Hostage

A Novel

By: Robert Crais

Narrated by: James Daniels

Length: 9 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

Jeff Talley was a good husband, a fine father, and a frontline negotiator with LAPD's SWAT unit. But the high stress, unforgiving job took an irreparable toll on his psyche. After a despondent father murders his wife and son and takes his own life, Talley hits bottom. His marriage ends, he resigns from SWAT, and he struggles to escape from his former life by taking the chief-of-police job in a sleepy, affluent bedroom community far from the chaos and crime of Los Angeles.

But Talley's pursuit of peaceful small-town life is about to change when three young men, fleeing the robbery of a mini-mart, invade a tightly secured home and take the family hostage.

Plunged back into the high-pressure world that he has desperately been trying to put behind him, Talley finds his nightmare has barely begun, because this isn't just any house. It belongs to a brilliant white-collar criminal who launders money for L.A.'s renegade franchise of La Cosa Nostra. And the accountant's records of the incriminating money trail that lie within will put L.A.'s most lethal and volatile crime lord, Sonny Benza, behind bars.

As Talley desperately tries to save the innocents inside, the full weight of Benza's wrath descends on him, putting Talley and his own family at risk. Soon, all involved are held hostage by the exigencies of fate and the only one capable of diffusing the crisis is the least stable of them all.

©2004 Robert Crais (P)2004 Brilliance Audio

Great Thriller, Wish I'd Read Before I saw Movie

I saw the movie and loved the story, but that was years ago. i didnt realize this when i purchased the book. Right away the first chapters jogged my memory. its one of those instances where the movie stayed true to the book, It took alot of the suspense out of the experience. Nevertheless I enjoyed listening and feel certain you will too.

The sherrif is the main character, a man who knows success, but is haunted by past tragedy and is fearful of responsibility under fire. Hence he takes a job in a posh, bedroom community where the worst crime is the occasional shop lifter.

When an impulsive, poorly planned convenient store robbery goes wrong, life spirals out of control for the perpetrators, the sherrif, and the town itself.

An easy 4 star listen.

Good Book

Would you listen to Hostage again? Why?

I would not listen again. There was so much profanity that it took away from the story. It was a good story but could have been so much better without all the repetitive words.

Good book

I remember a movie with this plot, however the book is more in depth and adds an additional twist! Well worth your time, easy to follow and very believable.

Solid Book

This is the first time I've read Robert Crais. It won't be the last. 

A convenience store robbery takes an ugly turn; the 3 perpetrators take a family hostage, and small town police chief Jeff Talley gets called to sort the mess out. 

Crais gives us a glimpse into Talley's troubled past, his life falling apart after a failed hostage situation years ago. 
Tally also struggles to hold on to his family,  his relationship with his wife and daughter suffers.  
The characterization was done quite well in this book. From Chief Tally to the 3 clueless criminals, and a host of other characters throughout the book. 

This was a  suspense filled action thriller with a lot of twists along the way and I really enjoyed it. 

The one thing that I found irritating,  the story was told from each characters POV. It would have been more effective told in the 3rd person. 

Was the Editor Asleep?

Intriguing story but incredibly violent. Several instances where the narrative seemed to forget the facts as stated. Electricity cut from house but computers stillworking?

Outstanding!!

So happy I decided to go back to this, one of my top 10 favorite authors. As I've become accustomed to his writing I always expect excellence and I'm never disappointed!
This storyline is full of twists and turns and has you wondering how it all fits together. There is suspense, mystery, thrilling organized crime and law enforcement entanglements. There are ordinary people caught up in extraordinary situations. Didn't want to put it down once I started, so read it in less than 24 hours. A MUST READ!!!!

Captivating

I was very engaged in this story. Almost like viewing an action movie. Well done.

awesome

did not expect the twist at the end. would love to hear more Talley books. 10/10

Made For Film

Take advantage of the $4.95 sale!!
I am a devoted James Daniels fan, unfortunately he has not done any recent recordings. So
I have collected what I can. I own all of his unabridged Crais reads, my fave The Watchman.
This was made into a film with Bruce Willis, and it is very different than than the Elvis series, but Master Crais can tell a good tale.
Note: I do use the new 1.25x speed to match the author's intent.
(DON'T MISS, The First Rule, which Mr. Crais read himself. James Daniels didn't read it and I very mistakenly gave Mr. Crais a poor review which I wish I could take back! I have since listened to it a 3rd time, as it is that good.)
Let me know if my comments helped?

Excessive use of blasphemy and profanity

This is an extraordinarily well written, tense, drama-rich story! Excellent narration especially with the multiple characters and varying age ranges. The various subplots expertly intertwined with each other. I hear that there is a movie based on this book. I may search for it as I really would like to see the actors portraying the characters in the story. In my opinion there is excessive use of blasphemy and profanity. It almost ruined the story for me. Not everyone in stressful situations curses or uses the Lord's name in vain. No spoiler alert, but just a warning.😏