Customer Reviews

Pressure Points

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I enjoyed this thriller about executives at a week-long seminar in a secluded West coast setting. Though there was quite a bit of corporate/business jargon that went right past me, the author did a good job of establishing an interesting set of characters -- some in depth and some kept mysterious until later in the story -- and setting an atmosphere filled with tension. Three executives at a Seattle ad agency are attempting to buy out their boss's interest in the company, and he tells them he will do so IF they all complete a seminar that he regards highly. Right away you wonder if the seminar is legitimate, what the boss has planned, etc. As the seminar progresses you, like the participants, begin to wonder what is real and what is staged, and who you can trust and who you can't.

The writing and plotting are very well done and I, like other reviewers, stayed up late so I could finish it -- which is the mark of a successful thriller, right? I thought the ending was somewhat less than satisfying, but certainly exciting.

I would recommend this book to a friend who enjoys thrillers, especially if they're an MBA.

Start the coffeemaker; you'll be up all night reading this page-turner. From the first paragraph to the last sentence, Brooks keeps the reader wondering which characters -- if any -- will ultimately survive "The Seminar," a secretive retreat aimed at executives needing a shot of self-awareness.

A trio of ad agency managers are coerced into attending "The Seminar" by a boss with an unusual motive. The threesome have their own reasons for attending the retreat, but they quickly realize soul-searching can mean deadly discoveries.

Brad, Mark and Pamela -- the characters who launch this roller coaster plot -- are not typical mystery/thriller stereotypes. They're frightening real people. You'll find yourself wondering who can be trusted, and who would kill to cover up a trail of lies.

Don't cheat and read the last page. The twists and turns that drive this book will throw you a curve long after you ponder the last sentence.

If psychological thrillers without cliches are your cup of tea, then hustle out and grab this one. It's a fast-paced and satisfying read.

This book is well worth your time. My favorite aspect of the book is that the characters have mixed motivations: the good guys have a bad side, and the bad guys have a good side. The book is a page-turner, well-written, and has its fair share of plot twists. The only quibbles I have are that, in the denouement, the guilty party seems a bit too omnipotent and omnipresent, and that the end drama was inserted into the Prologue, and trumpeted on the front art and back cover. I'd rather read the book wondering what problems are going to happen at the seminar, instead of feeling like I had read the end of the book before going to Chapter 1.

I also wish those who write reviews would read the reviewed book first. In this instance, the "#1 reviewer" comments that agency owner Wong "has not even shown up at the office in months. Unless he sells [three key employees] the company, they will quit and start a new company. At least half the present clients of Wright and Wong would come with them. Wong agrees with the stipulation that the threesome come with him on a retreat first." In fact, according to the book, Wong had been gone two weeks at most -- from "the annual holiday bash" to late December. Wong took 18 weeks a year vacation, not 18 weeks in a row. The workers calculated that _all_ the company's clients would come with them. And Wong's stipulation was that the three go on a retreat _without_ Wong, not with him. Maybe Ms. Klausner, who managed to post _85_ reviews in November 2001, should cut back on her production in favor of accuracy.

Larry Brooks came upon the scene last year with his debut novel, DARKNESS BOUND, an erotic, suspenseful thriller that left me fearful of ladies dressed in black leather! His newest novel, PRESSURE POINTS, does the same thing for self-help seminars that his last one did for sensuously clad females. Now, let me pre-warn the reader that this isn't a fast paced book, though it does move rather quickly. PRESSURE POINTS is a slow-burning fuse that delves into strong character development and moves forward as layer after layer of intense suspense is added, until it finally reaches an exploding climax. Also, I would ask the reader to think of the Michael Douglas movie, The Game, when reading this because nothing is as it seems. Neither the reader, nor the main characters in the book, will know what's real or simply a masterful illusion. The one thing the reader may be assured of, however, is that a lot of people are going to die before the ending is reached! The story deals predominantly with Brad Teeters, Pamela Wiley and Mark Johnson. All three are high-ranking employees of the Wright & Wong advertising and marketing agency in Seattle, Washington. Brad is the "people" person who's capable of selling any potential client on the agency's ability to meet their needs. Pamela is the creative source behind the agency's success, and Mark is the genius from the business end of it. Each of these people have their strong points and weak points, and each of them has now reached a point in their life where they want more than the agency is willing to give. When they approach Ken Wong-the sole surviving founder of the agency-and inform him of their intent to instigate a hostile takeover of the firm, he reluctantly agrees to their demands, but only on one condition. Ken tells the trio that he'll willingly turn over the agency to them; but first, they must attend and complete a self-help seminar in northern California. The rationale behind this maneuver is that Ken Wong hopes the seminar (one he, himself, recently attended) will help them to see the error of their ways and that they're not ready to successfully run the agency. All three team members, hungry for what they consider to be their justly rewards, finally agree to spend a week at the seminar, not knowing that their lives will, in fact, change rather drastically. What's not known is that they have been marked for death and that the real challenge will be to simply stay alive! PRESSURE POINTS reminded me a great deal of the novels that were published back in the fifties, sixties, and early seventies when strong character development and avid suspense were the most important ingredients of any well-written thriller...when the whole point was to keep the reader guessing right up till the very last page. Mr. Brooks' newest novel succeeds tremendously on this level. Strange as it may seem, however, the one character I was most drawn to was Brad Teeters' wife, Beth. She reminded me somewhat of the "Dark Lady" from DARKNESS BOUND in her ability to manipulate the people around her in order to achieve her goals. Not only is she smart, beautiful, and sensuous, Beth Teeters is also as dangerous as a Black Widow spider. She'll do whatever it takes to protect her and her husband's interests, even it means having a clandestine affair with Ken Wong, or seducing others in order to put her own game plan into motion. This is definitely a woman you don't want to cross! All in all, PRESSURE POINTS is an excellent follow-up to Larry Brooks' first novel. It's a page-turner of the best sort and will keep you guessing in a futile effort to figure out what's going to happen next.

PRESSURE POINTS is not a paperback I would normally purchase. I was not familiar with the author and there are no reviewers' blurbs for it on the front/back covers (inside or out), which is often a harbinger of bad writing to come. Although I took a flyer when I decided to give this book a try, I was far, far from disappointed. PRESSURE POINTS is engrossing from start to finish. It begins with a bang and never lets up. The plot is labyrinthine, with hairpin twists and turns coming one after another. The dialogue is snappy and hip, peppered with Brooks'waggish takes on the self-help movement, the field of advertising, the infotech industry, and even pyramid schemes. The novel's protagonists are sympathetic and its antagonists truly scary (although you won't know which are which until you're almost done with the book!) I read this book in one sitting--I truthfully could not put it down!

Either Brooks' background as a copywriter has served him well or he has one heck of an editor, because his writing is flawless. This man knows how to build a sentence as well as he knows how to build a plot. And here's a real plus: I counted fewer than five grammatical/spelling errors in the entire book, and those I did find were quibbling. The type of care Brooks takes with the English language is so rare in this day and age as to be nearly non-existent.

Thank you, Mr. Brooks--I can't wait to read your next novel!

Pressure Points takes the reader on an intense psychological journey via would-be CEO Brad Teeter's required attendance at a mind-blowing seminar. You're forced to question your own response to each and every excercise Brad endures. It's hip, fast, scary, riveting, thought-provoking and full of surprises. I finished this book in two days as I had to know who was behind the diabolical scheming. Larry Brooks latest novel is a book to be talked about. Trust me, buy this book.

In Seattle's very creative and highly sought after Wright and Wong advertising agency, three high level executives are unhappy. Finance Officer/Controller Mark Johnson, Corporate Creative Director Pamela Wiley, and Vice President of Client Services Brad Teeters realize they made CEO Wong a multimillionaire, but they remain stuck in a middle class lifestyle and income.

The trio unites to issue an ultimatum to Wong, who has not even shown up at the office in months. Unless he sells them the company, they will quit and start a new company. At least half the present clients of Wright and Wong would come with them. Wong agrees with the stipulation that the threesome comes with him on a retreat first. They soon find themselves struggling to survive, as none of them know what is an exercise and what is a death trap.

Larry Brooks has written an exciting thriller as the reader, like the group, never knows what is deadly and what is an exercise. In PRESSURE POINT, ignoring reality could mean death with no one trusting anyone adding to the individual's stress. This fascinating novel is similar to The Deadly Game, but Mr. Brooks keeps it fresh because reality is so blurred.

Harriet Klausner

I'm not so enthusiastic about this novel as other readers. True, Brooks can build believably complex characters, but the encounter session seminar thing was done to death in the '60s and '70s, and the conspiracy aspect takes a page or two from The Osterman Weekend and others of its ilk. Plus, there are so many twists and turns in the novel, it was hard to tell who was getting jerked around more-- the participants of the seminar or the reader (hey, you can only pull so many rabbits out of the hat before the audience starts bolting for the exits). Brooks also seems to tiptoe around plausible outcomes that would collapse his intricate plot like a house of cards (none of these executives don't seem to be able to think too far ahead), and some of the plot twists really push the credibility envelope (chapter 57, for example). A final, somewhat minor complaint is his penchant for stringing together words in a I-want-to-be-precise-with-this-description fashion (Jeez, crack open a thesaurus!). A decent beach read, nothing more.

this gem is a real sleeper. i had never heard of the author or title before i ran across it in a used bookstore. why anyone would want to sell their copy is beyond me.

the plot is astoundingly unique. the characters are well-drawn and interesting. the reader is manipulated time and time again by plot twists and double-crosses.

just try to read this book in more than one sitting.

this is one of those times when the "Amazon Recommendations" came up with a book I'd not heard of before, in "Pressure Points". Then a Marketplace seller had one that was used for a good price, which they shipped quickly. Then I couldn't put the book down and read it in one sitting....

and enjoyed it thoroughly! Pressure Points departs from the norm of the psychological chiller by setting it at a high-level corporate motivational seminar. Many of us who have attended them think they put something in the kool-aid, and Brooks does nothing to dispel that notion. From the name of the advertising agency where the seminar attendees work (Wright & Wong) to the
countdown to the seminar, to the seesaw back and forth between the seminar, Seattle, and Brad Teeters' journal, Larry Brooks knows how to set a stage. The seminar events are somewhat predictable, but, just when you relax, Brooks pulls another stunt that wakes you back up and makes you wonder if you really know how this is gonna end!

I've given it 4 stars instead of 5, because Brooks' male character development (Brad, Mark, Ken) is excellent, but his females ( Beth and Pamela ) are less than believable. Pamela, especially, completely changes her character while attending the seminar in a way that makes little sense, and Beth is just a little too over the top as the puppeteer of so many characters.

That said, there is little else to critique about Pressure Points, and believe me, you will find it difficult to put down!