By: Greg Iles Publisher: Signet Average Rating: Binding: Mass Market Paperback Label: Signet Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 448 Publication Date: June 01, 2001 Release Date: July 03, 2001
Product Description: 24 HOURS-that's how long it takes a madman to pull off the perfect crime. He's done it before. He'll do it again. And no one can stop him-until he picks the wrong family to terrorize.
BRILLIANTLY PLOTTED...perfectly-timed terror...and a hair-raising finale. (Publishers Weekly (starred review))
THE TENSION IS PALPABLE... superbly-crafted and clever. (The Times-London)
A CHILLING TALE...calculated to jangle the reader's every nerve...gut-wrenching. (Library Journal)
A taut tale, terrifying in its intensity, compelling in its pace...A good, old-fashioned thriller, the likes of which are rare...A winner. (Chattanooga Times)
A tour de force of suspense....enough twists and turns to keep [the] hair-raising ending unpredictable. An enigmatic crime figure, as brilliant as Hannibal Lecter. (The Commercial Appeal-Memphis, TN)
24 Hours is Iles' best. A thriller that moves at break-neck pace. (Wichita Falls Times)
Amazon.com Review: This explosive suspense thriller gets off to a blistering start: the kidnapping of a little boy--in eight breathless pages--that culminates with the child's safe return and the disappearance of the successful kidnappers. That sets the stage for the book's centerpiece, the abduction of little Abby Jennings, daughter of Will, a successful physician, and Karen, a slightly dissatisfied suburban woman who's wondering where the passion in her marriage went. The criminals' modus operandi is established early on. They target the progeny of Mississippi doctors, demand a reasonable (to an affluent M.D.) ransom, release the child after it's paid, and promise the victim parents that if they ever breathe a word of the incident to anyone, their kids will be taken again and killed. The kidnappings are carefully set up, targeted to take place when one parent is out of town at a medical meeting or convention, thus ensuring the cooperation of the other. And the victim is held by a sweet, slightly retarded but humongous and powerful man whose loyalty to his cousin, the mastermind, is unquestioned.
24 Hours is a version of the locked room school of kidnap mysteries and a very good one indeed, especially when Will turns the tables on the kidnapper and takes control of the situation. Abby's diabetic condition (she needs lifesaving injections on a regular basis) notches the suspense up one last turn. It's a well worked-out plot, the pacing is terrific, and the characters likable and attractive. Iles is a master storyteller, and this one has big screen written all over it--with Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer as the Jennings, if we're lucky. --Jane Adams
Fast Paced A quick read and as usual, hooked by page 1. A good beach book. Not his best, but worth an easy read.
TYPICAL CAN'T PUT IT DOWN ILES READ I am a huge fan of Greg Iles. This book is just as fast moving, twisting and suspensful as his others. It is not as heavy and morbid as some of his books. One that you can't wait to get back to, if you can put it down! - ENJOY.
good concept, bad delivery I really like the idea behind 24 hours. In the hands of a better author, this concept could really go somewhere. However, Iles has proven himself to be little more than a hack in my mind. I have yet to find one of his books that I found satisfying. Perhaps this could be an indicator that if you have enjoyed his previous books you will disagree with my take on this one.
First of all, the characters are pretty boring. They never really develop past stereo-types. You have the hero husband-wife team who alternately play cavelrey and the Bruce Willis Die Hard character. You have the sweet little hostage girl, the evil to the core bad guy, and other characters that you have encountered too many times on bad B listing TV shows.
Secondly, the story goes out of control due to the unimagined characters. You pretty much are stuck watching the husband and wife here play out exactly what you would expect from them. This is not based on human nature, but what you would expect from standard hollywood fare. Because of this, the tension never really builds. You kind of know what is going to happen long before the protagonists do.
I would caution anyone from trying to read this book. Their are so many better ones out there. You could do a lot better than "24 Hours".
The Formula Works Well The writer is one of the most talented in the mystery genre and has the ability to take a story that has previously been written and can tweak it and update to the present time. This talent serves him well in this novel which centers around a successful Doctor, his wife and their five year old daughter. The issue involved is a kidnapping for ransom. The manner in which this is set up is fiendishly clever and makes this book a real page turner. There are numerous twists tht keep the reader guessing throughout this excellent read. The characters are extremely well developed and their depth grows as the syory progresses. Like an artist who utlizes canvas to convey a painting, Iles is able to add layer upon layer as he enriches each character. Although some of the scenario is rather far fetched, if the reader takes the book for what it is, they will be in for a most scintillating read.
Good Suspense Story I really liked this book. It is a basic suspense story. It isn't overtold, with excessive unnecessary detail. It keeps the reader wanting to find out what happens next.
I do have to say though, as a parent of a diabetic child, it was even more scary. Unfortunately, the author doesn't quite capture the accuracy of diabetes.
Anything Goes Trivia
Megaton Man
Tailipoe
Trevor
