Derailed

Rating:
Summary: 2 Stars for a book that could have been more.
Review: There is no question that this book falls short of what it could have been. The premise of the book is intriguing and by reading the book jacket you would think you are in for a book the likes of "Disclosure" or "Fatal Attraction". One of the major issues with this book is that it is difficult to sympathize with the main character, Charles, at all. The story of his betrayal and his actions as he falls from grace in his life flow so quickly in to one another that you don't feel that he's a character you pull for one way or another. Just as critical within the book are that Charles's actions seem extremely unlikely. James Siegel explains them away as being noble intentions, but rather they come off as absurd. The story takes a lame turn late in the book as a way to get Charles out of a jam. It's like Siegel couldn't come up with any rational story line so he grasped for the ridiculous. I kept reading because of other reviews that I saw on Amazon, but I tend to think that those people must have been looking for mindless fodder. To put this book in the same realm as a Dennis Lehane or Harlan Coben book is a joke.

Rating:
Summary: An original plot
Review: Things are going along well for Charles, a married advertising accounts executive in New York City, until his career suddenly goes off the track and he foolishly becomes involved with another woman. He finds himself the victim of blackmail by a vicous hoodlum. It is like being trapped in a bog, the more he struggles to get out, the deeper he sinks in. He discovers various circumstances and people are not what they seemed to be, and others are quite willing to use him as a goat.

I remember a pet cat we had when I was a child. It was tame until a neighbor's dog backed it into a corner, and it slashed the dog across the nose with its claws. People have Charles backed against the wall when he taps primal instincts to save himself (aided by the chance actions of someone else). He does have a creative mind - after all, he works in advertising.

The story starts out near the end, and then works forward, as he reveals his past, the problems, and his solutions. I won't reveal the details and the surprise ending, but it is worth reading. It is written in the first person, sometimes narrative, and sometimes with dialogue.

Rating:
Summary: Would make a suspenseful movie
Review: I didn't know this author's work, but bought the book from the blurb. It was one of those rare instances when the blurb isn't just hype. This story is all it says it is. There is a graphic scene early on that I would rather have happened off the page, but later on you can see where the author was going with it. He needed to get his point across with scare tactics later being levied against the hero. Lots of clues along the way. A quick and satisfying read.

Rating:
Summary: Preposterous and exasperating
Review: This novel starts out attractively but just becomes systematically more preposterous as time goes by. The whole notion of a rapist imagining that he has the upper hand over his victim because he caught him in the act of adultery, despite the fact that the victim has the capacity of having the rapist arrested and sent away for virtually life any time he choses, is alone so implausible that I should have put down the book right there. The fact that the victim decides to pay out vast sums of money to protect his dear wife from the revelation that (gasp) ¡°honey I sinned ¡± seems more appropriate in a 19th century pulp romance novel than any modern piece of fiction. Further, the book seems to simply wallow in the unending humiliation of its soft white protagonist at the hands of his ethnic, street smart tormentor. We got the point that liberals are all wimps the first 10 times thank you. Read Bonfire of the Vanities for a credible story of a decent man whose one bad decision leaves hopelessly entangled between a rock and a hard place. Read Derailed only if you enjoy laughing at what incredibly spineless fools middle class salary men are.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book
Review: I couldn't put it down. I listened to the audio version, so i would fall asleep to it, but i listened untill 4 am or so. I would have to rewind back to where i left off at. It had alot of twist, even suprised me and i can usually figure things out pretty quick. I loved this book it was so very enjoyable, i hated for it to end. I was in the hospital having surgery when i started it and it really kept my attention and got me through those long boring hospital nights alone. Check it out, you won't be sorry. Enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: One of the best!
Review: James Siegel's Derailed is one of the best thrillers I have ever read. I am a big fan of writers such as Michael Connelly, James Patterson and Tess Gerritsen (each with his/her own style) and I will add James Siegel to my watchlist of authors.

In Derailed, the author took me through a series of unexpected twists that made the end all that much enjoyable. This book is movie material and I am just waiting to see which movie company will sign Siegel up to bring his book onto the big screen.

When I first picked up the book, I thought it would be the same kind of storyline you get in such books - hero gets bored at home, hero gets some adventure outside and gets into trouble, hero gets himself out of trouble and lives happily ever after. However, it was more than that.

I can't resist telling the whole story here without giving away too much of the plot or the story. So, I am going to end here with a high recommendation for this book.

If you only read one book a year, this is the one to read.

Rating:
Summary: Blackmail at its worst
Review: This was introduction to James Siegel and it was one of the best books I have read in a while. The storyline of this blackmail plot is excellent and I never wanted to put it down for a second. I hope he writes many more, I will look for them.

Rating:
Summary: Derailed
Review: Derailed is a real attention-getter. It was so scary I found that I couldn't even read it when I was home alone. It is mainly about this guy, Charles Schine, who lived in New york and rides the same train to work everyday. He was married and has a teenage daughter but obviously didn't care very much about them. He didn't even bother to think how one seemlingly temporary choice he made could affect the rest of their lives. The choice he makes will leave a huge stain on his reputation and his wife's heart. This is not the kind of book that starts off slow and then picks up and it also isn't the kind where you wait until the very end for the action to start. I think this book is mainly about how a person can screw everything up for a few minutes of pleasure. Infidelity kills. Literally.

Rating:
Summary: A good book with a few problems
Review: I enjoyed the quick flowing prose of Derailed. I recommend this book for anyone. It has violence, sex, suspense and plenty of twists and turns. In fact, there are several twists and turns and I think Seigel could've done a better job revealing the final twist. It would have had a bigger impact.

As one review wrote, there is a incredibly ridiculous turn of events towards the end of the novel that spurs the novel in a different direction. Still, I overlooked this event. I wasn't going to let it ruin my perception of the book.

As a woman, I read a lot of books, mostly written by men, that present the aspect of a man cheating on his wife. Derailed presents the same dilemma of Charles Schine cheating on his wife, yet at the same time knowing it is the worst thing he could ever to to her, or to himself. The rest of the book explores how far Schine will go to protect is wife, even after he has done the ultimate act to destroy her.

Rating:
Summary: An exciting thriller!
Review: Derailed features Charles Schine, an ad executive who makes a lot of money, has a beautiful wife and a teenage daughter. Charles meets a beautiful woman on a train and begins talking to her. Charles convinces himself that his marriage isn't as good as it used to be for various reasons, and therefore he needs the relationship with this woman. The flirting continues and before you know it, they begin an affair.

That is the beginning of the end for Charles Shine, because his life then truly begins to unravel. The life of his family is threatened and Charles loses everything. But Charles does manage to regroup and pull his life back together.

A previous reviewer says Charles seems like an unsympathetic character who continually makes the wrong choices. But I see Charles who made a choice to have an affair, then after that nothing was under his control. Author James Siegel portrays Charles Shine as a man cheating on his wife and then shows the steps Shine takes to keep his family from finding out. Just how far will Charles go to keep his family from knowing his betrayal. Siegel in a way puts a priority in the scheme of criminal acts with Charles, having him making many terrible choices in order to avoid telling his wife he cheated on her.

There is one act in the novel that is a major turning point. It seems incredibly unrealistic (and somewhat bigoted against Christians) but at the same time I don't think it hurts the novel's credibility.

I enjoyed this book a lot. Seigel definitely tried hard to present an enjoyable story with plenty of plot twists and he succeeded.