Customer Reviews

Eleventh Hour (FBI Thriller)

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(23)

 

 

This is a fast moving, well plotted story with two two interrelated mysteries to solve.Father Michael Carver is murdered in his confessional in S.F. and the only witness is Nick Jones, a homeless woman on the run and with a desire to keep her past a secret. Father Michael's twin brother Dane,an FBI agent, of course devasted by the news of his brother's death,immediately rushes to SF from DC and unofficially joins the murder investigation being conducted by the local police.Dillon and Sherlock Savich, Dane's FBI compatriots, soon become involved when evidence of a serial killer develops.(While this is the first book by Coulter that I have read, it is clear that these are characters who have previously appeared in her series of FBI mysteries and readers of those books may be glad to become reacquainted with them.)

This is not an FBI procedural, but rather an action story (potential TV movie) with multiple plot twists and a plethora of suspects.The ingenious device of the murders mimicing a recent TV series adds further complications to the police investigation, as does the unknown relationship of the current events to Nick's past. And, as could be guessed, romance also manages to blossom as Dane and Nick become attracted to each other as they try to stay alive and solve the mysteries they both confront.

I was one for two, as I was kept guessing until the conclusion as to Father Michael's killer but did unravel the clues regarding Nick's real opponent.This had the advantage of being a fast read but still having a complicated plot and good character development. I definitely plan to read another one of the series both for enjoyment and in order see whether the author is simply a formulaic writer or sufficiently varies her stories to keep my interest.

I've been a fan of C. Coulter since I read "The Cove", but her last two books including this one have been so disappointing. It's almost like she's changed her writing style. I say, 'if it aint broke don't fix it'. This book was so inconsistent, moving quickly one moment, then slowing to a crawl the next.
There is no romance really to speak of, just a slight attraction with an abrupt sex scene thrown in, that seemed forced & gratuitous.
If you haven't read her earlier books, skip this one, and get "The Cove" & "The Maze".

Midnight in a Catholic church, a woman is sitting in the shadows of the large sanctuary when she sees a dark-haired man enter to confess his sins to the waiting priest. After a muffled exchange with the kindly father, the "confessor" pulls a gun and kills the priest. The woman slumps deeper into the shadows so she's not detected by the killer. Wow! The priest even has an identical twin brother in law enforcement who helps find the perpetrator. I couldn't wait for the next chapter, and the next. Then the story drizzled down to trite, silly, and shallow. Too bad, it had so much promise.

I have to start out by saying I have read all of the books in the FBI series so far with the exception of Blindside, which I have yet to read. None of them have even come close to The Maze. I have been disappointed with all of them except for The Maze, which I will treasure forever. I honestly don't know if I would continue reading this series if it weren't for Sherlock and Savich (and I do wish they would have more interaction in the other novels, this one included).

Now, that being said, the reason I have mixed feelings about this particular novel is the following: I love the plot of this book and the mystery entwined within the pages. That was enough to make this a very quick read and keep me interested enough to find out what was going to happen and how everything ties in together. The downside? What most everyone said - the writing is lacking to say the least. I thought the first chapter was very well written but then it just seemed to go downhill from there. The dialogue is weak, flat, and often times unbelievable. It's really hard for me to say this because I really wanted to love this book. Development of characters was pretty much non-existent, which I thought was incredibly disappointing because I thought Dane and Nick had such potential as characters in this novel. Coulter seemed to just throw them together all of a sudden. One minute they were talking and then the next minute they were all over each other. I thought that scene was pretty unbelievable if only for the reason that the character development just wasn't present. I wanted to love their relationship but I just couldn't feel it. But in all her novels in the FBI series (with the exception of The Maze), romance was on the backburner and minor to the overall plot. Coulter doesn't work to develop relationships. She just throws characters together. These novels are all extremely dialogue-intensive. Coulter seems to want to leave the character's feelings, motivations, and development as open to interpretation by readers. Unfortunately, it also seems that she has gotten a little bit lazy with these novels following The Maze. It's hard not to be disappointed by that. I know she can do better than this...I have seen her do better than this. When I think about just how great this novel could have been, I can just shake my head. Don't get me wrong...If you try to push aside the dialogue and weaknesses and try to enjoy the mystery and plot, it is well worth the read. My recommendation would be to pick it up at the library though.

Synop: Special Agent Dane Carver is the focus of this book in Catherine Coulter's FBI series. He is a newcomer to Dillon Savich's elite FBI group. Carver's twin is killed while listening to a killer's confession. Unknown to the killer, there is a witness...a "homeless" woman running from her own problems. With a few twists and turns Carver gets justice for his brother and saves the girl.

Critique:
I am a huge fan of novels that focus on the FBI, CIA, police departments etc. Catherine Coulter is very well known for her success in romance. THIS IS NOT A ROMANCE!!! Coulter is trying her best to make this series detective fiction and really the byplay between the main male and female characters are to satisfy her loyal romance readers. If you go into a bookstore this book and the rest in the series will be in Mystery NOT Romance.
Coulter's dialogue in this novel is stilted in quite a few places and the "romance" between Carver and "Nick" is almost contrived and really doesn't work well with the story. The characters are well done and the plot flows nicely, even if it is predictable.
Honestly, if Coulter would make these books into the "romance" mold or stick with the pure "mystery" mold this series would be a lot better. It's not a bad story. I would recommend it to anyone looking to pass the time with an uncomplicated, quick read.

Speaking as a fan of Catherine Coulter's previous detective novels, I am disappointed in this product. I wish I didn't feel compelled to refer to it as such, but the "Eleventh Hour" seems indeed to be a book that was written for commerce, and at the last moment to appease an editor. As with Iris Johanson's recent books, we have another writer with a fine imagination who has left her work poorly crafted. It might have been an acceptable first draft, but in truth, I feel even that is being kind.

I am an avid fan of ALL Catherine Coulter's books but found to my utter dismay this one to be a total waste of my time. From the first, I found the dialog stilted, the story line choppy and disjointed, as if the author was writing a screen play for a movie. This apparently seems to be her goal as indicated by her dedication of the book. The book showed none of her usual depth of character detail or gripping storyline. My request to the author is when writing the book, focus on the book, not how it would appear on the screen.

In the case of Coulter, it appears that she's a love her or hate her author. It's a matter of preference -- not a case of one side being right. Eleventh hour is not a treatise on investigative technique or a vehicle to make you feel an emotional bond with a character. It's fluffery where the undeveloped characters just happen to be FBI agents.

I've read only three of Coulter's books. The first, I purchased, not knowing anything about her, but looking for a new author. The second, I purchased, telling myself that she was a popular author in the genre and I hadn't given her a chance with just one book. The third (this one), I received as a gift that I couldn't return.

Coulter's charm? Somewhat interesting plots.

Coulter's shortcomings?

She doesn't develop characters. None of the characters in Eleventh Hour go beyond one dimension. Having an FBI investigator whose name is "Sherlock" is about as subtle as Coulter gets, and about as well as she develops a character.

She requires you to suspend belief and to disregard anything you've learned about criminal investigation or the FBI from any other source. Right, an FBI agent would permit a homeless woman to assist with the investigation and to tag along. Happens all the time.

The dialogue is stilted, drags, and doesn't resembly anything you've ever heard anyone older than a first grader say. She doesn't research a topic enough for the characters to say anything remotely technical. A typical exchange may go like this: Jane said "Why are you going into that building across the street from us that is painted green when there is a very bad man inside?" John said "I am a stong 6'2" FBI agent with a gun that shoots when I pull the trigger and I put many big numbers of metal bullets inside it this morning so it will go 'pow'."

If you want light reading and don't want the emotional or intellectual burden of character development, realistic dialogue, or characters who act in a remotely plausible manner, then you'll be quite satisfied.

Coulter has always been a real hit and miss author for me, but I threw this book down in disgust and I'll never buy another of hers. I know she can write--I've read evidence of that. So there's no excuse but laziness to put out this...tripe. The characters are flat, the dialogue made me laugh out loud--it was so incredibly lame. She gives romantic suspense a bad bad name.

In San Francisco Father Michael Joseph Carver is viciously murdered while taking confession. His twin brother, FBI Special Agent Dane Carver is working alongside local police to find his killer. Their star witness is a young homeless woman named "Nick" who the killer doesn't realize exists. Dane Carver convinces the local police to take her into protective custody as they work together to track down the killer. Soon a serial killer emerges, one who uses the scripts of a popular television show as the basis for his actions. It is not long before the killer realizes that the police have a witness in protective custody. Dane calls in his friends and fellow FBI agents, Dillon and Sherlock Savitch to assist him in keeping Nick alive and finding the killer. They must protect her until the case is solved, but can they save her from her own past which threatens to disrupt their efforts and leave all of them for dead?

ELEVENTH HOUR is filled with action, danger and heavy-duty romance. The characters are genuine, the plot is played out nicely, and the loose ends are neatly wrapped up at the end. Coulter creates wonderful chemistry between protagonists Dane and Nick, and she successfully intertwines multiple storylines while keeping the reader guessing until the very end. As much as I love her writing, I found some of the actions and dialogue downright silly, and the romantic scenes were definitely more realistic than some of the procedural/action scenes! If you are a die-hard mystery buff, then stay away...but if you enjoy a good dose of steamy romance with a sprinkling of suspense, then this may be a good choice for you.

This is my first Coulter book, and although it didn't quite hit the five-star mark for me, I wouldn't hesitate to purchase another.

P.S. My favorite character is Sherlock. She's very cool.