none other than Michael Gleason, the cause of her father's downfall many years ago and now a senior and very powerful U.S. Senator. As Jane becomes convinced that she may have a story of Pulitzer Prize potential if her source is trustworthy, she decides that she has to visit her father and confront him in order to finally learn the secret of how Gleason destroyed Tom's career as background for her understanding of the Senator and in order to decide if he is as corrupt as her source has indicated. Under a morning deadline from her editor, Jane returns to DC later the same night to prepare the story for the editor's approval, but she fails to appear at work the next day. When Tom contacts her editor the next afternoon after becoming concerned about her, he learns that the police are investigating her disappearance and that her apartment has been ransacked.

Tom was a policeman before attending law school, so he immediately recognizes that THE FIRST 48 hours after a subject's disappearance are crucial to successfully locating the person alive. Since the countdown has effectively begun several hours earlier, he and MIke immediately pack up Tom's old diesel pickup truck and head for DC. Tom finds that his sense of urgency is not shared by either the POST management or the DC police, both of whom are treating Senator Gleason with the deference that the powerful in Washington so often command. Tom's reputation as an oddball and his aggressive behavior quickly end all chances for their cooperation, so he and Mike decide to independently investigate Jane's disappearance. Of course, Tom is totally convinced that Gleason is undoubtedly the key to the puzzle, and makes the Senator the initial target of his inquiry. He and Mike also pursue the parallel track of determining the identity of her shadowy source.

The plot has several threads that are ingeniously woven together, and the depiction of the intrigue surrounding the Washington lobbying scene is accurately drawn. The book is an easy read and a real page turner; I started it during an afternoon and had finished it by bedtime without speedreading. Also, in some ways, the central charcters are much better developed than in Green's earlier books. During explanatory flashbacks, we learn a lot about Tom and a fair amount about Mike, and we are treated to a wonderful tradition which has evolved which involves the exchange between them at appropriate moments of relevant philosophical insights drawn from recognizable historical figures . So, why not a five star rating? The story suffers from the two interrelated flaws which plague the author's other books which I have read. First, there are a few too many tricks played on the reader in regard to certain events. (I cannot be more specific without creating a spoiler.) While this makes the story more exciting and unpredictable, it does so in a way that is basically a shortcut for the author at the reader's expense. Second and much more importantly, Green does a great job of providing many accurate and interesting details in order to create a realistic backdrop, but then in an apparent effort to increase the "thrill quotient" and keep the reader's adrenaline pumping he makes some elements of the story so farfetched as to cause it to lose all credibilty. It undoubtedly is a great story for a speed reader, who would probably primarily care about the plot and love the action; in some ways it is a better movie outline than a book.

If you are a Tim Green fan or are just looking for an action thriller that has an interesting plot and which is a fast read, this book should provide a few hours of enjoyment. This is the fourth book by Tim Green that I have read, and it is much superior to his last effort, THE FIFTH ANGEL (review 3/21/03). It is about on a par with THE LETTER OF THE LAW, but not nearly as good as THE FIFTH PERIMETER, so if you haven't read that one I recommend it highly.

Tucker Andersen