Eleventh Hour (FBI Thriller (Jove Paperback)) 
asked by imtheboss on October 30, 2006 4:14 AM
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author comes Eleventh Hour. The murder of a priest leads FBI agents Sherlock and Savich to their most baffling case yet, in this riveting novel of suspense.
Reviews
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This isn't an anti-Coulter rant, or even one of those "she-should-stick-with-historicals" nostalgia pieces. This author can nearly always be counted on for high-camp entertainment, and I enjoyed the dickens out of the prequel to this book, "Maze."
But honestly, I can't think of anything positive to say here. Usually, I have no problem setting a book aside once I know it's not going to grab me; there are so many great ones still unread, why waste time? In this case, I kept reading because I assumed the two plotlines would be woven together, which would have been worth waiting for if only because there seemed to be no connection at all.
Caution: Spoiler
There was no connection at all. It's as if Coulter had two half-baked ideas - a serial killer, and a woman who fears that her fiance is trying to kill her - and rather than develop either idea into something worth calling a "thriller," she poured them into this bland little casserole-dish of a book and served them as the house special.
With the time I wasted waiting for the startling plot twist that never came, I could have learned to fold fitted sheets like Martha Stewart.
Skip this one, fellow Coulter fans. There's not even an obligatory forced-sex scene to be indignant about.
But honestly, I can't think of anything positive to say here. Usually, I have no problem setting a book aside once I know it's not going to grab me; there are so many great ones still unread, why waste time? In this case, I kept reading because I assumed the two plotlines would be woven together, which would have been worth waiting for if only because there seemed to be no connection at all.
Caution: Spoiler
There was no connection at all. It's as if Coulter had two half-baked ideas - a serial killer, and a woman who fears that her fiance is trying to kill her - and rather than develop either idea into something worth calling a "thriller," she poured them into this bland little casserole-dish of a book and served them as the house special.
With the time I wasted waiting for the startling plot twist that never came, I could have learned to fold fitted sheets like Martha Stewart.
Skip this one, fellow Coulter fans. There's not even an obligatory forced-sex scene to be indignant about.
reviewed by guitarplayer on November 22, 2006 12:26 PM
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FBI special Agent Dane Carver flies to San Francisco to find out what the police know about the killing of his identical twin. While there he meets the witness Nick Jones, a woman posing as a homeless person because she fears somebody is trying to kill her. FBI agents Savitch and Sherlock play a key role in the ELEVENTH HOUR. You will find this book to be exciting, enthralling and totally mesmerizing.
reviewed by shakeonit on November 25, 2006 6:57 PM
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In the case of Coulter, it appears that she's a love her or hate her author. It's a matter of preference -- not a case of one side being right. Eleventh hour is not a treatise on investigative technique or a vehicle to make you feel an emotional bond with a character. It's fluffery where the undeveloped characters just happen to be FBI agents.
I've read only three of Coulter's books. The first, I purchased, not knowing anything about her, but looking for a new author. The second, I purchased, telling myself that she was a popular author in the genre and I hadn't given her a chance with just one book. The third (this one), I received as a gift that I couldn't return.
Coulter's charm? Somewhat interesting plots.
Coulter's shortcomings?
She doesn't develop characters. None of the characters in Eleventh Hour go beyond one dimension. Having an FBI investigator whose name is "Sherlock" is about as subtle as Coulter gets, and about as well as she develops a character.
She requires you to suspend belief and to disregard anything you've learned about criminal investigation or the FBI from any other source. Right, an FBI agent would permit a homeless woman to assist with the investigation and to tag along. Happens all the time.
The dialogue is stilted, drags, and doesn't resembly anything you've ever heard anyone older than a first grader say. She doesn't research a topic enough for the characters to say anything remotely technical. A typical exchange may go like this: Jane said "Why are you going into that building across the street from us that is painted green when there is a very bad man inside?" John said "I am a stong 6'2" FBI agent with a gun that shoots when I pull the trigger and I put many big numbers of metal bullets inside it this morning so it will go 'pow'."
If you want light reading and don't want the emotional or intellectual burden of character development, realistic dialogue, or characters who act in a remotely plausible manner, then you'll be quite satisfied.
I've read only three of Coulter's books. The first, I purchased, not knowing anything about her, but looking for a new author. The second, I purchased, telling myself that she was a popular author in the genre and I hadn't given her a chance with just one book. The third (this one), I received as a gift that I couldn't return.
Coulter's charm? Somewhat interesting plots.
Coulter's shortcomings?
She doesn't develop characters. None of the characters in Eleventh Hour go beyond one dimension. Having an FBI investigator whose name is "Sherlock" is about as subtle as Coulter gets, and about as well as she develops a character.
She requires you to suspend belief and to disregard anything you've learned about criminal investigation or the FBI from any other source. Right, an FBI agent would permit a homeless woman to assist with the investigation and to tag along. Happens all the time.
The dialogue is stilted, drags, and doesn't resembly anything you've ever heard anyone older than a first grader say. She doesn't research a topic enough for the characters to say anything remotely technical. A typical exchange may go like this: Jane said "Why are you going into that building across the street from us that is painted green when there is a very bad man inside?" John said "I am a stong 6'2" FBI agent with a gun that shoots when I pull the trigger and I put many big numbers of metal bullets inside it this morning so it will go 'pow'."
If you want light reading and don't want the emotional or intellectual burden of character development, realistic dialogue, or characters who act in a remotely plausible manner, then you'll be quite satisfied.
reviewed by runaway on November 29, 2006 12:39 PM
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When an FBI agent's brother (a priest) is mysteriously murdered, the only witness is a homeless woman. Trouble is, she has her own secrets that come back to haunt her before the mystery is solved and the story ends. A continuation of the Savich and Sherlock tales, the FBI couple take a back seat in this story to the stormy relationship that develops between the witness and the bereaved agent.
The story has plenty of action and suspense to go along with a compelling story-line. It is easy to understand why this book is a bestseller! Catherine Coulter is clearly at the top of her form. I never wanted to put it down.
The story has plenty of action and suspense to go along with a compelling story-line. It is easy to understand why this book is a bestseller! Catherine Coulter is clearly at the top of her form. I never wanted to put it down.
reviewed by siriusfanboy on November 29, 2006 3:04 PM
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I usually enjoy Catherine Coulter's FBI series featuring the dynamic husband and wife duo of Dillon and Sherlock Savich, but this one left me scratching my head and wondering if Coulter had done any research on this story line. There were some very serious faux pas in this book.
A priest, Father Michael Carver, is murdered in San Francisco in the middle of the night as he's hearing late-night confessions. FBI Special Agent Dane Carver just happens to be the twin brother of the dead priest and works with Savich. Dane begs Dillon to send him out to California to help find his brother's killer. Seems the police believe the same killer is on a spree.
When Carver gets to San Francisco, he runs into Nick Jones, a homeless woman, who was in the church at the time of the killing. She tries to run so Carver takes her into protective custody in his hotel room. Jones isn't really a homeless woman, but a college professor on the run and hiding from a fiancý whom she believes wants to kill her. Confused yet? Oh it gets worse!
As Jones sits up late at night watching TV in the hotel room, she sees an FBI drama that is chillingly familiar. She begins to see a coincidence between these shows and the real life killings. This begins a convoluted investigation into anyone who has worked on the show. Coulter lines up the multitudes of characters and they are unceremoniously traipsed through the story. A few are memorable, but most are just page fillers.
As Jones and Carver wade through the list of possible suspects, romance is in the air and we're tossed back and forth between romance and the little bit of mystery in this epic. Of course, it can't be a true Coulter FBI mystery without Dillon and Sherlock, so they go to San Francisco to assist in the investigation. The only reason they are involved is so Coulter can tout this as a continuance in the FBI Series, otherwise they are superfluous.
As in typical Coulter style, the last page ties up all the loose ends, even though the reader anticipated everything. There were no surprises at all. Her story development was a bit hard to believe. I really don't think any police organization would allow the twin brother of a murder victim to assist in the investigation. I don't think a male police officer would be allowed to take a witness into protective custody in his hotel room.
On the positive side, the characters were all very well developed, even the numerous characters that really had no meaning to the story.
Overall, calling this an FBI mystery is a bit misleading. It's a good piece of fiction with a tad of mystery overtures and a bit of romance. I'd recommend reading it, but it's not a high priority.
A priest, Father Michael Carver, is murdered in San Francisco in the middle of the night as he's hearing late-night confessions. FBI Special Agent Dane Carver just happens to be the twin brother of the dead priest and works with Savich. Dane begs Dillon to send him out to California to help find his brother's killer. Seems the police believe the same killer is on a spree.
When Carver gets to San Francisco, he runs into Nick Jones, a homeless woman, who was in the church at the time of the killing. She tries to run so Carver takes her into protective custody in his hotel room. Jones isn't really a homeless woman, but a college professor on the run and hiding from a fiancý whom she believes wants to kill her. Confused yet? Oh it gets worse!
As Jones sits up late at night watching TV in the hotel room, she sees an FBI drama that is chillingly familiar. She begins to see a coincidence between these shows and the real life killings. This begins a convoluted investigation into anyone who has worked on the show. Coulter lines up the multitudes of characters and they are unceremoniously traipsed through the story. A few are memorable, but most are just page fillers.
As Jones and Carver wade through the list of possible suspects, romance is in the air and we're tossed back and forth between romance and the little bit of mystery in this epic. Of course, it can't be a true Coulter FBI mystery without Dillon and Sherlock, so they go to San Francisco to assist in the investigation. The only reason they are involved is so Coulter can tout this as a continuance in the FBI Series, otherwise they are superfluous.
As in typical Coulter style, the last page ties up all the loose ends, even though the reader anticipated everything. There were no surprises at all. Her story development was a bit hard to believe. I really don't think any police organization would allow the twin brother of a murder victim to assist in the investigation. I don't think a male police officer would be allowed to take a witness into protective custody in his hotel room.
On the positive side, the characters were all very well developed, even the numerous characters that really had no meaning to the story.
Overall, calling this an FBI mystery is a bit misleading. It's a good piece of fiction with a tad of mystery overtures and a bit of romance. I'd recommend reading it, but it's not a high priority.
reviewed by formula on November 29, 2006 3:26 PM