The Two Minute Rule

By: Robert Crais

Narrated by: Christopher Graybill

Length: 9 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's Summary

Ask anyone on the wrong side of the law about the two minute rule and they'll tell you that's as long as you can hope for at a robbery before the cops show up. Break the two minute rule and it's a lifetime in jail. But not everyone plays by the rules...

When ex-con Max Holman finally gets out of jail, freedom doesn't taste too sweet. The only thing on his mind is reconciliation with his estranged son, who is, ironically, a cop. But then he hears the devastating news: His son and three other Los Angeles police officers were gunned down in cold blood the night before Holman's release. When the hit is exposed as a revenge killing and the question of police corruption is raised, it becomes a father's last duty to clear his son's name and catch the killer.

With all the elements that have made Robert Crais one of the very best crime novelists today, The Two Minute Rule is gripping, edgy suspense from the author who sets the standard when it comes to surprising plot twists and powerful characters.

©2006 Robert Crais (P)2006 Brilliance Audio

Great Story, Great Characters, Great Writing

The first thing that grabbed me was the main character. A lifelong criminal, we meet him the day he is released from prison after a 10 year stint for bank robbing. But he is also one of the rarest of men who, having faced his many failures, has the courage to change. He doesn't expect to be forgiven. He only wants to do the right thing.

Crais develops an outstanding supporting cast as well. Good and bad police and FBI special agents and a complicated mystery make finding the truth impossible for a former con without help. So he turns to the most unlikely source to help, the former FBI agent who arrested him 10 years earlier.

The story is equally engaging. You should read the summary, but let me assure you there is so much more to the story. The depth of character, emotion and relationships make this a wonderful experience.

Not as good as some of his others

A few of the characters are well acted by the narrator but the book teeters between interesting detail and trite repetition. Not much humor, either, and the suspense is mediocre compared to other Crais books. The romance part was a stretch and it's fraught with stereotypes throughout. I listened to it straight on through over 2 nights and overall was disappointed. (sigh)

Excellent 'Who Done It'

The book starts out with the release of a bank robber from 10 years in prison. He hasn't seen his son since he was convicted, and is hoping he didn't follow in his father's footsteps.
The son turned out well, as a cop, but was murdered along with three other cops shortly before Holman's release. It becomes his quest to find out exactly what happened, since the police's case just doesn't add up for him. With the help of the FBI agent that arrested him, they find themselves in all kinds of conspiratorial trouble. The premise of the ex-agent helping the convict is a bit far fetched, but she does it reluctantly at first, then he draws her interest with facts she can't ignore. It's an interesting "who done it" with excellent narration that keeps the earbuds in .

At best it was ok. Kept my interest.

I was angry at the author for one part. He had good characters do something bad that did not fit their motivations. It was unreasonable and illogical for those “good” characters to do what they did. Some good guys attacked someone, tied him, and took him to a remote location. He believed they were going to kill him. The guy escaped - barely. Later he learned they just wanted to talk to him. Well, why did they tie him? It felt like a trick by the author to mislead the reader.

The book has a lot of fear, anxiety, and stress. But most of this is done by having bad cops or FBI threatening and hurting civilians (like planting evidence and threatening jail) (or bad cop forces A to do something and when the regular cops arrive bad cop says “I’m a cop he’s the bad guy”). I’m ok with stories about bad cops, but it seemed like the easy way to provide stress. I prefer being surprised or seeing someone do something smart. I didn’t feel that here. I didn’t have any wow moments. The kinds of things in this book are the kinds of things done a lot.

Minor plot annoyance. Good guys talk to a woman. Woman says that when she saw Fowler, he was with another man. Good guys should have asked the woman to describe the other man. They did not. They left. (I was shaking my head. That’s not smart.) Later in the story they go back to the woman and ask her to describe the man.

I wasn’t drawn to the characters. I wasn’t buying their relationship. Elmore Leonard did it so much better in “Out of Sight”, escaped con flirts with and interacts with female US marshall.

The narrator Christopher Graybill was ok, but some of his voices were irritating.

Genre: mystery suspense

Well Written Story

The author does an amazing job brining you into the main characters world. You feel like you know Max and understand him. You feel sorry for the ex-con who's policeman son is killed the day before he gets out of prison. There is alot of emotion in the book but it isn't over the top. The narration is good.

Ensemble Dysfunction

Until this I was a Robert Crais fanboy. Now... not so much. Uh-huh, there's this "disbelief" hurdle that authors have to prod you to leap. This time Crais built it too high. There's an eau de amor wafting about this cop-story which should be its cement but it smells all wrong. WEEEERD brackish pheromones! The chemistry between the two lead characters should not have ignited... In fact, for me, it didn't ignite.... didn't even sizzle or smoke.

The plot BTW has been done too many times, and the lead character's miraculous second-act-of-life again just made that disbelief hurdle impossible to climb, much less leap. Okay.. I'll probably try Crais one ore time. This wasn't a toxic experience. If you've never read Crais, try an earlier work. I wish I'd skipped this one.

Oh... my disappointment has NOTHING to do with Christopher Graybill's terrific read.

gifted narrator, gifted writer

the only reason I gave the story of 4 is that the language was just so foul

Great Story!

The narrator did a excellent job here often using different voices and accents and always getting them right per each character. The story was a nice mystery often taking unexpected turns just as you think you've got it figured out. A convict is released from prison the day after his son, a cop, is found murdered. The son he wanted to see first thing and hopefully mend some fences. Instead he gets proactive and begins his own PI type investigation, involving a former FBI agent, who had arrested him. The same agent who spoke up for him at his trial calling him the hero bank robber. Robert Crais tells a great story. If you're a fan of Crais or this style of writing, mystery detective, you will love this! Only thing missing here was Elvis Cole and Joe Pike.

Another Great Crais Novel!

Loved the story and the performance! Couldn't wait to listen! Wish there were more in this series

Very average

A tired and predictable plot fails to support this Robert Crais effort. As usual the female characters are over the top trying way too hard to achieve androgyny. The cops are not believable. The only real good guys are the bad guys. No standards. No absolutes. No direction. No point.