[.ca] 24 Hours (Mp3) (Unabr.) (ISBN 1596007761)

From Amazon.com:
This explosive suspense thriller gets off to a blistering start: the kidnapping of a little boy--in eight breathless pages--that culminates with the child's safe return and the disappearance of the successful kidnappers. That sets the stage for the book's centerpiece, the abduction of little Abby Jennings, daughter of Will, a successful physician, and Karen, a slightly dissatisfied suburban woman who's wondering where the passion in her marriage went. The criminals' modus operandi is established early on. They target the progeny of Mississippi doctors, demand a reasonable (to an affluent M.D.) ransom, release the child after it's paid, and promise the victim parents that if they ever breathe a word of the incident to anyone, their kids will be taken again and killed. The kidnappings are carefully set up, targeted to take place when one parent is out of town at a medical meeting or convention, thus ensuring the cooperation of the other. And the victim is held by a sweet, slightly retarded but humongous and powerful man whose loyalty to his cousin, the mastermind, is unquestioned. 24 Hours is a version of the locked room school of kidnap mysteries and a very good one indeed, especially when Will turns the tables on the kidnapper and takes control of the situation. Abby's diabetic condition (she needs lifesaving injections on a regular basis) notches the suspense up one last turn. It's a well worked-out plot, the pacing is terrific, and the characters likable and attractive. Iles is a master storyteller, and this one has big screen written all over it--with Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer as the Jennings, if we're lucky. --Jane Adams

action packed page turner:
I could not put this one down easily, there is so much action and surprises involved. The plot is simple, there is a team of professional criminals who specialize in kidnapping for ransom. They have succeeded five times without a hitch. Their plan is based on a 24 hour cycle. First, a doctor (preferably a well established specialist) with a family that has one small child is selected. The team takes advantage of a time when the doctor has to attend a medical conference. Each team member holds every member of the family hostage, keeps them separate and stays in contact via cell phone. One family member wires the cash to a bank and another family member is forced to pick up the cash at a bank and give it to the kidnapper. After the 24 hour cycle, the family is reunited and everyone promises to not say anything to anyone under the threat of their child being killed. There is just one job the team does however that presents a special challenge they could not have anticipated. All of the plans start to fall apart one by one which forces the team to alter their original plans. As everyone knows from reading popular mystery/thriller novels the bad guys always lose, but the question is, how far are the bad guys able to make it without getting caught and what are the things which contribute to their plan being foiled? I found it interesting how a similar scenario from the movie "Panic Room" was used.

Worst Greg Iles book I've ever read!:
This book was horrible from start to finish. I never once believed the characters. Their actions and words did not speak of truth at all. I read the entire book and the entire thing felt like wading through sludge. I normally like Greg Iles (The Quiet Game is one of my all-time favorite books) and it is hard for me to believe this was even written by the same guy. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone who has a shred of understanding of the human psyche.

WOW. Great Read!:
I could not put this book down. It was my first book by Greg Iles so I didn't know what to expect. I am hooked. Fast paced, spine tingling, full of twists and turns. Great book.

Main feature: itýs believable:
Greg Iles is not a common author in the sense that he likes to diversify the main subjects of his books. In "24 hours", it's the kidnapping of a child. OK, this is not an original theme; in fact, it's a pretty used one. But Greg Iles' originality lies on the fact that he has created completely believable characters. While reading the book, I kept saying: "Well, now I'd do like this... now I'd do like that..." and the characters did pretty much the same thing I was thinking. No idiotic heroism, not improbable and endless plot twists, no last-minute deus-ex-machina intrusions. Only in the final chapter what happens is a little unbelievable, but by that time the reader is so gripped by the story that it becomes a minor affair. Greg Iles likes to lay down many conflicting elements early in his books, and keeps toying with them along the pages. This sweeps the reader attention from page one. In "24 hours" it happens again. Iles is one of the very good recent surprises in this genre of fiction. I hope he keeps up the good work, and he'll have me as a constant buyer and reader of his books. Grade 9.0/10

Competant FBI:
The book was a lot better than I was expecting from reading the first chapter. It has it's moments that are over written and silly and yet the story is interesting and entertaining. The plot is tight and everything wraps up nicely in the end. It's also one of those rare mystery/thrillers where the police and FBI are actually competant!