Hostage (audiobook) by Robert Crais


WOW!

Published in 2008 by Brilliance Audio
Read by James Daniels
Duration: 9 hours, 33 minutes.
Unabridged.

I must be out of the loop - I am a Crais fan but have never seen this book before nor was I aware that it had been made into movie until I wrote this review.
Nevertheless, despite my previous ignorance I found Hostage to be thoroughly enjoyable. More than that, I found it to be riveting, fascinating and I enjoyed Crais's ability to turn a cops and robber story into something more. James Daniels's brilliant narration is perfect for this text - every character has his own distinct voice. Daniels puts the right edge in his voice, be it the menacing quality of some of the characters or the panicky threats of others as they scream at the hostage negotiators. This is an audiobook done right!

 The plot revolves around 3 guys who rob a small town gas station and then while attempting to flee run into a gated community and take a family hostage inside their own home. The SWAT team shows up and surrounds the house. We discover the small town police chief is actually a former big city hostage negotiator who is not sure if he can deal with another high pressure situation.  But, that may be the least of the criminals' problems - father of the family is actually a mafia accountant and the mob knows that if the police storm the house they will discover enough mafia secrets to take down their organization and they will do anything to prevent that...

 5 stars out of 5.

 This audiobook can be found on Amazon.com here: Hostage by Robert Crais.

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