TAKEOVER by Lisa Black
Books come across my desk for review by the boatloads. Usually I select books by authors I know or that someone I respect has recommended to me. But every once in a while I will just pick up one that looks interesting. That is what I did with TAKEOVER by Lisa Black. Picked it up at random and plunged right into it. Hours later when I had finished it I was glad I had taken the chance on this unknown (to me) author.
Black is a forensic scientist who created the main character in this book to be a forensic scientist. Theresa MacLean works with the Cleveland Police Department and at the start of this book she has been called out to help investigate a murder. Her fiancé’ is one of the detectives assigned to the case.
Later the Federal Reserve Bank is taken over by a couple of men and Paul, the fiancé’ detective, just happens to be in the bank when all this happens. Theresa rushes to the scene and watches as the negotiations begin between the two bank robbers and the police.
Tensions rise as the day progresses and through a twist of fate Theresa finds herself right in the middle of this situation. I am not going to spoil the plot by telling you what occurs, but trust me it is logical how it plays out.
The entire plot of the book takes place in basically a single day. There is a little addendum at the end that occurs a little later but the meat of the story is in that twenty-four hour period. Keeping the plot compressed within that time frame makes the tension more palpable and the excitement more intense.
The way the plot evolves is the key factor to the enjoyment of the story. Bit by bit the reasons for the robbery and the actions of the crooks are revealed. When they do come to light they are logical. Plus Theresa’s actions are also logical when taken in the context of the entire story.
If you like thrillers that keep you on the edge of your seat and turning each page as quickly as you can, then you are going to definitely like TAKEOVER. It opens up with a murder, followed quickly by an attempted robbery, with more murders hanging in the sir as possibilities. Each time you think you have the plot predicted to go in a certain way, Bell tosses in a twist to take you in a new direction.
I am certainly glad I didn’t let this novel slip by without my having read it. I think you will feel the same way too after you have gotten through this fast paced book.
TAKEOVER is published by William Morrow. It contains 337 pages and sells for $24.95.