Born to Run

I'm getting the feeling that Jim Grippando is partial to hostage situations. My last listen was When Darkness Falls, which contained an interminable hostage situation in a motel room. Well, we have more of the same here, this time in the studios of a television station (this fact won't spoil the plot). On the plus side, Grippando has a very believable character in Jack Swytek. His foibles and shortcomings make him almost too believable. Unfortunately the same can't be said for a few of the other characters, most notably the Greek and, well, you'll have to discover for yourself. The story we're asked to believe is farfetched, to put it lightly. And the final unraveling of the plot at the conclusion strains credulity. With all of that said, somehow I enjoyed this book. Grippando writes well and if his imagination is in overdrive for this story, so be it.

The more I listen to audiobooks, the more I think that there are some books that just don't lend themselves to being read out loud. I think this book falls into that category. It was a unique plot and exciting to the end. However, when it was read out loud, the dramatic prose got even more dramatic and at times made me cringe hearing it. I think that having a narrator trying to give voices to these characters who are already a bit over the top on the written page was just too much. Personally, I think I would have enjoyed this particular book more if I were just reading it on a long airline flight.

Worth a listen. Interesting plot/mistery.

Yes, if you like political thrillers. Another White House conspiracy.

Not very original ending

Pretty well. Nice character portrayal

Outlandishly stereotyped characters chasing each other wildly through increasingly ludicrous situations. Two examples: cold-blooded killers who control the world yet pay blackmail; an even colder-blooded killer who spontaneously decides to negotiate with the President for more blackmail payments via quasi-reality live television while making jokes to entertain the viewing public.

This is my first Grippando novel and I liked it! It is action packed, has good characters (really likeable and really dispicable) and the difficult relationship between father and son is well portrayed. Lots of killing, suspense, romance and humor. Will read more of this guy!