Customer Reviews

The Red Zone

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

 

 

I picked up this book prior to a cross-country flight. I couldn't put it down and finished it in the hotel, the same day. While neither the plot nor the characters are believable (one wonders where Green comes up with the names), the book is entertaining, if nothing else. He keeps you guessing, but his over-reliance on foreshadowing can get annoying, as can his often unorthodox use of figurative language. I recommend it to anyone who wants an easy "Grisham-esque" read for pure fun, or to any die-hard football fans.

The Red Zone was kind of a continuation of his earlier novel "Outlaws". This was a book I could not put down. It had me on my seat just reading it! Excellent, I would definatly buy this one even if your not a sports junkie like me!

I've read every book Tim has written and this is the best. Once I started reading, I didn't put it down. He's running a close second to my favorite author, John Sanford.

the guilty. Sounds like the rest of the reviewers come from a literary background, not from sports. Otherwise they would recognize this story as coming straight from the headlines of a national sports disgrace.

This is a fictionalized account of the death of the owner of the Los Angeles Rams, who many people feel was murdered by his much younger Las Vegas showgirl wife. Georgia Frontiere, present owner of the St. Louis Rams, met Carroll Rosenbloom, then owner of the Baltimore Colts, while at the home of Joseph Kennedy. Yes, the same Kennedy who fathered John F., Bobby, and Ted Kennedy.

Eventually she made Carroll, some 20+ years her senior, her 6th husband. Segue a few years, and many more notorious tales. Rosenbloom swaps ownership with the then owner of the LA Rams. Carroll and Georgia move to California. Then in 1979, Carroll Rosenbloom mysteriously drowns while swimming in the ocean. A death that has been the subject of many probes, including one done by PBS' Frontline in 1983.

Green's big problem in trying to write his story is having too much information to draw upon from real life. Perhaps this is why The Red Zone is not up to Green's normal standards.

Some reviewers thought there were too many contrivances. I offer news headlines that are even more bizarre. For example, a missing Super Bowl Trophy that the NFL had to replace (Many people reported seeing that same trophy in Rosenbloom's Bel-Air mansion).

Does that seem too contrived? Well, remember the way Carroll Rosenbloom died, a mysterious drowning? There were several witnesses who reported seeing one or more people come out of the water wearing wet-suits. Or, how about the 10,000 1980 Super Bowl tickets that came up missing, and husband #7 doing time for ticket counterfeiting income tax evasion. Or better yet, what was the involvement between the Los Angeles Rams, $20 million dollars in counterfeit money, a professional wrestler/hitman and organized crime.

To those who were football fans during the 60's and 70's it is easy to recognize this storyline. I could bore you with more, however a simple search on the Internet will substantiate this, and much more. (What ex-football player, now actor, was giving Georgia a "massage", causing her to be more than an hour late to her just deceased husbands memorial service.)

They say life imitates art, and art imitates life. However, life is much more interesting than art. Bottom line, if you like interesting fiction, this is OK. However if you want an even more fascinating story, check out the real story behind this story.

Ok so I know that Tim Green was a former football player so it shouldn't surprise me that this book was filled with football "talk". I know this but I still thought he went into too much detail about football and strategies. Aside from the football description(s) the book was pretty good. The only thing I would have to say is that if you don't like gory, bloody crime scenes, then this is not the book for you. The story is about a famous football player that is accused of killing the owner of the team. He is made to look even more guilty because he is having an affair with the wife of the owner. As you read along, you will see that the "killer" is a deranged psychopath who gets his thrills by decapitating his victim. So if you don't mind a few graphic scenes then you will like the book because you are not really sure who is the bad guy until you are almost done with the book and even after the book is about to end, the author gives us a surprise twist.

I have read all of Mr. Green's books, but I've always thought they were similar to John Grisham's books, in that if someone said "Quick, give me the plot of any of them," it would be hard to distinguish one from the other. That is, until after the movie has been made. Mr. Green's insight into football is fascinating, and that's the primary reason I like to read his work. As with the other novels, the storylines are a little weak, and he seems to prefer using artificial plot devices, e.g., the brother of a star linebacker who just so happens to be a Navy SEAL and completely insane (though not too crazy to kill about a dozen people), rather than developing even a slightly realistic set of circumstances. The star of the book is, of course, a brilliant and beautiful lawyer (are there any other kind) who, despite thinking her client has tried to kill her still believes in him (just doing her job). Her sidekick is a lovable latin loser who just happens to an ex-cop/computer whiz so he can get all of those pieces of information that no one can find, and operate a phone tap. It's just too much. As I said before, though, I'll probably read anything else he writes, because good football fiction seems to be an endangered species, or maybe I'm not looking hard enough.

This is a continuation of Green's earlier genre, mixing football and mystery. Character development and plot definition was very good. Perfect book for the Fall and Football season.

Once again, Tim Green uses his insight as a former NFL player to write a compelling novel! Just like his other 3 novels, Green uses his talent to write another edge of your seat thriller, I couldnt put it down!

Tim Green gives his readers a fascinating insight into the world of professional football. His style of writing is entertaining and easy to read. However it is a bit too easy to read. The characters and the plot are a bit underdeveloped. An example of this is the contrived and very predictable death of the character Julie Terracola. As a writer Tim Green has talent but it is a talent that is as raw and underdeveloped as parts of this story. I hope that he will not sit back on his laurels as a handsome ex-pro footbal player and be content to continue writing literary fluff such as The Red Zone. To do so would be unfair to his readers and to himself.

Having enjoyed other novels by Green, I found this one to be subpar. While Green shows his football background knowledge, its use merely distracts rather than enhances this story. Luther Zorn is not a sympathetic character, and Green should be ashamed of how his book concludes. While there is a satisfaction in how the killer gets his revenge, Green seems to forget all the innocent people murdered, and he lets the villain come across as some kind of avenging angel, thereby negating what has come before.
Not a bad novel, but nothing to rave about.