marbles66's review against another edition
4.0
I got this book for free and really enjoyed it. I was however hoping for a different ending.
eserafina42's review against another edition
3.0
I actually read the second book in this series first, and I have the same problem with both. While they were fast-paced and kept my attention, I can't get past how unprofessionally the main character acts, apparently with no adverse effect on her career. At least in this one she has an excuse, since her fiance is being held hostage, but as others have said, other characters also ignore procedure by even allowing her to participate.
yvo_about_books's review against another edition
1.0
Finished reading: December 3rd 2015
"Love has to be balanced," she said as they reached the reception desk, "with being a human being. You can't trulydo one without being the other."
Spoiler
I keep telling myself that I'm not reading enough mystery/thriller books, so I tried reading Takeover by Lisa Black to help me get out of my reading slump. It didn't work. Not only does the plot lacks imagination and the pace is dreadfully slow, but the story itself is just plain boring. The whole my-fiancé-who-is-a-cop-ends-up-being-a-hostage-in-a-bank-robbery plot has simply been used too many times to be interesting and it didn't really help that I couldn't connect to the characters either. Sure, Lisa Black tried to incorporate a few plot twists into the novel, but I could already guess who was really helping the bankrobbers very early on in the story... NOT GOOD! On top of that, the pace was so slow that it surprised me that I actually ended up finishing this read. I always hate handing out low ratings, especially to books belonging to one of my favorite genres, but I know I wouldn't forgive myself if I lied about my feelings. At least I can cross Theresa Maclean off the list of series I will have to finish one day...
When Theresa MacLean is called to the scene of a murder in the suburban Cleveland, she doesn't know her day is about to get a whole lot worse. Not only does she have to find out who bashed in the back of the skull of the man they found, she will also have to face a more difficult situation when her fiancé ends up taken hostage in a bank robbery. Theresa's fiancé is a police detective and when he goes to the Federal Reserve Bank where the victim and his wife work, two criminals enter right after him and take the undercover cop hostage along with six others. One of the best hostage negotiators, Chris Cavanaugh, has been brought in to get everbody out safely, but the bank robbers do not seem to act like normal criminals... And Theresa is not sure she will ever see her future husband again. Will they be able to end the hostage situation without spilling any blood?
The blurb, while not original, sounds quite interesting, which made me pick up my copy of Takeover in the first place. Unfortunately, this novel turned out nothing but a disappointment. This story is slow paced, has a weak plot and is simply boring in general. In fact, I'm still not sure why I actually finished it... The mystery/thriller genre is one of my favorites, but this book just didn't do it for me. As you might have guessed already, I definitely wouldn't recommend this novel.
P.S. Find more of my reviews here.
how1710's review against another edition
4.0
Good book but it wasn't as thrilling as I would like. I prefer more action and in some parts it was a little slow. However I would definitely try more from this author.
ctsquirrel's review against another edition
3.0
ebook borrowed from Clevnet, read on my nook.
I always like to read real local authors (like Les Roberts). Ms. Black is much more fast-paced and realistic. Still reads a bit like a Cleveland travel brochure with murder and mayhem thrown in.
I couldn't predict the ending, although i didn't really try. I read the majority of the book while I was in the hospital (Cleveland Clinic, lol keepin' it local), and it managed to keep my focus.
I'll read the next one, but I think if it weren't based in Cleveland it would seem just above average. I like being able to recognize landmarks and be able to picture the scenes in the novel.
Some quotes I liked from the book:
"A survey of large cities with good self-esteem would not have Cleveland in the top 10. Or 50."
pg.103
"He had never thought of himself as an ambitious man. But then, most humans didn't think of themselves as carnivores until they spy a perfectly grilled filet mignon."
pg. 126
I always like to read real local authors (like Les Roberts). Ms. Black is much more fast-paced and realistic. Still reads a bit like a Cleveland travel brochure with murder and mayhem thrown in.
I couldn't predict the ending, although i didn't really try. I read the majority of the book while I was in the hospital (Cleveland Clinic, lol keepin' it local), and it managed to keep my focus.
I'll read the next one, but I think if it weren't based in Cleveland it would seem just above average. I like being able to recognize landmarks and be able to picture the scenes in the novel.
Some quotes I liked from the book:
"A survey of large cities with good self-esteem would not have Cleveland in the top 10. Or 50."
pg.103
"He had never thought of himself as an ambitious man. But then, most humans didn't think of themselves as carnivores until they spy a perfectly grilled filet mignon."
pg. 126
kglahoda's review against another edition
3.0
The overall story was interesting. I actually did not guess the ending beforehand. Maybe I'm off my game, but I am not well versed in hostage negotiations. She completely lost a character at the end.
mackenzierm's review against another edition
5.0
It took me a while to finish this book, but that's not because it wasn't good. It was really good and I found it to be well-written, I loved the characters and how the plot played out. Theresa was a really strong character and I loved how she put all the pieces together in order to figure out the big picture.
The ending took me off-guard as Black threw in a couple twists that I hadn't expected. All in all a good book and am glad that I read it. :)
The ending took me off-guard as Black threw in a couple twists that I hadn't expected. All in all a good book and am glad that I read it. :)
melbsreads's review against another edition
2.0
Trigger warnings: murder, blood, gun violence, death, hostage situation, .
I picked this up on a whim from the library recently and I kiiiiiiiind of wish I hadn't because it was...not good.
It's not that the plot wasn't interesting, because it kind of was. But the characters had literally no depth and there was insufficient backstory for me to actually care about the things that were happening to them. There's a lot happens to Theresa in the course of the story and yet she seemed emotionally detached over all of it. And honestly, a lot of that stuff could have been fixed by even an extra 20 pages at the beginning of the book introducing us to Theresa's character and the people around her. And yet... Sigh.
Spoiler
death of a loved one, car accident, lots and lots of shootings and bloodI picked this up on a whim from the library recently and I kiiiiiiiind of wish I hadn't because it was...not good.
It's not that the plot wasn't interesting, because it kind of was. But the characters had literally no depth and there was insufficient backstory for me to actually care about the things that were happening to them. There's a lot happens to Theresa in the course of the story and yet she seemed emotionally detached over all of it. And honestly, a lot of that stuff could have been fixed by even an extra 20 pages at the beginning of the book introducing us to Theresa's character and the people around her. And yet... Sigh.