Third Degree

Had this been my first Iles book, I would never read another!

If, and I mean IF you can make it through this book, make sure you finish it on an empty stomach--the ending will positively make you vomit. I could have cared less about any of the characters, and the plot was unbelievably predictable. Pass on this one--even if you get a free copy.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

His Worst!

I hate verbose reviews, so here goes...I did not like this Iles effort at all. I thought he took an OK short story and turned it into 400+ pages of tedium as I never really cared much for the characters. I do, however, look forward to reading The Devil's Punchbowl as that returns him to his best writing and characters.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Excellent!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Fast paced and good twists make this book a must read. Fantastic! --K--

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Iles takes marital infidelity to a new place.

Greg Iles is like Stephen King in that he takes the mundane, everyday occurrence and makes it explode. In Third Degree, marital infidelity leads to a hostage standoff. Added into the mix is a medical billing scam. It's amazing how the two can intertwine. And the one person who can really fix the situation is the lover of the woman held hostage by her husband. But how can he help the situation without revealing his indescretion and putting his lover in more danger?

As always, Iles interweaves story lines and leaves each chapter with a cliff-hanger that keeps you turning the pages to find out what is going to happen.

Greg Iles fans will not be disappointed with this book. For those new to Greg Iles, you will find a thrilling escape from the world you live in.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Better than '24' (TV)

Another 'you can't put it down' Greg Iles book!! We have ALL his books

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Just Getting Better

I will read anything by Greg Iles. His books draw you in immediately with the plot, characters, etc. Third Degree was fast moving, suspenseful, and I literally cound not put the book down until I finished. I think his books keep getting better and better. My favorites are any of the Penn Cage novels. I heard that there would be one more Penn Cage story and that's it. I'm hoping I heard wrong.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Compelling character-driven story

I've been a bit disappointed with Greg Iles last two books, but he has completely redeemed himself with Third Degree. I could not put it down - literally. I almost missed a flight because I was so lost in the relationships of the characters and the development of the horrendous day.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Third degree

This was the first book I've read from Greg Iles. It was awesome. I literally could not put it down. I'm now looking for another of his books.

Greg Iles books never disappoint. Can't put it down.

As usual, Greg Iles Third Degree is unstoppable reading. Each chapter has you wanting to find out what happens next. This book is the sixth or seventh book of his that I have read. I just seem to start another one of his books as soon as I finish with the one I am reading. I enjoy reading about the southern Louisiana and Mississippi settings for his books. It makes me want to go there. Just try one of his books and you will be hooked.

The best I've read this spring

I recently retired and have quickly read six Dean Koontz books, four Patterson and a couple of other various writers of this genre. Greg Iles stands head and shoulders above the others in his ability to write a book with a plot that works without manipulation and with fully developed characters that are very REAL. The plot flows without those "that wouldn't happen" moments and the characters act and say what fits the situation. Every other writer had to manipulate the plot to make it work and used characters that were simply not believable. It was a bit slow in the beginning and the characters were not ones I especially liked, but that didn't change the fact that it is a very well written book. Besides the great writing, it was an exciting read with enough surprises to keep me wanting to finish whatever I had to do so I could go read more. Several times when I was pretty sure I knew what was going to happen --- I was wrong! Great books are often based on characters needing to make extremely difficult choices ... that is certainly true in Third Degree.

Eh...not bad, but not great like his other books

I was looking foward to this book and it was a good ready but it wasn't anywhere near the greatness of his other books. There was hardly any character interaction and alot of innermonolog.

NOTHING BETTER

loved it and u will too!

Riveting.

I couldn't put this book down. I read it in 3 days.

Third Degree is another Iles mystery with the ability to keep one awake all night

Third Degree again proves Iles abililty to make the reader totally engrossed in the book from the first chapter. His unique way of introducing plot twists keeps you wanting more. I began this book one night, reading the first 100 pages or so. The second night it was dawn when I completed reading the book.

Iles character development enabled me to picture exactly what I thought each principal character looked like. I also felt I knew each character after finishing Third Degreer. This is a talent not often found in an author.

I have now read four of Iles' books and intend to read all of the others. I just purchased one at the airport on Saturday!

Greg Iles, What can I say.

I love the way Greg Iles can pull you into a story slowly and then takes you to the next level and you are on a roller coaster ride. All of his books are like that and this one is just as good. I am now an avid fan of his and can't wait to get the next book he writes. I was in Barnes and Noble the other day and a woman was looking at his books and I must have sounded like Greg Iles manager because I couldn' talk enough about how good these books are. She bought three of his books. He is an amazing author with the ability to tell a great story. I will not go into detail about the book, but know it is a great read.

I just finished this book and loved it! Greg Iles always delivers a good read.

If you like suspense and drama, Greg Iles is the author for you. I've read most of his books and have never been disappointed. He manages to pull the reader into the story with the first sentence he writes. Third Degree has plot twists and turns that you won't see coming.

wonderful book

Excellent reading. Captures interest. cannot put down. Recommend.

taut suspenseful for the true Greg Iles fan

As in 24 Hours, Iles takes his true fans on a taut suspenseful ride that begins with an innocent email warning to find something incriminating in prominent Dr. Warren Shield's home to BLACK CODE/THIRD DEGREE: Hostage situation with Fatality in the span of one day. Adultery, small town values, secrets, corruption, fraud, racism, and debilitating illness and betrayal thread this fast paced read while remaining an intimate story of a family's disintegration in an idyllic Mississippi town. Iles fleshes out his characters slowly, methodically and this reader came to like the fallen heroine, the demented physician, and the other man, amid numerous plot twists and turns that true Greg Iles fans expect.

Awaking in her beautiful home, Laurel Shields has a sense of foreboding. All is not right. Her husband Warren has been up all night frantically searching for a document for an IRS audit and is increasingly becoming more disturbed. An EPT test confirms what the special education teacher already knows. She's pregnant perhaps by the man she loves or by Warren. She stands before her mirror and shamefully realizes that she's become a stereotype the shallow Doctor's trophy wife before heading to school with her two children. Struggling between reassuring her children about their father's odd behavior and her own jarring secret, Laurel must prepare for her imminent parent/teacher conferences before a debilitating migraine headache incapitates her. During their interview about his autistic son Michael, Laurel struggles to tell her former lover that she is pregnant. After agreeing to meet Major Danny MacDavitt, Laurel rushes home to get something for her headache, but finds her husband ashen, unkempt and leveling a pistol at her, demanding to know who she has been having an affair with.

Laurel realizes the only hope she has to remain alive and protect her children is to refuse Warren the name her of her former lover as the dark obsessive side of the man she has lived with for 12 years intensifies. Amid gripping fear, Laurel knows that Major Danny MacDavitt will take care of her, her children, and his unborn child because she has a secret link to him and the ring of armed police outside her home as they prepare a dangerous rescue. That is until her 9 year old son, Grant returns back home through the same way he escaped to get help for his mom. Bullets ring out and Warren, Grant, and Danny speed away in the police helicopter. What happens next at the conclusion of the novel is just a tad bizarre, but somewhat predictible given Warren's condition and predicament.

One of my favorite authors...

There are a few authors I love and Greg Isles is one of them. I've never been disappointed. He keeps me going from beginning to end, and just when I think I figured a few things out his writing takes a turn and I'm completely surprised. Greg Isles is consistently good!

A good book about adultry, inside a thriller.

This is not one of Greg Iles better books, but it is still a very good read. I would recommend Blood Memory, Spandau Phoenix, or Black Cross. Like the other reviews, I must agree that there are no likable characters in this book. But that is not a bad point for me, like it is for the other reviewers. This book makes you think about adultry and its consequences. And because it is dealing with such an ugly act, no one in the book is likable. People who commit adultry are self-centered and selfish, thus they cannot be really likable. Even before they are caught, there plan is to lie and decieve, if they are caught. The mother, throughout the book, tells her husband to think of the children. But then the mother then tells the young daughter to do something, even though she know her husband is unbalanced, placeing the child in harm's way. If the author made the characters likable, this book would be a terrible book, instead of a very good book. The book is very good at the beginning and the end, but it drags a little in the middle.