Rating: 
Summary: Too Formulaic
Review: Crais is definitely a good writer, but this out of series book was just too formulaic. I could easily guess everything. Even to the fact it wasn't an ordinary family to be taken hostage (of course not). Too bad, he is capable of better.
Rating:
Summary: The fluidity keeps it from being a true fast paced thriller.
Review: A cop, who is haunted by a botched hostage negotiation leaves the force to work in a small town only to be dragged back into a hostage negotiation. That is what this whole book is about.
It starts out well enough, with a few criminals going into a house and holding the family as hostage in order to beat out a murder charge. While not a bad novel, the sentence structure and fluidity tend to be terse and sometimes out of place. Crais also starts adding random complications that sort of pull the book away from the unlikely but possible to the almost absurd.
It's a decent book, but Crais has done so much better.
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: A quick and interesting suspense thriller
Review: I can't say that Hostage is the best suspense novel I've ever read, but it kept me interested and made me want to keep reading. It was an easy read for a boring business trip!
Rating: 
Summary: Why six stars?
Review: Why six stars to this book? 1) It has to many people involved, but the book explain perfectly who are these people and you know exactly what are they doing and why. 2) It never goes out of the story and it has three different stories that will keep you very busy. 3) You will be interested in all the people of the book, not only Talley or the terrorists. 4) You won't be able to put down the book until you finish it. 5) It has no sex scenes that many writers write just to fill pages. 6) IT IS A GREAT BOOK, JUST FOR THAT.
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