Customer Reviews

The Siege (Alan Gregory Series)

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

On a fine Saturday morning in April, the Yale campus is suddenly jolted by terror. More than two dozen students have gone missing in the past thirty-six hours, many of them the children of parents prominent in industry and government, and most of them recently "tapped" for one of Yale's secret societies. Some of these societies own elaborate Greek edifices on campus, the most prominent architectural feature of which is the complete lack of windows. Inside these "tombs," the societies' secrets remain absolute. All the attention this morning is on the tomb of Book and Snake, where, it appears, the missing students are being held hostage.

When Jonathan Simmons emerges from inside the tomb to face the assembled police, he yells, "I'm a bomb. I...am...a bomb. Stay where you are." Like an automaton, he answers no questions, and ticks off the minutes until his own expected death, as a New Haven Police hostage negotiator tries to gain time by engaging him in conversation. While this is happening in New Haven, suspended Boulder, Colorado, police detective Sam Purdy is meeting Ann Summers Calderon at her son's engagement party in Florida. At one point, Ann tentatively suggests a private meeting with Purdy and swears him to secrecy. She has received a bizarre note--from someone unknown, who demands nothing, but threatens her with unspecified consequences if she tells anyone she has received this message. Within twenty-four hours, she learns that her daughter, a junior at Yale, is one of the missing.

In a third plot line, Deirdre, a CIA agent at a Washington area conference, meets with FBI agent Christopher Poe, someone with whom she has been close since 1995. Poe works as a one-man department for the FBI, investigating low-probability, high-risk terror scenarios brought to the FBI's attention by (usually wacko) private citizens, and he has developed a "feel" for how these odd details sometimes contribute to bizarre, but plausible terror plots.

With this as background, author Stephen White uses his formidable background as a clinical psychologist to create one of the most nail-biting thrillers I have ever read. He has structured the novel so that the action rotates among the three subplots but is never resolved at the end of each scene, leaving something important up in the air, some question unanswered, an unexpected new drama unfolding. His psychologically vulnerable characters behave in plausible fashion, often sharing their emotional wounds with the reader and inspiring great empathy. The level of tension never wanes. White is a master craftsman creating a unique story with innumerable clever and unusual twists--and constant surprises. There is nothing formulaic about this book, and the resolution is a real tour de force, one that I never expected. Most importantly, it is this conclusion which moves the novel beyond the immediate and local, and elevates it into a grander commentary on our foreign policy and international reputation. A terrific thriller! n Mary Whipple

Stephen White is an excellent writer. (For what it's worth, I say this as a professor of English.) He never writes "a person . . . they" and always uses the subjunctive correctly. His descriptions are vivid, sometimes lyrical, but never over-wrought.

But White's a genius at character. In less than a half-page, we get a sense of Ann Summers Calderón that carries us through the entirety of the novel. We get the history, the aesthetics, and the dietary quirks of the hostage negotiator, even though she turns out to be a minor player. White switches his reader among three separate set of protagonists, but there's no confusion, no impulse to flip back to identify. Once he gives us a character, the person is real.

This isn't an Alan Gregory novel, but Sam Purdy steps onto center court with the aplomb of a Wimbledon champ. Sam could carry a series in his own right.

The sliding chronology is a little irritating and really unnecessary, but it untangles about halfway through. The primary tension derives from what's not there: any info about the bad guys. We are as in the dark as all of the law enforcement players and this works wonderfully well. We get enough background about Yale to make the place come to life, but White spares us the massive down-loads of data that some writers substitute for plot and character development.

The book comes as a surprise to long-time White fans, but it's a great surprise.

This is Sam Purdy's book and it's a good one. Sam is now engaged to the mother to be of his baby, Carmon Reynosa and she is on bed rest in California. Carmon's daughter, Dulce is engaged to Andrew Calderon and the engagement party is being held in Miami Florida. Carmon sends Sam in her place, since at the moment he is on suspension from the Bolder Police Department and free to travel. Sam thinks he is just going to do a little getting to know you and shake hands, show support for Dulce and then go home. Boy is he wrong. Ann Summers Claderon, Geophysicist and mother of the groom asks for Sam's help. He must keep quiet and not tell anyone not even Ronaldo Angel Calderon the father of the groom what is going on. It seems Jane Claderon was "Tapped" for a secret society at Yale and then kidnapped along with several others that were also "Tapped". They are all high profile kids, with parents that range from Sectary of Army, Supreme Court Judge to a woman that is a manager of a coffee shop. If they breath a word to the police, one of the hostages will die. In the note he has sent the parents of these young people he tells them if they see Blue he is content if they see Orange he is disappointed and bad things will happen. For the first time the terrorists are smarter than or at least as smart as the people trying to stop them. They have covered all bases, they have chosen victims that will cause the most publicity and they aren't asking for any thing. This is the worst case scenario that FBI Agent Christopher Poe and CIA analyst Deirdre Drake have feared and now it is coming true. This is a book rich in back story and rich in plot. It will keep the reader guessing and it will send chills up your spine when you think about the "What Ifs" that are presented in this book. Stephen White has out done himself with this one and if you have never read a Stephen White book then this is the one that will make you a fan.

I've read all of Stephen White's books and really enjoy most of them. I usually find them to be page turners with great characters. And though I like Sam Purdy this book bored me to tears. It was a real struggle to even finish it.

Loved the story line ... couldn't put it down. With a decent ending it could be 5-stars. But it feels like the author got sick of the story ... and wrapped everything up in a big hurry (although there were a lot of words). I was disappointed ... because 85 to 90% of it was terrific!!!

If you have children this novel will chill you to the bone. Dr. Alan Gregory is MIA from this tale but Sam Purdy comes to the forefront ably in his place. Since his significant other, Carmen, is on bed rest in the final weeks of her pregnancy Sam is deputized to take her place at the engagement party for Carmen's daughter Dulce. She is marrying into the wealthy Calderon family from Miami, Florida. Sam is feeling like a fish in unfamiliar waters and looking for any excuse to miss a scheduled golf game since the only kind of golf he plays is the miniature version. Unfortunately when Ann Calderon, mother of the groom, gives him that excuse the golf game starts looking much better.

Ann has received a cryptic letter from an unknown source that makes her uneasy. Worse, her daughter Jane hasn't called home with her usual frequency. Jane is a student at Yale and the last time Ann heard from her she was excited about being "tapped" for a secret society called Book & Snake. She should have been on a plane for home and not only has she failed to call her mother, she has also missed her flight. Ann feels something is very wrong and begs Sam to fly to New Haven to check things out. You already know our Sam is not going to refuse to help anyone in distress, much less a soon to be member of his family.

Once he arrives in New Haven things go south quickly. A death on campus, a sniper shooting at students from a tower is just the beginning of a weekend from hell. The Book & Snake "tomb," meeting place for the secret society of that name is the impregnable fortress that will be the setting for a hostage scenario that will give parents nightmares. What would you give up to assure that your child is not murdered on national television? The parents of these children are in charge of resources that could put the entire country at risk. The unknown subject creating this crisis is so clever that law enforcement has their hands tied. They are forced to watch one child after another die on the steps of their prison. Joining Sam is two new characters, Christopher Poe from the FBI and Diedre Drake from the CIA. Both characters are so lovingly drawn by White that you'll find yourself hoping to see them again in future novels. THE SIEGE is a thrill ride you won't want to put down once you start reading. And if you were disappointed that Alan is not the central character as usual you forget all about that as this tale draws you in and holds YOU hostage right up to the terrifying climax and satisfying end of this offering from talented writer, Stephen White.

At Yale University, a group serendipitously assaults a building housing a secret society. The assault team easily takes over the edifice holding a number of students who include some offspring of VIPs as prisoners. The invaders turn the complex into an impregnable stronghold.

Slowly Yale officials realize something has happened on the campus. They call in law enforcement who tries to make contact with the hostage holders. However, those in charge inside make no demands what so ever and ignore efforts to negotiate with them. They randomly murder some of the victims and release others for no apparent reason. Suspended Boulder, Colorado police officer Sam Purdy, FBI agent Christopher Poe and CIA terror expert Deirdre Drake unite trying to break the enigmatic code of the terrorists.

This is a brilliant super hostage thriller that makes the case that terrorists learn lessons from each assault making the next one more efficient and perhaps effective; unless the countering law enforcement also learns by extrapolating from the current attack to prevent the next. Fans will be hooked from the moment the assault team takes over the building and wonder what they want and how they choose who dies. THE SIEGE is a terrific timely thriller that reminds the audience diligence is everyone's job whether it is knowing a lone wolf is going to mete justice to an abortion doctor or a group burning down a religious facility as everyone is under siege when we remain silent until after the incident and claim non mea culpa

Harriet Klausner

The Siege grabs you from the beginning, with a non-lineal narrative style and very good character development. This is not a typical thriller, much less so the hostage crisis that unfolds through the book. It is extremely creative and totally unpredictable.
It almost seems as though the author wrote himself into a pretty big corner here, as - in my opinion - the ending completely blew the whole story. I won't get into why in order to let everyone else come up with their own opinion about it, but this reader wishes the author had managed less of an anticlimactic conclusion.

I've long been a fan of White's, enjoying his books as better-than-average diversions...not my #1 favorite author, but at least one whose books generally keep me entertained from start to finish. 'The Siege', however... Wow. He must have been taking mega-doses of creativity supplements, because this book is magnitudes better than anything he's ever done before, in my humble opinion. The suspense starts immediately and doesn't let up. The premise of the book is absolutely unique, unexpected and intelligently addressed. The characters ring true in both words and actions; dynamic personal sub-plots abound but don't confuse the primary plot...and they're crafted without a lot of the boring old "can't work because we're just too sexually attracted to each other" syndrome that gets used when a mediocre author can't think of anything else to write. Good, albeit just a tiny bit anticlimactic, ending as well. This could be adapted to a GREAT summer action movie! Well worth reading as one of the summer's best, if not "the" best. Kudos, White. Extremely well done.

As a fan of the thriller, I was really excited going into this book as I thought it had a really compelling premise. I really enjoyed the first part (roughly first half) of the book. However, the further i got into the book, the more it descended into an overly convoluted mess. With any thriller, you generally have to suspend a little disbelief, but this took that to a point beyond what it should have gotten to. And, the ending was very unsatisfying in my opinion. It actually kind of ends with a thud. This was my first time reading anything by Mr. White, so I may give something else by him a try down the road to see if this was an anomaly...but probably not anytime soon.