- Audio Cassette
- Publisher: Unabridged Library Edition; Library edition (Aug 7 2000)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1567407358
- ISBN-13: 978-1567407358
- Product Dimensions: 22.5 x 13.3 x 5.7 cm
- Shipping Weight: 440 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (118 customer reviews)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon
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 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Publishers Weekly
HAs close to family fare as a kidnapper-rapist-extortionist thriller can get, Iles's (The Quiet Game) latest brilliantly plotted tale walks the razor's edge between cinematic excess and bone-chilling suspense. Joe Hickey is a Southern redneck with an Ivy League talent for evil. He has trained his grossly huge, mentally challenged cousin, Huey, and his gorgeous, exotic-dancer, live-in lover, Cheryl, to work with him as part of a tightly controlled kidnap/extortion squad targeting Mississippi physicians' families while the doctors are off at conferences. But he hits a snag when Dr. Will Jennings, his wife, Karen, and their five-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Abby, prove as resourceful solo as they are formidable in tandem. Joe grabs Abby, turning her over to Huey, who drives her off to a remote forest cabin near Jackson; meanwhile, Joe stays behind to terrorize Karen in the Jennings home. Cheryl gets her hooks into the third family member by vamping her way into Will's hotel room in Biloxi, where Will receives a phone call and ransom demand from Joe, who stipulates delivery in 24 hours. It's a long, horrific night for all as Iles pits each of the captives against their captors in riveting battles of will. The well-rounded characters are trademark Iles, the plot runs speed-skating smooth and occasional near-gooey bits of dialogue are offset by nasty surprises and perfectly timed terror. The one-on-one conflicts punch up the pace, and a perfect Mississippi setting, a spot-on sendup of FBI assistance and a hair-raising finale complete the package. Major ad/promo; Literary Guild and BOMC alternates. (Aug.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Main feature: its believable,
By J R Zullo (São Paulo, Brazil) - See all my reviews
This review is from: 24 Hours (Mass Market Paperback)
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
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
action packed page turner,
By
This review is from: 24 Hours (Mass Market Paperback)
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.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A perfect day's reading,
By
This review is from: 24 Hours (Mass Market Paperback)
Joe Hickey is one smart sadist. Like your more successful gamblers, he knows that walking away from the table when you're ahead is usually the best policy. For five years he has supported himself and his collaborators with his patiently-won earnings, the produce from his kidnappings--only one perfectly planned abduction per year--of the young children of well-to-do doctors. His crimes are so well thought out that Hickey knows his victims will neither attack him nor call the police, either during the kidnapping or after their children's safe return. He is confident enough in his planning that he uses his real name--rubbing his victims' noses in their impotence--and is unconcerned if they happen to have access to firearms. The distraught parents of Hickey's targeted children bend to his will--a rather unpleasant business given his demands--because they have to.Hickey's sixth kidnapping, of five-year-old juvenile diabetic Abby Jennings, is the subject of Greg Iles' taut, perfectly plotted, utterly gripping 24 Hours. The Jenningses may be having the worst day of their lives in the book, but you'll have a great one as you neglect your responsibilities, lock yourself in your bedroom, and read Iles' novel from cover to cover.
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