30 Seconds [Hardcover]

Sam (Author), Bettina Giancana (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1998

Marty English, advertising executive, seems to be leading the perfect life-no one knows that he is really the estranged son of Chicago's Mafia Don. When he pulls in a multi-million dollar account with Isaac Arrow Pharmaceuticals to promote its new herbal line, it looks like he's a shoe-in to replace the aging president of his agency. The only problem is that the ad must be completed for airing during the Superbowl, less than three weeks away-with practically no time to head to Belize and shoot a commercial that will highlight Isaac Arrow's ecological commitment.
Unbeknownst to Marty, the heads of Isaac Arrow have long been in cahoots with the Mob, the CIA, and the heads of Planetlife, a bogus eco-resort that is really a front for the manufacture of a highly potent drug. When Tony Inglesia, Marty's father, refuses to go in on the distribution of this new drug, the others in the crime ring plan to "eliminate this roadblock" as soon as he relinquishes his CD-Rom disk which contains one third of the code necessary to access a Swiss bank account containing millions. But their plan is thwarted; Tony's right hand man murders his boss to get in on the action, and now all that matters to them is that they recover the disk (which is now, unmarked, with its significance unexplained, in Marty's possession).
For the first time, Marty must depend on the help of a county cop, and his beautiful long-time companion Reiki to help him crack the mysterious code the disc contains and bring down the crime ring...and stay alive in the process.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

John Grisham meets Mario Puzo in this entertaining thriller by the godson of a real-life Mob boss. Marty English (born Iglesia) is an ad whiz and son of a Chicago gangster who finds himself entangled with the Mafia after his father, Tony Iglesia, is poisoned with a potent new drug that's cheaper, stronger, and easier to produce than cocaine. Was Tony killed because he wouldn't risk the wrath of his partners in the Colombian cartel by flooding the market with the drug? The secret may lie in the computer disk that arrives in the mail a few days after Tony dies, but Marty is too busy to decipher the mysterious glyph on the disk or track down his father's killers. First he has to produce a 30-second commercial for a new client--Arrow Pharmaceutical Company--in time for the Super Bowl, which is less than three weeks away. If he can pull it off, Arrow's multimillion-dollar account will save his foundering ad agency and incidentally put him in line for the CEO's job. Nothing is more important--not the threats on Marty's life by men who've already killed once for the disk's secrets, not the ultimatum issued by his girlfriend, a beautiful photojournalist who's been pushing Marty for a commitment. The action builds to a breathtaking conclusion in the Belizean rainforest, where he's warned off by a Mayan shaman, pursued by the Mob, ensnared by a renegade CIA team, and seduced by Arrow's beautiful marketing director. Lively and fast-paced, with enough high-tech drama to enthrall fans of Robin Cook and Michael Crichton, 30 Seconds delivers suspense and thrills enough for big-screen treatment. --Jane Adams

From Publishers Weekly

Madison Avenue meets the mob in the Giancanas' entertaining second novel (after Double Cross). The thrills begin when ad exec Marty English's estranged father, an old-school Chicago don, is poisoned by his right-hand man and Marty inherits a valuable, mysterious computer disk. The disk draws Marty back into his father's world?just as he's about to land a multimillion dollar account with Arrow Pharmaceuticals. The key to acquiring the account is a 30-second Super Bowl spot, scheduled to take place at Arrow's glamorous eco-resort in Belize, where the odd behavior of Arrow executives and a conversation with a Mayan guide who works for the company lead Marty to suspect that the resort may be a CIA front. Suspicion turns to fear when he returns to Chicago and dead bodies start popping up. When a cop joins the victim list, Marty is forced to go underground to protect the disk and solve its secrets. What makes the Giancanas' tale such a wild ride is the clever use of interlocking subplots to build suspense, particularly a Mayan angle that adds both New Age and high-tech elements. The secondary characters tend toward the cardboard, but Marty English is an engaging protagonist who effectively combines slickness, intelligence and fallibility. Author tour.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (September 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 044651716X
• ISBN-13: 978-0446517164
• Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 1.5 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,217,123 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book to be made into a movie., December 13, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: 30 Seconds (Hardcover)

i listened to the version of this book, and from the moment i started i could not stop it was a great story line with non stop action. All i want to know is where's the movie?

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I stayed up late reading this one, I couldn't put it down!!, December 8, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: 30 Seconds (Hardcover)

30 Seconds is a really cool look at the mob with a twist. I loved the character development and the story as a whole was very fast paced and kept me on the edge of my seat.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Intriging fast paced action, September 27, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: 30 Seconds (Hardcover)

I found 30 seconds to be a fast paced interesting story closely in tune with the high stakes advertising industry, and mob, from a unique perspective. Sam and Bettina are first class story tellers and I am sure you won't be able to put the book down. I enjoyed the book very much.