Rating: 
Summary: Best thriller I've read in a long time
Review: I sort of bought this by accident. I was looking for John Grisham's 'A time to Kill', the one I hadn't read. 'At all costs' was sitting next to it and, as the type face of the author was the same, I first mistook it for a 'Grisham'. After reading the back I decided to buy it as well and it sat in the bookcase while I started on 'A Time to Kill'.I picked up 'At all costs late on a Tuesday night, was that a BIG mistake! I just could not put the book down. The story starts slowly enough, by quirk of fate an ordinary family guy get's caught up in a drug's bust and hauled off to sit in jail for a couple of hours, then Wham! you are launched into an incredible story of intrigue and suspense that turns so many blind corners you can never guess what's coming next. Thrilling to the last page. Already recommended to my bookworm friends and I am now looking for a copy of 'Nathans Run'.
Rating: 
Summary: Slick exciting thriller by a master of the game
Review: Gilstrap's debut novel "Nathan's Run" was the best debut in the genre for many a year .Subsequent novels have not quite matched it for pace ,power and heart but then very few could."At All Costs"is still pretty darn good and vey few who read will feel short changed in the thrills department
It is in essence a chase story."Jake" and "Carolyn"are outwardly solid reputable citizens,albeit with a troubled child prone to get involved in fights with school mates who pick on him for his trailer park life.They are ,however,on the FBI's "Most Wanted List" having been wrongfully accused of terrorism and murder several years previously
They were aided in their escape from capture by "Carolyn's"wealthy uncle who sets them up with a new identity and it is to him they turn when by accident the FBI stumble upon their true identity,and are forced ,with son "Travis"to go on the run It is not I trust ,revealing too much of the plot to say that the frame-up was initiated at the highest level of the government and the family are chased by some very potent and resourceful enemies.However ,neither they nor the uncle is without resources and the scene is set for some high velocity thrills with two especially effective hitmen-one for each side-stirred into the mix My one reservation is that it is "Nathan's Run"writ large.It is a family on the run ,not just a boy,the pursuers are the Federal governmentand not ,as in the earlier work,local criminals.Still,this is carping,and lovers of a good yarn well told should dive into the book with all expediency and despatch.
Strong narratives are always welcome ,and since Hollywood has abandoned them for special effects,we must rely on our writers.Gilstrap does not let us down.
Rating:
Summary: a surprising end
Review: The novel At All Costs by J. Gilstrap deals with the pretty topical subjects of international warfare/ arms trafficking and the corruption of FBI. Gilstrap combines those subjects in a very interesting way. The novel is a thrilling page-turner with growing suspense and a real surprising end.
The way the characters are presented is logical, detailed and very realistic, thus makes them rather interesting and gives the reader the possibility to identify with the main characters.
In our opinion the beginning is a little long - winding, but it turns out to be a stylistic device aimed at building up suspense. This "normal life" beginning makes it unputdownable.
Unfortunately the novel gets very violent and even a little artificial in the end, so Gilstrap is kind of breaking the mood.
But all in all we would say that At All Costs is a book worth reading especially because of the surprise of finding out who the guy is who pulls the strings in the background and why.
Rating:
Summary: Thrilling stuff!!!!
Review: If you want my opinion, I think that the novel At All Costs written by John Gilstrap is really exciting in so far as the opening is pretty thrilling and suspenseful. The rest of the novel is a bit too longwinded so the reading sometimes gets very boring. The ending is very nice and also a bit surprising to find out who the guy is that pulls the strings in the background and what exactly his reasons are. Moreover, it is a bit shocking that the state is that powerful in manipulating facts. The novel also is so thrilling because sometimes you donÂ't really know what exactly is going on in some passages.
Throughout the whole book you can't help sympathizing with Jake and Carolyn Brighton if they will ever manage to prove their innocence and to make the best of the situation and to make their little son Travis, who is only thriteen years old and really the most innocent person of the novel, feel comfortable. There are many moments when the little family is very close to getting caught by the FBI. These unexpexted twists arouse the readers' tension.
So all in all you can say that although some chapters are a bit complex John Gilstrap has a very special way of writing which makes it easy for everybody to understand and sympathize, because the characters speak the language you know from the 'normal' people surrounding you every day.
Rating:
Summary: the best 500 pages ever written.
Review: while im a big fan of john grisham, as well as numerous other authors and books. however, i thoroughly enjoyed this book. gilstrap is an excellent author, and his use of descriptive language is great. often at times, i found myself gripping the pages, wanting to know what happens next. the book is a great suspense thriller. every chapter adds to the twist of the story. read this book; it's well worth your time.
Rating:
Summary: At All Costs
Review: If you want my opinion, I would say that the novel At All Costs by John Gilstrap is not really thrilling, in so far as the beginning is pretty suspenseful but the rest is a bit long-winded. The ending is rather good ,though, because it is very surprising to find out who the guy is who pulls the strings in the background and what his reasons are. In addition to that, it is very well illustrated how powerful the state is in manipulating facts and how unscrupulous. But to me the novel does not seem plausible in so far as it is impossible to escape like they do and I think the plot is too exaggerated. All in all, you can say that John Gilstrap writes in such a way that everybody can easily understand but I would prefer the plot to be a little clearer (there is to much detail). If you want to read a book about misjudgement by the state or arms trafficking it is the right thing for you.
Rating: 
Summary: A Get Up and Go Kind of Book
Review: Overall this is just a fun book, it moves fast and is easy to read. The characters are Mr. and Mrs. everybody thus you identify with them easily. The story is fun if not a little on the "yea right" side of the bench. Ok so some of the actions the lead characters pull off are really not in keeping with a clean cut pair of middle Americans, but hey it's a fiction book. The plot is a little light, there really is not much going on except the main story line and the writing could give us more depth and details, bur becuase it was exciting I let it pass. It reminds me of the movie "Airplane", everyone enjoys watching it but it is not going to be on the AFI top 100 movies list anytime soon. Go into this book not expecting a lot and you will enjoy it.
Rating: 
Summary: .
Review: I read this book after reading the numerous good reviews this book received. But, I believe some of the negative reviews more accurately represent the numerous problems this book has. The author does an excellent job making this book a quick, mindless read, but the author sacrifices realism to keep the plot moving at a frenetic pace. There are several points in the book where I just scratched my head and thought that there is no way the character would act that way. In fact, the reason the good guys are on the run is far-fetched and laughable and could have easily been prevented by the good guys talking to the police right after the incident happened instead of finding excuse after implausible excuse to do the wrong thing. I am now in the middle of a far superior novel called "The Trial" by Clifford Irving, which is a true example of fine, fast paced writing.
Rating:
Summary: A Race of the Mind and Heart, A Top Class Thriller
Review: John Gilstrap brings his characters to life with this novel. Although the storyline is a bit hard to believe, it is, no dought, clever and original. A married couple, living undercover, with fake names, and secret identities are uncovered through a twist of fate that no-one could predict. This is the tale of thier journey to prove thier inocence from a crime committed years prior to the time of the story. In a brilliant attempt, by Gilstrap, to create another dilema for the young couple, he throughs thier thirteen year old son into the mix, young Travis has no idea that his parents are fugitives, and when he finds out he becomes a key factor in the plan to protect thier family. This beautifully composed page turner, by a somewhat new author is sure to keep all its readers on the edge of thier seats, and wanting to reach the end "at all costs."
Rating:
Summary: Slick exciting thriller by a master of the game
Review: Gilstrap's debut novel "Nathan's Run" was the best debut in the genre for many a year .Subsequent novels have not quite matched it for pace ,power and heart but then very few could."At All Costs"is still pretty darn good and vey few who read will feel short changed in the thrills department
It is in essence a chase story."Jake" and "Carolyn"are outwardly solid reputable citizens,albeit with a troubled child prone to get involved in fights with school mates who pick on him for his trailer park life.They are ,however,on the FBI's "Most Wanted List" having been wrongfully accused of terrorism and murder several years previously
They were aided in their escape from capture by "Carolyn's"wealthy uncle who sets them up with a new identity and it is to him they turn when by accident the FBI stumble upon their true identity,and are forced ,with son "Travis"to go on the run It is not I trust ,revealing too much of the plot to say that the frame-up was initiated at the highest level of the government and the family are chased by some very potent and resourceful enemies.However ,neither they nor the uncle is without resources and the scene is set for some high velocity thrills with two especially effective hitmen-one for each side-stirred into the mix My one reservation is that it is "Nathan's Run"writ large.It is a family on the run ,not just a boy,the pursuers are the Federal governmentand not ,as in the earlier work,local criminals.Still,this is carping,and lovers of a good yarn well told should dive into the book with all expediency and despatch.
Strong narratives are always welcome ,and since Hollywood has abandoned them for special effects,we must rely on our writers.Gilstrap does not let us down.
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