Third Degree: A Novel
by Greg Iles
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Book Reviews of Third Degree: A Novel
Book Review: Greg, your Product Placement agent is on line three...
Summary: 1 Stars
Desperate for reading material whilst on vacation, I picked this off the rack at the drug store, nestled in with numerous other pieces of pulp. My question is: Is this really the same Greg Iles who wrote Spandau Phoenix, one of the great trashy reads of its kind? This latest item scans like a script from one of those "movies" that one skips past on the My Husband Wants to Kill Me Channel in the upper reaches of the cable spectrum. I'll spare you all any samples of the laughable cliched writing to be found herein. If you are of the male persuasion, your gonads will shrink by the minute. My strong advice to you all, regardless of gender, is to avoid being bearded out of ten hard earned dollars and get yourself a copy of Wolves Eat Dogs by Martin Cruz Smith and revel in the mastery of the English language and the thrill of true literary excitement, the sort that isn't spooled out by the yard. It takes hard work and courage to write well, as well as respect for the reader's intelligence, ethics that have deserted Mr. Iles.Book Review: Very Bad Plot---Sluggish Characterizations
Summary: 2 Stars
I have read all of Greg Iles books and except for Sleep No More, which I found boring, I have loved them. In fact, Mr. Iles is one of my favorite authors. Third Degree, however, is a disaster. It gets two stars only because of Mr. Iles excellent style. The plot, which has been overworked in many other books, descended into cliches, hyperbole, and even soft porn. The characters were unbelievably shallow. And frankly, I'm tired of the unwarranted praise heaped on the state of Mississippi. Please Mr. Iles, change the venue for your next one. This book tarnishes the integrity of Mr Iles. I won't bother summarizing the story line---other reviewers have done that. If you have read and liked other books by Mr. Iles, skip this one. If you have not read others, do not begin with this one. In other words, the literary world would have been better off if this book had not been written. Sorry Greg.Book Review: Come back, Greg, please...
Summary: 1 Stars
What is this? If this dreck came from any lesser writer, I might give it two stars just to be sympathetic. Having read Greg Iles before, I know he can do it. So why didn't he?
This book seems like an attempt at romance novels. Unfortunately, it is pretty hard to feel particularly engaged if the "romance" is entirely about adultery, narcissism and plain cluelessness. If I was supposed to root for the adulterous couple, a self-involved pampered suburbanite and her "too good to be true" superhero "love" interest, I found it impossible. The characters are way too flat and the narrative spends 450 pages rambling on about, well, basically nothing at all.
Based on my other experience with the author, I'll write this one off as a misfire of spectacular proportions and hope for better luck next time. Please, Greg, try next time (not even harder, just try at all)!
Book Review: Iles trademark formula - but missing the magic
Summary: 3 Stars
This passes as an acceptable thriller - but only because Iles still uses his standard formula of time-constrained tension (in fact, it all pretty much occurs in a day), combined with a unique premise, a couple of red herrings and some surprising actions based on the character's personality. All which result in an "I can't put it down" type book.
This one lends itself to more to stereo-typical characters and stretches believability. After the first half I picked it up in smatters just so I'd know the ending, before I tossed it.
The first book I read by Iles was 24 Hours. In this genre, to me, that one was worth five stars for it's premise, plotting and roller-coaster tension. If you're a first time Iles reader that's the one to go for.
Book Review: Not up to par
Summary: 3 Stars
Greg Iles' latest novel is not up to the quality of his earlier works. This story moves quickly, and there is tension and a number of twists, but even the rich backdrop of the story doesn't make this one a winner.
My problem with the story is the main character. We are introduced to the protagonist while she is in the midst of discovering the fallout from her marital affair. Already the story had an obstacle I would have to struggle to overcome. The infidelity adds a touch of humanity and realism in a character, I admit, but there was no effort to paint the wife and her actions as particularly sympathetic. When the author paints in the picture to make her more so later, I had already determined that I did not connect with her.
The quality of Iles' writing and pacing was lost when I started out disliking the main character.