Rating: 
Summary: Maximum Tension
Review: First book I have read by Robert Crais, I was not disapointed. The tension and realism brought to his story was remarkable, I felt as though I was part of the negotiation team. Also his ploting with a few sub plots was quite outstanding. His bringing everything together was very nice. I will read more of his books.
Rating: 
Summary: A Good Solid Read
Review: This book has the ability to keep you in suspense. It moves quickly over a 24 hour time period with lots of twists and turns. The book is full of excitement and those of you out there that like action packed adventure with a criminal based theme will probably rate this book a five star treat! I do not read these sorts of books generally and found this book as an open door into new forms of literature. I read a review about this book in People and they raved about it, so I decided to take a risk and am glad I did. The author wrote the story with such intelligence and most everything that happens has a ring of truth to it. There is only one part that seems a bit far-fetched. That was why I voted the book down to 4 stars.
There was some gore to the story but it added to the thrill ride. It had those surprises that everybody seems to like, judging by the Sixth Sense. This book has no connection to the occult it deals with serial killers and young criminals who take a family as hostages. The family itself is another twist of imagination that you find out about as you read the story. The characters were well-written and you knew them although they were not as deeply known as I would have liked. Although, I don't think the book wants you to know to much about any of them, except maybe the main character because than the surprises jump out at you more. After reading the book I felt a little on edge, it makes you kind of wary of strangers! It also makes you wonder about your neighbors. I also wondered what it would be like in a job where you have to use your cognitive skill to get into the mind of all kinds of criminals. This book can be linked a little to Silence of the Lambs, but the characters are not as well drawn and developed as compared to the above-mentioned. Lisa Nary
Rating: 
Summary: even I could see what was coming a mile away....
Review: I am usually one who is taken by surprise by the twists and turns in these types of books, but Hostage was so obvious from the beginning. Maybe I am just getting tired of Crais' books.
Rating:
Summary: There is more than one way to be held hostage
Review: It's difficult not to be sympathetic to Jeff Talley's plight. He's an ex-SWAT team member and hostage negotiator, who has semi-retired to a small Californian town where he is now Chief of Police. He's trying to live the quiet life, when the exact situation he's trying to escape comes along and parks itself on his doorstep. To top off the pressure of negotiating a hostage crisis, outside influences are added to really turn the heat up, providing the reader with a truly spine tingling scenario. It also proves that there is more than one way to be held hostage. By piling one crisis on top of the next, the reader is given an intriguing ride. Robert Crais does a terrific job of humanising the main characters in this book, making it more than just a simple hostage negotiation story. I couldn't help but feel an affinity with Talley, particularly when he was forced to make decisions based on his personal life. What he would do to give himself a win-win outcome was a fascinating aspect of the book. Although I was disappointed that Elvis Cole was put on hold for another year, the originality and suspense of this book more than made up for it.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best I have Read This Year!!!
Review: Robert Crais is not an author I had read before I obtained a copy of Hostage. My mission is now to read his other efforts for this was a compelling page turner.Jeff Talley, a former LAPD SWAT team hostage negotiator has left that position due to a hostage situation which haunts his life. He has taken the position of Chief of Police of a small California town where the big police issues have nothing to do with guns or danger. Unfortunately for Talley, three misfits of society are about to change all that. After a botched attempt to rob a convenience store during which the store employee was killed, their vehicles engine craps out, leaving them near an exclusive residential subdivision. Over the wall they go and into the house of Arthur Smith. Had they picked any other house in there, things might have been different, but Smith is an acountant for The Mob and his house holds their secrets and a few million dollars of dirty money. Unaware of all this, the trio entertains themselves by terrorizing Smith and his children until it becomes apparent that the police are looking for them. The first officer to suspect their location ends up paying for this discovery with his life as he is cut down in a hail of bullets from the house.
Talley and his men set up a perimeter about the house as things start to get very complicated. The people whose records are in the house undertake action to send their own people, posing as FBI agents to the scene to recover the records. To neutralize Talley, his wife and daughter are kidnapped and are themselves hostages. Talley is contacted by their abductors and agrees to cooperate. Crais's plotting of this piece is materful and needs to be read to be appreciated. It is an absolute "cannot put this down" book.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: 3 losers rob a mini mart, kill the poor owner, escape and end up in a wealthy development in a small town. They proceed to hold 3 people hostage in their home and it ends up the problem of a retired SWAT hostage negotiator who would rather not play. Robert Crais has left Elvis home and written a dynamite book. This is a very quick read, minute by minute excitement. I believe someone said it will be a Bruce Willis movie. I will be interested to see how they work around all the four, five, six letter blue words. But it suits the book. (Rather not hear it in the movie though). Robert Crais has a real fan here and will look forward to the next. I miss Elvis and Joe.
Rating:
Summary: Soon To Be A Major Motion Picture
Review: Jeff Talley was a cop, a good cop. He worked as a hostage negotiator for LAPD, and, eventually, found himself overloaded. He quit LAPD to preserve his tenuous grip on his sanity. He escaped Los Angeles for a sleepy California town. He got a job as a police chief where his major responsibilities included parking infractions and speaking at school career days. Then, one fine day, some not-too-intelligent street criminals rob a store but don't get far. Fleeing from the cops, they seek refuge in a house where an accountant lives. Talley finds himself once again in a hostage negotiation situation. Talley is a fine creation, with a complex personal life. The hostage situation grows more complicated when the mob learns of it. The accountant is their bookkeeper, and the house is full of evidence that can put the wrong men in prison for a long long time. Talley finds himself trapped between the mob, street thugs, personal problems, and his past. Picture Bruce Willis as Talley and read the book first, before the film gets made. HOSTAGE is already in development as a Willis project.
Rating:
Summary: Strange but Very good
Review: From the start this book is a little strange. You never quite get a full feel for the characters, however, that is the way it needs to be for the story line. The book is definitely one which holds your attention and I truly enjoyed it - especially as you learn more and more about the characters!
Rating:
Summary: Hostage jam-packed.....
Review: This book is jam-packed with everything but the kitchen sink! To name a few--Action, murder, the Mob, kidnaping, cops, serial killer, spunky kids. What more could you want? Crais' story starts with a seemingly innocuous robbery of a mini-mart by three, less than brilliant thugs and soon escalates into a wild, twisting, turning ride, with a monkey wrench thrown in here and there just to keep you on your toes. It's good enough to keep one from pining over much about Elvis Cole.
Rating:
Summary: A Terrific Thrill Ride
Review: Though not an Elvis Cole story, Hostage is just as terrific. Crais takes an ex-Los Angeles SWAT team negotiator,Talley, moves him to a smaller location, then adds a homicidal maniac and his two buddies who take as hostage two great kids,then adds the final ingredient, the Mafia, shakes them all up and gives us an explosive story. It is an actual page turner! I loved it.
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