Derailed (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "I spend five days a week teaching English at East Bennington High and two nights a week teaching English at Attica State Prison..." (more)
Key Phrases: music house, Fairfax Hotel, New York, Anna's Fund (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

There's an extraordinary amount of hype attached to this thriller, from a rave letter in the galley by Warner head Laurence J. Kirshbaum to an announced ad/ promo campaign of $500,000 and enthusiastic blurbs from Christopher Reich and, notably, James Patterson. The buzz is warranted: this story of a middle-class professional whose life goes incredibly, criminally awry is one of the most exciting thrillers in years. And why is a blurb from James Patterson notable? Because Siegel (Epitaph) seems to have learned at his feet. Like Patterson, Siegel is an ad man (a creative director at BBDO; and he, like Patterson, has created TV spots for his book) who mixes first- and third-person narration and knows how to reduce a thriller to its essence. Protagonist Charles Schine is also a Manhattan ad man, married, with a diabetic teen daughter; troubles at home and at work lead him to fall in lust with a sexy younger woman he meets on his commuter train, and finally to a hotel assignation that goes terribly wrong when an armed man bursts in, beats Charles and rapes his date, then blackmails Charles for a staggering amount of money. Charles tries to fight the blackmail by hiring muscle, a disastrous move that gets him into potentially dire legal trouble, as does his agreeing to participate in a company scam in a desperate bid to make back some of the blackmail money-and all that just takes readers into the middle of this terrific yarn, which will blindside them again and again with shocking but plausible twists. With its clean prose, high-velocity plotting and just the right amount of emotional shading darkening its sharply drawn characters, this novel is the bomb.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Ad executive Charles Schine's descent into a nightmarish world of ex-cons, scam artists, and thugs couldn't have begun more idyllically. A brief encounter on a commuter train with a seductive woman named Lucinda Harris leads to an afternoon tryst in a shabby Manhattan hotel. But just as the two lovers are about to leave, a man named Vasquez bursts into the room, beats up Charles, repeatedly rapes Lucinda, and robs them both. Unable to go to the police, since both are married, they find themselves vulnerable to blackmail. Soon, Charles is forced to risk his job, his marriage, and the health of his diabetic daughter in a battle of wits with a man who seems always one step ahead of him. Written with psychological insight and exceptional skill by an author whose debut (Epitaph) was nominated for a Shamus Award for Best First Novel, this is a riveting story in which the prose glides as effortlessly as Charles's descent into hell. The immensely satisfying plot is marked by multidimensional characters, a highly original structure, an ever more gripping duel, and authentic details that range from prison life to a diabetic's struggle for survival. Expect demand, as the publisher has planned a half-million-dollar advertising campaign. Enthusiastically recommended for all public libraries.
--Ronnie H. Terpening, Univ. of Arizona, Tucson
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Warner Books (February 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446531588
• ISBN-13: 978-0446531580
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (175 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #836,103 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 5 stars for the all-night reading experience!, October 24, 2003

By	Jackie Tortorella - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

Phenomenal is the first word that comes to mind to describe this roller coaster. I once read that to write a great novel novel, you have to keep the protagonist in trouble, trouble, trouble! It couldn't have been done any more effectively. The beginning development was very believable, and a sympathetic character emerged. I liked the author's writing style immediately--he is FUNNY! Even as the book turned into a deadly serious game of suspense, I found myself laughing out loud at some of the clever turns of phrase. The plot itself has been detailed ad nauseum in these reviews, so I'll not repeat what you could read on the "book flap" but will say that it TRULY is impossible to put down. I read it in one sitting because I couldn't tear myself away. Now, if you're expecting a man's moral awakening as he learns his lesson...sorry, that is not the direction you're going in this book. And if you're expecting the totally plausible beginning to continue in the same way, forget about it, because this tale becomes so unbelievable you'll have to snicker at how ridiculous it is...but you'll keep reading. This is one to get under your belt for the sheer enjoyment of the ride. Derailed is great fun. Make a big pot of coffee before you begin, get comfortable, and start the book that will keep you wide-eyed all night! I only wish I still had it ahead of me to enjoy.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A real page-turner with lots of twists., March 4, 2003

By	Nick Gonnella - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Charles Schine lives a normal life; he gets up, gets dressed, eats breakfast, kisses his wife and daughter goodbye and then he catches the 8:40 train to his job at a New York advertising agency. One day his entire life will be torn apart when he misses his train and catches the 9:00.

On the 9:00 train Charles meets Lucinda. Lucinda is mysterious and beautiful, sexy and smart, but she too is also married so Charles doesn't see anything wrong with a little harmless flirting...

Charles begins taking the 9:00 train, and each day he and Lucinda get closer and closer, until meeting on the train turns to lunch, and then dinner, and eventually a romantic encounter at a hotel, but in the blink of an eye the romantic encounter turns into a nightmare as the two suffer a sudden act of brutal violence.

Lucinda refuses to go to the police in fear of their affair being discovered, but within a short period of time their lives will dramatically changed. (...)

`Derailed' is a STUNNER! This is a well written, intense novel that will grab you and not let go. The gripping plot is packed with twists and turns galore, and that ending??? What an ending, you will be surprised. `Derailed' has it all ; complex plot, well-drawn characters, relentless suspense and a shocking climax. This is a thriller of the highest order.

James Siegel has written an amazing thriller, one that will rocket up the best-seller lists and place him alongside other heavy hitting authors in the thriller genre.

Do yourself a favor and read this novel!

Nick Gonnella

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Didn't like it for a different reason, February 8, 2004

By	J. C Clark "eanna" (Overland Park, KS United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Advertising attempts to create a phony moment and make it appear real. But it is only a moment: a print ad, a billboard, a thirty or sixty second slice of a life we are supposed to wish we had. They do not attempt to sustain the illusion. This book, written by an advertising executive, starts out with a intriguing, if not particularly well-written, bang. But it promptly spirals deliriously out of illusion into plain old stupidity.

I never felt anything other than grotesquely manipulated while reading this. Then, when the saving plot twist comes (no spoiler here, as the book is written in the first person, so I knew he wasn't going to die) I thought of the old National Lampoon response to writing yourself into a corner "Suddenly, everyone was run over by a truck." That's what happened here, as the prestidigitator tried to pull a hippo out of his hat and flopped. "Oh, come on....." was my response, and I don't think you're supposed to feel that when reading a suspense novel.

Numerous technical problems, such as how do two authors writing separate versions of the same tale have such a uniform style, as well as cliches, stereotypes and cardboard characters all combine to leave one not just unfulfilled, but irritated. Less than nothing here, as the illusionist could not maintain his promising deception.