177. Takeover

Takeover by Lisa Black
Theresa MacLean Mysteries, 1

Pages: 340
Finished: Nov. 10, 2008
First Published: Sept. 2008
Genre: Suspense
Rating: 4/5
Reason for Reading: Received a Review Copy from Harper Collins Canada.

First sentence:

The sun had barely come up, and already it was too hot.

Comments: Theresa MacLean, forensic scientist, and her fiance, police detective Paul Cleary, are working the same case of a man found dead in the bushes in front of his home, while his wife and two-year old are nowhere to be found. Theresa goes off to take forensic details of the body at the hospital while Patrick goes to the Federal Reserve bank, where the man worked, to interview his coworkers. Patrick hardly steps foot in the place when two armed robbers takeover the bank and hold the people on the first floor hostage, including Patrick who pretends to be a bank worker while covering his gun so as not to alert the robbers to his police status.

What ensues is a page-turning, thrilling story of hostages, bank robbers with a plan bigger than anyone can imagine, professional negotiations and the terror involved in dealing with ones loved one in a hostage situation.

Very well written in a face-paced narrative with an unpredictable and not necessarily happy ending. Though I did guess one of the major twists fairly early on it didn't hamper my enjoyment of watching the plot unfold. A quick read, I read it in 24 hours, and a satisfying book for fans of suspense novels.