24/7 (Nova Audio Books) [Abridged, Audiobook] [Audio Cassette]

Jim Brown (Author), Aaron Fryc (Reader)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 28, 2001 | Series: Nova Audio Books

On a small Caribbean island a woman joins the newest reality TV show: 24/7. For Dana Kirsten, winning the $2 million prize could mean saving her child's life. But while the country is watching her every move, Dana is entering a fight for her own life - and a conflict that will shake the world... Vassa Island has been rigged with remote control cameras, a surveillance satellite system, and the most powerful television transmitter ever created. And that's not all. For a small fee, anyone with a computer can access any of the 638 cameras live, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week - and vote as twelve carefully chosen contestants struggle with each other and the island. But only fifteen minutes into the first live broadcast, the show's host and crew die a ghastly death. The shell-shocked contestants hear a voice echoing from hidden speakers: "I am Control, and this has just become the ultimate reality show." Suddenly the voice is hurtling contestants through a maze of traps and macabre, individually designed puzzles. And when the worldwide audience votes one person off the island, it isn't just a loss... it's death. With every day unveiling a new terror, and as one man from the outside races to crack the Vassa mystery, the only real way to win 24/7 is to find Control. And stop him. But Control has plans beyond the desert island, spinning a dark plot that could hold the entire world hostage in a grip of death.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Cobbling together elements of TV reality shows and a few Blair Witch Project hijinks, this debut novel turns the camera on 12 contestants on a Caribbean island as they square off to solve clues and face their worst fears before a TV audience vote exiles one of their number. Dana Kirsten, a last-minute stand-in, is more than ready to fight for $2 million and "her heart's desire." As the cameras roll on the premiere, however, the host and crew collapse and die an agonizing death from an Ebola-like virus. A voice announces that "Control" has taken over the game, and each contestant is infected with the same virus and must receive an automated daily serum injection at noon to stay alive. The exiled player gets no serum and dies the same horrible death. The network yanks the show, but can't knock out the island broadcast, and the Internet runs the action while government "rescue" attempts are electronically thwarted. Dana bonds with sexy Justin Rourke as they struggle to stay alive and ID the mole in the group helping Control. Can Dana and Justin outsmart Control and escape the navy, which is trying to kill the contestants to prevent spread of the virus? Who is Control, and what are his motives? Brown stirs a busy pot with a surfeit of story lines, but keeps his tale more or less on track as contestants rip each other apart and the TV audience faces an ugly truth. Motivations are less than credible, and solutions are just short of miraculous, but the solid ending and likable, feisty characters should appeal to reality show addicts though they may underwhelm nonviewers. (Nov.)Forecast: Local fans of the news anchor author an AP Best Newscast Award winner with NBC in Eugene, Ore. should jump-start regional sales.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

This first novel by NBC broadcast journalist Brown is an uneven tale that involves uninteresting characters and unlikely plot twists, although it grows on the reader a bit. 24/7 is a reality TV show along the lines of Survivor, except it goes beyond the violence seen on the real-life program. The premise is that 12 contestants are stranded on a small Caribbean island to compete for $2 million. During the debut airing, however, someone calling himself "Control" hijacks the show and announces that the contestants must instead scheme for their lives. These miserable souls include a mother who needs the money to save her dying daughter, a pilot whose only faults are being too brave and too perfect, and several other characters who are either evil or whiny or colorless so that you know they'll meet a bad end. Overall, the big plot complications seem forced and arbitrary, and Brown gets some of the details wrong (Ebola is not a "flesh eating" virus, and vaccines don't act as antidotes). Not recommended.
- Patrick Wall, University City P.L., MO
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Nova Audio Books; Abridged edition (November 28, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1587889110
• ISBN-13: 978-1587889110
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,779,500 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Reality With A Twist, October 30, 2001

By 

Marc Ruby™ "The Noh Hare™" (Warren, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: 24/7 (Hardcover)

When I first examined this book prior to reading it I have to confess I was quite sure that I was not going to like it. It's plot, basically that of a reality TV show gone horribly wrong, sounded almost like a modernized "Friday the 13th," mostly an excuse for gratuitous violence. Fortunately, the problem wasn't the book, just some very poorly written advertising copy. I found my initial impression was quite wrong. Jim Brown, a broadcast journalist, reveals in his first novel enough talent and imagination to enjoy a promising career as a novelist.

The core of the plot is a reality TV show where 12 people will be left on Vassa, a Caribbean island, to struggle against both nature and their own fears. Extensive broadcasting and communication facilities ensure that the world will be able view all their activities and, by voting, gradually eliminate players until one is left to claim the prize - two million dollars and their heart's desire. But someone has other plans, and shortly after the show starts a tailored virus kills the show's entire crew, and the 12 contestants find they are playing for the highest stakes, their lives.

On-island the most important characters of the 12 are Justin Rourke, a pilot who struggles to find a way to stop the terror and Dana Kirsten, a last minute replacement contestant. Dana has entered the contest because her daughter is suffering from a degenerative form of leukemia and will die if she doesn't have an opportunity to participate in a new treatment program. These two quickly join in their efforts. Don't think that the other contestants are poorly done, though. Each of them has some quirk or fear that is exploited by the traps built into the island. My favorite was a mad scorpion stampede, but there is something for every reader's ghoulish streak.

Off-island, several threads develop and blend together. Tucker Thorne, an unknown press photographer, starts out by outsmarting a serial killer who is supposed to be dead and then finds himself in possession of information about Vassa Island that catapults him to a major news career. Dr. Sherman Lorrik, a specialist on terrorists, is called in by the President of the United States. His tasks are to find a way to resolve the Vassa crisis and to manipulate the outcome of the now fatal votes. The government itself must deal with the mystery of the Vassa plague and the islands mysterious ability to defend itself. For everyone involved this is a race against the clock.

The story line is quite complex with a great many imaginative twists and turns. It is surprising that, with such a large cast, most of the characters are satisfactorily developed. This is not simply an action story but a tale with plenty of puzzles and thinking to it as well. Brown gives away very little, and seems to take a great deal of pleasure in misleading the reader. Expect a lot of red herrings, with a totally outrageous ending. "24/7" is almost good enough to seem completely believable despite some technical plot devices that are nearly science fiction. But despite the occasional raised eyebrow this is a very readable book.

Marc Ruby - for The Mystery Reader

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Guilty Pleasure!, January 12, 2002

By 

Eric Wilson "novelist" (Nashville, TN United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: 24/7 (Hardcover)

I've never been a fan of reality TV. As an avid reader, though, Jim Brown's premise appealed to me. Perhaps Brown, a former TV anchorman, could give this overworked idea a good kick in the pants.

Brown comes through with flying colors.

The premise: Twelve contestants, on an island, are involved in a "Survivor"-like TV series that turns ugly when an unknown entity informs them they have all been infected with a deadly designer virus. Based on the TV audience's votes, one contestant will be refused the daily antidote and will die a horrible death. It's a modern and macabre twist on the old lifeboat analogy.

Okay, so as a reader I found myself appalled and entranced by the horrors of Brown's tale. He quickly thrust me into the action and the next thing you know...I was hooked. I primarily read during my lunch-breaks in our employee cafeteria. With fork in hand, shovelling food into my mouth (successfully, in most cases), I raced through the pages to discover the story's ending. 24/7 jumps all over the place and follows a parade of characters, yet maintains an amazing congruity. Brown juggles a dozen subplots without dropping a single one. By the end, I was exhausted by the energy and intricate structure that brought the story to its conclusion.

Despite these plaudits, I must say that the story stretches credibility on more than one occasion. As with reality TV, I got the feeling more than once that this whole thing was rigged, that it wasn't as believable as it wanted me to think it was. The characters are brief, but memorable sketches, and the plot threads tie off nicely, if not too conveniently. Overall, 24/7 became a guilty pleasure. I couldn't put it down, though it seemed so shallow at its core.

Or maybe that was the very point. The irony of it all.

By ensnaring me in his thriller's web, Jim Brown showed me that I, like so many, am willing to "tune in" to see what'll happen, even if it means sacrificing my time, ethics, and integrity. Like his fictional TV audience, I was mentally voting death for the characters I disliked...and in so doing, I underlined the story's basic moral: In a society fueled by entertainment and false reality, we quickly sink to our lowest common denominator. Brown uses the very methods that'll attract his targets to slap them in the face with this harsh truth.

Okay, Jim, I learned my lesson...Are you ready to teach me another?

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I can't remember the last time I loved a book this much., December 30, 2001

By 

Patty Lynne Jones (Raleigh, NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 24/7 (Hardcover)

I loved this book. The pace is astonishing fast and the characters riveting, especially the lead a single mother who will do anything for her daughter. The plot lines are unique, enthralling and amazingly, all tie together in the end.

The premises is a live reality show that turns deadly when the contestants are infected with a virus lethal in 24 hours. Each day there will enough injections for all but one. The person who dies is decided by on line voted. Using just around the corner technology Brown creates a program that cannot be taken off the air.

The nation is both enthraled and appalled. And the Navy, forced to blockade the island to ensure the virus doesn't spread, has been given a time limit after which they will blast the entire facility to bottom of the sea. Meanwhile the contestants must continue to play the game but with deadly consequences.

And that's just the beginning. Once you start reading it's hard to stop.

Brown should be commended for writing a book that is compelling and at the same time, layered. It's only after you close the book and begin to think about what you've read (and you will think about it) that you realize how deeply layered the story truly is. What, on the surfaces is a fun, rollicking novel also contains profound social commentary and sounds a disturbing warning we all should hear.

I haven't been excited about a new writer since Judy Mercer and I can't wait to see what Jim Brown's next book.