Hostage

Rating:
Summary: Explosive...A MUST READ!
Review: An ex-con, and his dim-witted brother team up with a psychopath with a short fuse to make a quick score, but things go quickly from bad to worse, as the store owner lies dead, and they find themselves fugitives on the run in a truck that doesn't want to run anymore.

Desperate to elude the police, Dennis, Mars and Kevin decide to break into a house to hide out, only to find a father, his teenage daughter and his young son home. Now that things are really bad, the three men have no choice but to keep them hostage until everything dies down.

As the police dispatch the call about the robbery, officer Mike Welch responds, explaining that he has found the truck abandoned. Trying to find the whereabouts of the three men, Mike begins ringing doorbells (in the exclusive neighborhood), only to come face to face with a young girl who is obviously nervous, and within seconds of realizing the criminals are in the house, there are gunshots, and the officer is left dying on the well manicured front lawn.

Enter Chief of Police Jeff Talley, and ex LAPD SWAT negotiator who is hiding from his past. Quickly Jeff is drawn into a harrowing battle of trying to get the hostages out alive, but little does everyone know that Dennis, Mars and Kevin picked the wrong house to hide in, because this family has many secrets, secrets some people will kill to keep from being revealed.

As Talley struggles with the haunting memories of his past, and the tension of the hostage situation mounts, he is thrust in the middle of a battle with lethal crime lord Sonny Benza, and Benza will make sure Talley's whole family suffers if he gets too close to finding anything out.

With the clock ticking, Talley must find out the connection between Benza and this family, get the hostages out, and make sure his own family is in safety, but unfortunately the only person that can stop this situation is the LEAST stable person of all.

I will not go any further into the plot, because Robert Crais has carefully constructed a spellbinding page-turner that harbors many twists, and plenty of shocks.

'Hostage' is an explosive thriller that CAN'T-BE-PUT-DOWN. Using a superb cast of characters in a desperate crisis, Robert Crais has crafted a blistering thriller that just may be the BEST THRILLER I have read this year. What makes this novel work is not only it's page-turning action, but also it's exploration of it's main characters (both good & bad), and the struggles they are going through.

I can't recommend this novel enough...It is so good everyone should read it!

An absolute MUST READ!!!!!

Nick Gonnella

Rating:
Summary: BREATHTAKING!
Review: As a mystery author with my first novel in its initial release, I know several Southern California-based writers who are working on what they hope will be breakthrough stand-alone thrillers. Robert Crais has his second BIG stand-alone here. Last year, he wrote DEMOLITION ANGEL, his first break from his Elvis Cole series. With HOSTAGE, Elvis may still be missing in action, but Jeff Talley, an ex-cop haunted by errors he made in his past career as a hostage negotiator for LAPD, carries the story well. A botched robbery leads to a hostage situation in a small California town, and its police chief, Talley, finds himself forced into the role of hostage negotiator--his worst nightmare materializing in his new reality. As the point of view flips back and forth among several characters, the plot grows increasingly complicated involving organized crime and Talley's own family. This book is terrific. Robert Crais is the finest American crime writer now working.

Rating:
Summary: An electrifying page-turner
Review: Robert Crais' electrifying page-turner pits former LAPD SWAT team negotiator-turned-small-town-police-chief Jeff Talley against three small-time robbers and one big-time nightmare: The Mob. When a robbery in his seemingly bucolic town develops into a terrifying hostage situation (in more ways than one) and spirals out of hand, Talley is forced to confront the demons of his past while trying to contain the escalating crisis at hand. Brilliantly plotted, rich in character development and rife with the fast-paced writing fans of the talented Mr. Crais have always enjoyed, this thriller packs a powerful punch. So hang the do-not-disturb sign on your door, turn off the phone and get yourself a cool drink. Then settle in for a hair-raising ride. You'll be glad you did!

Rating:
Summary: On the Hot Seat!
Review: The less you know about the details of this story before you read it, the more you will enjoy it. My recommendation is that you stop friends from telling you anything specific, and avoid reviews that summarize the book. As a result, I will characterize the book in a very general way so that you can decide if you want to read it or not without revealing much. Please forgive me for this reticence, but I think you will be glad when you are finished with the book.

First, let me provide a word of warning. The book contains references to sadism, torture, and violence against children. If such disturb your days or your sleep, perhaps you should ask a friend who has read the book how upsetting it was before deciding to go forward. I found these elements to advance the story, and not to be overplayed . . . but they are certainly there.

Hostage deals with situations where a criminal has seized someone as a bargaining chip for something they want. Hostage situations usually either lead to lots of people being killed, or everyone getting out alive. The difference is usually related to the skill, talent, and patience of the hostage negotiator.

Hostage's protagonist is the chief of police in a small town north of Los Angeles, Jeff Talley. He had served as such a hostage negotiator during part of a truncated career with the LAPD.

Having had that experience colors your view of the world in many ways. It makes you feel responsible for the hostages, the criminals, and for those who are helping you defuse the situation. That's a lot of responsibility to have on your shoulders. Also, you get used to lengthy delays, suddenly melting down psychotics, and impetuous colleagues. The criminals will make unreasonable and dangerous demands, and you have to decide how to respond with little help. Few would fail to melt under the pressure.

At one level, Hostage can be read as a classic thriller about the ins and outs of hostage situations. Those who enjoy police procedurals and seeing crimes from many perspectives (of police, hostages, and criminals) will feel like they have a front row seat. If that's all there were to the book, I would have praised it and given it a three star rating.

However, the book also operates at other levels. One develops the theme that we are hostages to someone else, whether or not that person is a criminal. Our actions are constrained by that other person, and danger lurks if we stray from the demands of the relationship. I thought this idea was very well developed and interesting. I graded the book up one star for this quality.

Several other themes also affected and impressed me, including how one obtains redemption for the consequences of avoidable mistakes, the importance of getting the facts right before taking action, being careful who you trust, and how to decide what the right thing to do is when confronted with two evils. All of this amounted to more than an additional star.

The only reason that I did not take the book up above five stars is that the character development would have had to be stronger for Hostage to become an outstanding book, rather than an excellent one.

As much as I admire the earlier novels by Mr. Crais, I felt that this one went beyond his earlier work in entering the realm of fine, mainstream novels through the excellent way that he developed the story both from a thematic and plot perspective.

In the plot, take notice that the pieces fit together inside one another . . . almost like nesting Russian dolls. That was a particularly fine device. An especially interesting element is that you will see yourself in the role of many of the characters, trying to decide what to do. It's a great mental and emotional challenge!

Ultimately, any novel lives or dies by whether or not you care about the characters and whether you find yourself inside the story. I was gripped by the third paragraph and the hold on me just got stronger as the pages passed. At one point, I realized that I had forgotten where I was or what time it was. If you are like me, you will remember Hostage for a long time to come.

After you finish Hostage (and I hope you do read it), think about where you are your brother's keeper. What more can you do to help?

Size up the situation, check your facts, be careful who you trust, and . . . take the leap!

Rating:
Summary: A TERRIFIC EDGE-OF-YOUR -SEAT SUSPENSE NOVEL!
Review: Fans of Robert Crais will not be disappointed in this one. Chief of Police Jeff Talley has a hostage situation to contend with as Walter Smith and his two children are held hostage by haphazard, hit-and-miss robbers. The tension mounts and continues to escalate as Talley's own family come into danger. This book is filled with a wide assortment of fiendish players, including a ruthless Mob boss and some other downright unsavoury characters.

What impressed me the most about the book was the author's writing style and the action-packed plot. This is definitely my favourite book by this author. The riveting suspense captured the reader's attention from page one and never lot go. Praises galore for Crais; he has, once again, written a top-notch thriller in much the same renowned literary style as that of Dennis Lehane.

Rating:
Summary: An exciting thriller
Review: Robert Crais' "Hostage" is a stand alone thriller that at first glance, didn't seem like it could hold my interest because the action occurs over one night. But Crais does a masterful job of creating enjoyable characters and injecting enough twists to carry the novel through the slow middle parts.

The action begins with losers Kevin, Dennis and Mars deciding to rob a convinience store in the suburbs. The robbery goes bad and a man is shot and on the getaway the car breaks down, forcing the thugs to escape through a ritzy neighborhood on foot. They plan to steal a car and make their getaway but the police are on their tail. Before they can escape, the police have them trapped. Dennis, the older brother and the leader, Kevin, the younger brother who really is an okay kid if it weren't for the influence of Dennis, and the loner Mars are all trapped in a house and they hold the Smith family hostage.

Jeff Talley, chief of police, is called to the scene. Talley has experience in these situations as a hostage negotiator. One bad experience forced him to quit the SWAT team and caused him to lose his family. Now he has to overcome his fears to ensure the safety of the family inside the house.

The novel seems pretty straight forward up to this point when Crais throws in a new plot twist. George Smith, one of the hostages, is an accountant for the Mafia with evidence that would incrimate families in LA and NY. The mafia then takes steps to ensure none of the evidence reaches the police.

The story moves back and forth between the point of view of Talley, the mafia, the hostages and Dennis and Kevin. Crais does a great job with the characters of Dennis and Kevin. You really can understand why Dennis has turned to crime and why Kevin is following him. Mars is an intriguing character (almost comical when listening to the audio book) whose motives are much more sinister than they appear.

The ending is satisfying and expected. I'll definitely look into more Crais novels.

Rating:
Summary: SUSPENSEFUL STORY MASTERFULLY PERFORMED
Review:




Readers of "Demolition Angel," "L.A. Requiem" or any other fast-paced thrillers by Robert Crais know what a compelling author he is. His scenes are so vivified that one loses sight of words on a printed page and sees technicolor pictures of the action. Thanks to the abilities of voice performer James Daniels that is also the case in listening to "Hostage."

A Chicago actor, Daniels gives new meaning to the term multi-talented - he plays guitar, swing dances, and with his wife co-authored a historical romance. He captures such dissimilar voices as that of Police Chief Jeff Talley and a sociopathic killer to perfection, thus rendering a totally enthralling reading.

Talley, a former hostage negotiator, had hopes for leaving that life far behind. A convenience store robbery north of Los Angeles changes his plan.. Police are in pursuit of three men, turning thieves into desperate quarry. They gain access to a tony gated community where they break into a home and hold at gunpoint a father and his two young children, a son and daughter. Once more Talley is called upon.

However, the invaded house is home to a bookkeeper for notorious mob boss, Sonny Benza. Fearful that his records will fall into the hands of the Law, Benza has Talley's wife and daughter grabbed. Play, match play, how will it end?

Crais is a master of suspense and Daniels is a master at presenting it. Enjoy the goosebumps!

- Gail Cooke

Rating:
Summary: They Took the Wrong Guy Hostage
Review: Jeff Talley was a front-line negotiator for LAPD's SWAT team, but the stress cost him his marriage, so he resigned and took a a job as Chief of Police in the fictional town of Bristo Camino, a well to do suburban bedroom community of Los Angeles. But his peaceful small town exhistance comes to a screeching hault when three young men rob a mini-mart, then, when the robbery goes haywire, invade a home and take a man and his two children hostage. However the loser bad guys picked the wrong house, because it just so happens that the guy they're holding hostage is the accountant for a Palm Spring mobster. Somehow it seems getting caught by the cops would be preferable to being nabbed by the mob.

This is a thriller that had me up all night long. Robert Crais has developed living, breathing characters here and that is the key to a the kind of story that will have you on pins and needles as you shiver your way through a cold and dark night with a spine-tingling book.

Rating:
Summary: Great book - true pageturner...but the end???
Review: You know that quest? The one where you're trying to find that book that will compel you to read just one more page before going to sleep, to push your lunch hour just another five minutes so you can finish the chapter? You look and get teased by this bestseller or that hot author but the object of your search is just out of reach?

Search no more - this is that book. It really is - the tension is not stretched thin by padding and endless descriptions of inner thoughts like Koontz's 'High Intensity' or filled with page upon page of techno-description like any of Clancy's books. Instead, this book lights the fuse in the first few pages and dares you to duck and cover. You will race through the book to find out what happens next.

As for others here who cry 'Cliche!' or 'Hackneyed!' or any other such silliness, well, yes - this is another book about a police officer who is good at his job and harbors a crippling secret that threatens to derail a successful resolution to his dilemma at any moment. There are moments where the character dialogue could be left out as we often know what the bad guys are going to say before it is said. There are also a host of coincidences in this book that threaten to darken the horizon with clouds of contrivance. However, it is possible to accept these as quibbles, payment for the thrill of being swept away by the plot.

I will say that the very end of the excitement that forms the core of the story is a bit puzzling. It has shades of simply ending because Crais has written himself into a corner. This too is mostly okay as the rest of the book is so exciting. I would have preferred a bit more solidness to the resolution but I have no idea how this could have been accomplished.

Get this for the plane ride or for something else where you will be able to read for awhile.

Rating:
Summary: Awesome..Crais' best yet...
Review: This is my fourth Crais' book and by far my favorite. The book is like an orchestra that is tuned beautifully by Crais, the maestro. It is one of the better thrillers you will read. Oh, sure, the concidences are many, but it really does work. The multivoiced narrators work beautifully (even more strongly than Demolition ANgel). The tension builds and the twists don't stop coming. It is mysterious, exciting, and as many of these books are about redemption. I read that this will soon be a movie with BRuce Willis. I'm sure that will be fine but I can't believe the movie will be better than this fantastic book. Crais keeps getting better and better.