Hostage
By Robert Crais
Release Date: August 7, 2001
Ebook Available from WV Reads!
2.5 Stars - A fast-moving but problematic thriller that's a quick read. I still struggled despite the pace, however. Our hero Jeff Talley was struggling too, trying to bring his hostage negotiation skills back to form without the baggage of past traumatic experiences. Creepy but not very bright villians seem to take center stage though.
It's been many years now since I've seen the movie, and I've always been curious about Robert Crais' acclaimed suspense novels. Starting in one of his crazy long series seemed a bit daunting so I went with a simple plotted, familiar story here instead. Talley has the background and memories that would make him a really interesting central hero but Crais seemed to hold him back. We get details of his fascinating, yet sometimes horrorific, past jobs only in sporadic flashbacks. The real meat of the story is told from the hostages and their captors who are all cringe-worthy in their own ways.
My big problems with the book are pretty much the same ones I had with the movie. These are dumb criminals. And that's okay as a fact because a lot of criminals are dumb, that doesn't make them less entertaining. But Mars and Dennis sway from stupid to unhinged like they need bipolar meds. Living in their POV, albeit 3rd person, is just weird. They aren't smart or clever or at all likable. The kids in the house are almost even harder to like. The girl is sometimes logical and then just completely caves and freaks out, draws attention to herself. The brother is gross, and I get why they made him a little kid in the movie. Despite all the stupidity, I can see why Crais has many fans. His writing style is very sharp and to the point. And he has a way of crafting colorful side characters and injecting humor into a dark story. There's an element too of how dated this book quickly became, technology being what it is. I can't say the ending was shocking or really thrilling since I already knew what was coming. But despite my hang ups, this was a very tense drama that's plotted and written well.
(NS)
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