The title of Crais's fiery third thriller (after L.A. Requiem and
Demolition Angel) can refer not just to the two sets of innocents held
at gunpoint in the story but to the reader, who will be wired tight to
the book. The novel launches with a familiar (as familiar as Demolition
Angel) premise: a soul-scarred cop here, former L.A. SWAT hostage
negotiator Jeff Talley, now chief of police of smalltown Bristo Bay,
Calif. plunges into an assignment that forces him to confront his
demons. The devil clawing Talley's brain is the dying gaze of a young
hostage he failed to save in L.A. Now three outlaws two lowlife
brothers and a homicidal maniac have, after botching a
robbery-homicide, taken refuge in a swank house in Bristo Bay. At their
mercy are the family's dad, whom they've knocked unconscious, and his
teen daughter and preteen son. The whopper of a complication is that
the dad serves as bookkeeper for Sonny Benza, West Coast mob kingpin,
and Benza will do whatever's necessary to retrieve the incriminatory
records secreted in the house before the cops storm the place. The
narrative ticks with suspense as Talley negotiates with the three
outlaws, and as they and the kids they're holding respond with panic,
fear and courage to the escalating tension. It snaps into overdrive as
Benza and his goons snatch Talley's wife and daughter, holding them
ransom for the records; the flow is marred only by a couple of cheap
turns obviously devised for the silver screen. Thriller vets will have
seen a lot of this before, but every virtuoso is allowed variations on
a theme, and Crais, with his record and with the smart suspense offered
here, has proven himself nothing less. (On-sale date: Aug. 7)Forecast:
Crais sells more with each title, and this will prove no exception. A
15-city author tour will enhance his visibility, as will forthcoming
film versions of Demolition Angel and of Hostage, which has already
been bought for Bruce Willis and MGM; Crais is writing the screenplays
for both films.
Demolition Angel) can refer not just to the two sets of innocents held
at gunpoint in the story but to the reader, who will be wired tight to
the book. The novel launches with a familiar (as familiar as Demolition
Angel) premise: a soul-scarred cop here, former L.A. SWAT hostage
negotiator Jeff Talley, now chief of police of smalltown Bristo Bay,
Calif. plunges into an assignment that forces him to confront his
demons. The devil clawing Talley's brain is the dying gaze of a young
hostage he failed to save in L.A. Now three outlaws two lowlife
brothers and a homicidal maniac have, after botching a
robbery-homicide, taken refuge in a swank house in Bristo Bay. At their
mercy are the family's dad, whom they've knocked unconscious, and his
teen daughter and preteen son. The whopper of a complication is that
the dad serves as bookkeeper for Sonny Benza, West Coast mob kingpin,
and Benza will do whatever's necessary to retrieve the incriminatory
records secreted in the house before the cops storm the place. The
narrative ticks with suspense as Talley negotiates with the three
outlaws, and as they and the kids they're holding respond with panic,
fear and courage to the escalating tension. It snaps into overdrive as
Benza and his goons snatch Talley's wife and daughter, holding them
ransom for the records; the flow is marred only by a couple of cheap
turns obviously devised for the silver screen. Thriller vets will have
seen a lot of this before, but every virtuoso is allowed variations on
a theme, and Crais, with his record and with the smart suspense offered
here, has proven himself nothing less. (On-sale date: Aug. 7)Forecast:
Crais sells more with each title, and this will prove no exception. A
15-city author tour will enhance his visibility, as will forthcoming
film versions of Demolition Angel and of Hostage, which has already
been bought for Bruce Willis and MGM; Crais is writing the screenplays
for both films.
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