Rating: 
Summary: Four stars for the effort, and some - not all - good writing
Review: I was tired of this book by the end, and sure enough, the end was a lot of speechifying and explaining, rather than being experiential. I got confused sometimes with the jumping around between the two "abductions." By the end of the book I really didn't care any more. The so-called "twist" at the end was a bit too out of the blue - frankly, I was dis- appointed. A lot of it was implausible to me. It's like he tried to throw in everything but the kitchen sink - and it sank.However, some childhood memories with Bank were quite good, and all in all it's a book about fathers and daughters, and lifelong friends. For those things, it worked, and so I held on because it's not a subject men write about too much and I wanted to find out what this author had to say about it. My favorite character, actually, was Naomi, Max's daughter. She was spunky and gutsy and just weird enough to be a real person. Too bad people have to write "thrillers" to have their books sell. Can't one man just write about a father-daughter relationship, period? Oh, well. Not a bad book, just not a great one. There were some clunky passages - and some smooth, poetic ones. Uneven.
Rating: 
Summary: Agrre With Suzzinclaremont
Review: I'll chime in and agree with Suzzinclaremont's review. However, I could only make it through about the 1st 120 or so pages. I found the narrator's first person style boring, as well as his descriptions of Bank, who really seems to be the main character. Of course, this is a matter of taste. I generally don't like books written in this style, which are short on dialogue and long on narrative descriptions.
Rating: 
Summary: Completely absorbing
Review: I'll give it 3 stars for some good writing in patches and some suspense. But there are plenty of pages of forgettable writing in here and nothing particularly ingenious or new about following 2 crimes, one past, one present (check out the master, Ross MacDonald)...
Rating: 
Summary: medium
Review: I'll give it 3 stars for some good writing in patches and some suspense. But there are plenty of pages of forgettable writing in here and nothing particularly ingenious or new about following 2 crimes, one past, one present (check out the master, Ross MacDonald)...
Rating: 
Summary: Four Corners Of Boredom
Review: If you want a taut, suspensful thriller with interesting characters, zippy dialogue, and a twist ending, do not read this book. Its a plodding story about a missing girl in, of all places, Toledo, Ohio. One of the reviewers above put it best when he said he had to force himself to finish the book. Stay away!
Rating:
Summary: Four Corners Of Boredom
Review: If you want a taut, suspensful thriller with interesting characters, zippy dialogue, and a twist ending, do not read this book. Its a plodding story about a missing girl in, of all places, Toledo, Ohio. One of the reviewers above put it best when he said he had to force himself to finish the book. Stay away!
Rating:
Summary: A definite keeper.
Review: In Four Corners of Night, Craig Holden creates a convincing world of suspense and fear, hope and heartbreak. The characters are wonderfully written, multifaceted, displaying depth and complexity. As in real life, the characters are not all likeable. Their actions are, at times, reprehensible. As you read you will find yourself questioning the redeeming quality of good deeds. You'll be on the edge of your seat during the final pages. And in the end, you will say, "But did he do it?" This book will haunt you. I've already read it twice, and somehow I'm still not finished. My highest recommendations. Read it!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent all-around book.
Review: Max Steiner and Bank Arbaugh have been friends since elementary school. Now they're both police detectives who come together as partners once again to investigate the kidnapping of a 12-year old girl. However, it's deja vu since Bank's 13-year old adopted daughter had been kidnapped seven years earlier and never been found. Holden deftly interweaves the two cases showing us the similarities and how both men react to them. And when fingerprints found at the earlier crime scene match ones from the new, it leads to some startling revelations. Very good book. It is well written, suspenseful, thought-provoking, and rich in characterization. It moves along well and throws in some unexpected plot twists. Craig Holden is an excellent writer able to balance the plotting requirements of a good mystery as well as the artful prose of an interesting book. I recommend this book highly to not only mystery lovers but also to those who just want a good read.
Rating:
Summary: A 6! Stupendous
Review: Police officers Mack Steiner and Bank Arbaugh have been friends since the fourth grade. They are assigned to work together on the apparent kidnapping of teenager Tamara Shipley. The case has eerie similarities to the disappearance of Bank's daughter Jamie, who vanished without a trace several years ago. The latter case remains unsolved to this very day. As the law enforcement officials begin to investigate, they soon find a tenuous link between a dead priest and an underground group called the Sisters of Compassion, who place child abuse victims in safe houses. The more the cops dig the more they believe that Tamara has not been abducted and eventually link the current case to that of Jamie's disappearance. The investigation becomes extremely complicated when Mack's own daughter vanishes. FOUR CORNERS OF NIGHT is an extremely complex tale due to Craig Holden's ability to develop multifaceted characters that appear real; a trademark of the author. The suspense of the story line slowly evolves because of Mr. Holden's penetrating insight into his protagonists. However, once the suspense hits, it goes non-stop. Although this is not for those readers who desire action from page one to page 367, this novel remains a winner for those who enjoy character development inside a winning plot. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Craig Holden - Best in Class
Review: Since discovering Craig Holden's "The Last Sanctuary", I have become an enthusiastic fan. Holden's books are serious works of literature that happen to be exciting thrillers. While there are other great thriller/crime writers (Sanford, Connelly, Patterson, Grisham, Crichton to name a few), very few of their books make us a wiser person for having read them. With each book that Holden writes he addresses serious topics (child abuse, cults, drug addiction), develops substantial characters, and gives us insight into the human condition. While I wouldn't say that his work is on par with Ibsen in this regard, I get the feeling that he is not done yet. In "Four Corners of Night" Holden introduces two characters, lifelong friends, whose complexities are revealed gradually as the story progresses. The story poses many moral questions, "Are crimes justifiable if they prevent a more aggregious crime?" "Can you still love and respect a friend despite or because of their frailities?" Holden does not present a black and white world where the course of action is obvious, but rather presents a world that we are a part of. He challenges us to make up our own mind, while giving us insights into the thoughts, dreams, failings, grief, and guilt of others. This is among the best works of fiction I have enjoyed. I would put it in the same class as Ayn Rand and Jack London. Holden has a very promising career ahead of him. I hope it is long and fruitful.
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