Third Degree: A Novel by Greg Iles Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Third Degree: A Novel
Book Review: Big Disappointment
Summary: 2 Stars
I first became an Iles fan upon reading Mortal Fear followed by The
Quiet Game, which I believe is his best work. I was so excited when 24 Hours was published only to feel I was left down. This novel did little more for me. First, I found it to be boring. The rescue mission was somewhat farfetched and the characters roles were equally unbelievable. In addition, the novel just seemed void of the spark and poetry typically found throughout the pages of his aforementioned works. 2.5 stars.
Book Review: A huge dissapointment by Iles
Summary: 1 Stars
I am a fan of Greg Iles and have read and enjoyed all of his previous books.
True Evil was a little weak but 3rd degree is truly awful. If this were the first book by Iles I had read it would be the last. I can only hope he returns to form in the future. In the past, I automatically ordered his next book, in the future I will wait to see the reviews before I purchase another book.
Book Review: A bit shallow for Iles
Summary: 3 Stars
I had a hard time putting this down and read it quickly. It'a a page turner, but not up to Iles usual fare. It's more like a quick chick flick that his usual breathless thrill ride. The momentum is there, but there is no depth to any of his characters and you find yourself looking in on these strangers' lives instead of really getting inside their heads as in most of his other novels. I did not really relate with any of them. I did not hate them, I just wanted to know them better. I was very surprised by this as Iles is much better than this. I also thought the ending contrived and it left me feeling unsatisfied. Book Review: "He's gone over the edge."
Summary: 2 Stars
"Third Degree," by Greg Iles, takes place in the small town of Athens Point, Mississippi. Thirty-five year old teacher Laurel Shields has slowly drifted apart from Warren, her husband of twelve years. For eleven months, she conducted a clandestine affair with a married man, Danny McDavitt, the father of an autistic child in her class. When Warren accidentally discovers evidence of his wife's betrayal, he is enraged and demands to know the identity of her lover. Laurel stonewalls and attempts to calm Warren down, but he refuses to be mollified. Ironically, Warren is a physician who has always been a model of stability, integrity, and compassion. Much to Laurel's horror, her calm and predictable husband suddenly becomes a violent, cruel, and unpredictable monster. Laurel's six year old daughter, Beth, and nine-year-old son, Grant are caught in the middle of their parents' potentially tragic domestic dispute.
This is a plot-driven, melodramatic, and unconvincing novel with trite dialogue and poorly drawn, one-dimensional characters. Laurel is a self-absorbed, foolish, and impulsive woman; her lover, Danny, is a former war hero who is too saintly to be believed; Warren is a cipher whose behavior is incomprehensible until late in the novel, when we learn that he is hiding a devastating secret; Warren's partner, Ken Auster is a greedy philanderer whose fraudulent financial practices have attracted the interest of the Medicaid Fraud Unit and the IRS. None of these people is remotely believable, nor do their troubles generate much sympathy. At almost four hundred pages, the book is heavily padded with plodding exposition and the omniscient narrator's recital of each individual's personal history and innermost thoughts. The author throws in some action-adventure elements during the book's improbable and pat conclusion.
Iles occasionally touches on worthwhile themes: the racism that is still endemic in small Southern towns; how seemingly sound marriages gradually disintegrate; the many ways that earning money dishonestly can backfire; the unfairness of life and randomness of fate. Unfortunately, the author fails to develops any of these ideas fully or meaningfully. "Third Degree" is a disappointingly formulaic and artificial family drama that is devoid of depth or realism.
Book Review: What happened???????
Summary: 1 Stars
Greg Iles is by far my favorite author. Every one of his books has been fantastic EXCEPT this one. What a disappointment!! I was bored after the first chapter and that NEVER happens with a Greg Iles book. I will forgive this effort but his next book better be a good one.