24 Hours

Rating:
Summary: You Will Read it in Less
Review: This being my first Greg Iles book, I was very impressed. Iles has a great style and great character definition that will make me want to read his past novels. With "24 Hours" Iles gives a very frightening story that is so real, that you get shivers from the start all the way to the end. The story is about Jennings' family, whose life is ripped apart by a group of kidnappers. The kidnappers pull this job off once a year by kidnapping the child of a upper class doctor, while the doctor is away at an convention. Every year they pull it off with the leader staying with the wife, the leader's wife with the husband and the leader's mentally handicapped nephew watching the child, all in different locations. Calls must be made every 30 minutes or the child will die. However this time the kidnappers picked the wrong family. The Jennings' are going to fight back. This is one of the best thrillers I've read in a very long time. Any reader of fiction will find this a stay up late read. Can't wait for the movie next year.

Rating:
Summary: Possible to Read in Twenty-Four Hours
Review: 24 Hours, by Greg Iles, is a quick, exciting read. The plotline is intricate enough to keep one's interest, though not too complicated or complex to follow. The book is a page-turner.
The opening scene begins with the reuniting of a mother and her kidnapped child. The scene switches to present day, and a new family. We learn about Will Jennings, an aspiring research doctor, his lovely wife Karen, and their five-year old daughter Abby. As Will is whisked away to a medical convention, terror strikes at the Jennings' home. Abby has been kidnapped. A kidnapper confronts Karen, telling her about an elaborate scheme to finish the kidnapping in twenty-four hours- as long as the Jennings play by the rules. Will is confronted by another kidnapper at the convention, and Abby is held by a third party at an unknown location. Will's mind goes into overdrive as he looks for a way to rescue Abby; Karen is in the same situation. As Will's actions at the convention mold with Karen's at home, the story unfolds. Will Abby Jennings be safe in twenty-four hours?
Though I enjoyed this book, there were a few aspects of it I didn't like. It kept my interest while reading it, but after putting it down, I found it easy to ignore- this wasn't one of those books that I had to finish as soon as possible. The characters weren't very well developed. Iles does a great job of conveying their emotions, but there isn't a whole lot of background information. There's also a vital plot element that is unfeasible in real life. All in all, this was a pleasurable read. It's quick pace and smooth writing helped propel this book to a spot on my shelf. It should be on your shelf, too.

Rating:
Summary: Main feature: it¿s believable
Review: Greg Iles is not a common author in the sense that he likes to diversify the main subjects of his books. In "24 hours", it's the kidnapping of a child. OK, this is not an original theme; in fact, it's a pretty used one.

But Greg Iles' originality lies on the fact that he has created completely believable characters. While reading the book, I kept saying: "Well, now I'd do like this... now I'd do like that..." and the characters did pretty much the same thing I was thinking. No idiotic heroism, not improbable and endless plot twists, no last-minute deus-ex-machina intrusions. Only in the final chapter what happens is a little unbelievable, but by that time the reader is so gripped by the story that it becomes a minor affair.

Greg Iles likes to lay down many conflicting elements early in his books, and keeps toying with them along the pages. This sweeps the reader attention from page one. In "24 hours" it happens again. Iles is one of the very good recent surprises in this genre of fiction. I hope he keeps up the good work, and he'll have me as a constant buyer and reader of his books.

Grade 9.0/10

Rating:
Summary: Kidnapping Drama in Mississippi
Review: Sit down, belt yourself in and get ready for the most thrilling read imaginable. "24 Hours" will keep you glued to your seat for the few hours that it will take you to devour this book. Hollywood will definitely want to create a cinematic thriller from this plot.

Joe Hickey, his wife Cheryl and cousin Huey have fine-tuned a kidnapping script and have preyed successfully upon 5 doctors' families before settling on Will, Karen and Abby Jennings as their next victims. Working as a team, Huey swipes the kid, Cheryl accosts the husband and Joe corners the wife. Their demands of only $200,000 are small change to the successful doctors they target, and their method is foolproof. Joe calls each of his accomplices every 30 minutes, with the threat to each of the parents that a missed phone call will result in the immediate death of their child. The wife is commanded to wire transfer the funds to a bank near the husband, who picks up the cash and delivers it to Hickey, while Huey is handing over the child to the mother. All of the previous victims have complied and have had their children returned to them safely. None reported the crime to the FBI.

However, things don't go quite so smoothly with the Jennings family. Hickey wasn't aware of Abby's acute juvenile diabetes, and his flawless plan is interrupted by the need to take Karen to her for a life-saving insulin injection. The tearful, agonizing parting scene when Karen and Abby are separated distresses Huey, Joe's big oafish mentally retarded cousin, who doesn't want to hurt Abby who has been kind to him.

Cheryl also runs into problems with Will. He is unwilling to sit around and do nothing, so uses the drugs he has developed as an anesthesiologist to weaken her resolve and extract some critical information from her. Will learns that this time Joe has a score to even up, since he believes Will was responsible for the death of his mother during an operation in the past year. He believes that this time Joe will kill the child, since it's the only way he can really get even with Will.

Karen fights back against Joe's rape attempt by slashing his thigh with a scalpel that she had hidden, and manages to send an e-mail message to Will's skytel pager. At the same time, the last victims have finally decided to report the crime to the FBI, and they start to narrow in on the criminals. All this excitement happens before the book is half over; but there's still much to come.

For sheer drama, intrigue, terror and anticipation, the taut fast-paced writing and character development can't be beaten. You can just imagine the exciting, intense conclusion on the wide screen at your local Cineplex.

Rating:
Summary: Competant FBI
Review: The book was a lot better than I was expecting from reading the first chapter. It has it's moments that are over written and silly and yet the story is interesting and entertaining. The plot is tight and everything wraps up nicely in the end. It's also one of those rare mystery/thrillers where the police and FBI are actually competant!

Rating:
Summary: Awesome!!!!
Review: There is something really special about Greg Iles' writing that is hard to pinpoint. My favorite authors have been Nelson DeMille and Jeffery Deaver. I think Iles is every bit as good as these masters, and even better in some respects. What sets Iles apart is his understanding of human nature, thus his characters seem more real (human) than any author I have read. He must spend as much time studying people as Clancy does technology.

His dialog is also crisp and very realistic. He doesn't spend a lot of time describing settings, but his characters and plots are so good the reader doesn't even notice or miss it.

24 Hours is a really moving work. I would find it hard to believe that anyone with a family (especially young children) could read this novel without being affected. I put this book in my top 5 I have ever read.

Also recommended: Mortal Fear - Greg Iles; The Devil's Teardrop - Jeffery Deaver; Plum Island - Nelson DeMille

Rating:
Summary: Read THE QUIET GAME by this author but NOT this one
Review: My greatest fear is that reading 24 Hours might turn people off to other books by Greg Iles- and that would be too bad because the author's best works are so much better than this rather bland little book - as quickly forgettable as it is a quick read. I nearly put it down several times but felt compelled to finish it, if only to give a fair review of the book. On the other hand, please, please pick up and read The Quiet Game by the same author. It has the heart and soul that 24 Hours lacks and you may well be amazed, as I was, that this book was written by the same author. Skillfully blending southern politics and scandal, a bit or romance and riveting action and suspense into one seamless tales, this is a book you'll truly enjoy. Plus, you can get it in paperback and save money compared to buying 24 Hours.

Rating:
Summary: action packed page turner
Review: I could not put this one down easily, there is so much action and surprises involved. The plot is simple, there is a team of professional criminals who specialize in kidnapping for ransom. They have succeeded five times without a hitch. Their plan is based on a 24 hour cycle. First, a doctor (preferably a well established specialist) with a family that has one small child is selected. The team takes advantage of a time when the doctor has to attend a medical conference. Each team member holds every member of the family hostage, keeps them separate and stays in contact via cell phone. One family member wires the cash to a bank and another family member is forced to pick up the cash at a bank and give it to the kidnapper. After the 24 hour cycle, the family is reunited and everyone promises to not say anything to anyone under the threat of their child being killed.

There is just one job the team does however that presents a special challenge they could not have anticipated. All of the plans start to fall apart one by one which forces the team to alter their original plans. As everyone knows from reading popular mystery/thriller novels the bad guys always lose, but the question is, how far are the bad guys able to make it without getting caught and what are the things which contribute to their plan being foiled?

I found it interesting how a similar scenario from the movie "Panic Room" was used.

Rating:
Summary: A perfect day's reading
Review: Joe Hickey is one smart sadist. Like your more successful gamblers, he knows that walking away from the table when you're ahead is usually the best policy. For five years he has supported himself and his collaborators with his patiently-won earnings, the produce from his kidnappings--only one perfectly planned abduction per year--of the young children of well-to-do doctors. His crimes are so well thought out that Hickey knows his victims will neither attack him nor call the police, either during the kidnapping or after their children's safe return. He is confident enough in his planning that he uses his real name--rubbing his victims' noses in their impotence--and is unconcerned if they happen to have access to firearms. The distraught parents of Hickey's targeted children bend to his will--a rather unpleasant business given his demands--because they have to.

Hickey's sixth kidnapping, of five-year-old juvenile diabetic Abby Jennings, is the subject of Greg Iles' taut, perfectly plotted, utterly gripping 24 Hours. The Jenningses may be having the worst day of their lives in the book, but you'll have a great one as you neglect your responsibilities, lock yourself in your bedroom, and read Iles' novel from cover to cover.

Rating:
Summary: 24 Hours of Boredom
Review: Greg Iles is a talented young author with the ability to write exciting prose and draw his readers into his stories. Unfortunately, he didn't do that with this book. 24 Hours, later renamed Trapped when they made a movie out of it, is as exciting as a middle school spelling bee. There is never any real threat to any of the characters. The meanest of the three villians is quickly subdued early in the book, before he can truly menace anyone. The other two villians are so weak and "nice" that they never seem more frightening than a half-dead roach. Even the kidnapped little girl is never, ever, ever portrayed as being in a dangerous situation. "Mildly inconvenienced" would be more applicable. This book was a good idea that was badly executed, and I can't help wondering if the editor was at fault here instead of Iles. I really had to struggle to keep reading this one, unlike some of the other books by Iles. If you want to be kept on the edge of your seat, start with Sleep No More or Mortal Fear by the same author. Keep this book around for those nights when you have insomnia and need something to put you to sleep. It definitely worked for me.