Rating: 
Summary: Hard to rate
Review: This book is hard to rate.
It has the "Richard Jewell, suspected Atlanta bomber"-type plot line, of a schoolteacher first hailed as a hero, and then dragged through the mud as a suspect in a bombing.
In one sense the book is "reported," but the author does a good job of portraying the main character's life frustrations as a single parent struggling to be a good father and good schoolteacher. The author also catches the bizarre aspect of life, where the teacher's innocuous actions of visiting the bathroom and not immediately telling the police about his bookbag, together with a few details of his prior life, are suddenly magnified into proof that he's the bomber.
On the other hand, there's the tiresome "Muslim bomber" stereotype, and the ending sequence which is both unbelievable and disappointing.
It's definitely readable but has significant flaws.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting study of society vs. media
Review: This book started off on a strange foot, but it eventually settled into a beautifully written essay on American consumption of gossip and our willingness to take the side of the majority. It angered me beyond words, much as Tom Wolfe did with some parts of "A Man in Full." A good little thriller, but it is more of a social study of media manipulation.
Rating: 
Summary: pLAUSIBLE, BUT POLITICALLY INCORRECT
Review: This book starts like a house afire, the situations are completely realistic and plausible, BUT, the whole Muslim thing is very ineptly handled, and the school shoot-out strikes too many discordant chords in this very delicate season.The ending leaves one so depressed, I wished I hadn't read the book, even though I loved "Slow Motion Riot" and "The Intruder". This work means well, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, for fear of alienation.
Rating:
Summary: I don't know why, but I liked this book
Review: This book was compelling from the first page. The relationship between the main character Fitgerald and his flawed wife showed that heroes in books don't always have perfect lives. The terrorists lives were interesting but, only because I wanted to find out what they would do at the end. There was nothing spectacular about this book, but for some reason I kept reading and reading. I think it is because anytime you see a tragedy happen on the news, you wonder how you would have reacted in that situation. You wonder if you could have been a hero. In this book, a boring average guy becomes a hero and has to deal with the resulting publicity. Then he becomes a suspect and has to overcome the adversity to get his life back. I think the plot is what kept me reading, and not the characters or the style of the author. I don't think I'll read any more books by Blauner unless they have a great sounding plot, because I don't think he can carry a story on his own.
Rating:
Summary: I don't know why, but I liked this book
Review: This book was compelling from the first page. The relationship between the main character Fitgerald and his flawed wife showed that heroes in books don't always have perfect lives. The terrorists lives were interesting but, only because I wanted to find out what they would do at the end. There was nothing spectacular about this book, but for some reason I kept reading and reading. I think it is because anytime you see a tragedy happen on the news, you wonder how you would have reacted in that situation. You wonder if you could have been a hero. In this book, a boring average guy becomes a hero and has to deal with the resulting publicity. Then he becomes a suspect and has to overcome the adversity to get his life back. I think the plot is what kept me reading, and not the characters or the style of the author. I don't think I'll read any more books by Blauner unless they have a great sounding plot, because I don't think he can carry a story on his own.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining Page Turner
Review: This is a book right out of today's headlines. Extremist Religious groups, Overzealous Media, Misguided youth, Violence, it's all in this book. Yet the plot brings this all together in one believable story. The author does a great job at showing each character and why they are performing such atrocities or why they have such courage to stand up for their believes. At some points you almost feel sorry for the bad guys because you know why they are in this predicament. This is a fast paced story with great characters and plot development, you will find yourself turning one page after another while you are engulfed in the story.
Rating: 
Summary: enjoyable thriller
Review: This is a thriller, of the terrorism subset, but not quite the standard story. The protagonist is an English teacher, and the book is one you wouldn't be ashamed to open in front of your own English students.
Rating:
Summary: GREAT THRILLER
Review: This is a very good thriller about a hard-working high school English teacher who is thrust into the media spotlight as the hero de jour when he saves a student from a school bus bombing. However, the media attention eventually fades and the teacher becomes the number one suspect in a federal investigation. Good plotting and character portrayals. My only criticism is that much of the high school student dialogue is unrealistic and the ending was a tad forced. Good examination of heroism.
Rating:
Summary: Intense, but a little too earnest?
Review: This story starts very well. Fire and mayhem. But doesn't develop all that well. I could forgive the slight lack of plot direction, if I believed more in the characters. But I find Blauner tries to hard to press all the right emotional buttons - and pushes them too hard. I find I can predict what agony he is going to pile on next. I'd believe in this writer more if here were only a little wit, lightness or humor just now and again. He's unrelentingly grim for most of the time.
Rating:
Summary: Blauner Keeps Getting Better And Better
Review: Two of Blauner's earlier works--Slow Motion Riot and The Intruder-- were excellent books. Both of which read like thrillers but are really great, adrenaline-pumping fiction. Consistent with these past successes, Blauner's latest, Man Of Honor, is another must-read and may be his best yet. If you like exciting well-written stories with well-developed and memorable characters--and who doesn't?-- rush out and buy Man Of Honor when it comes out in April. While you're at it, do yourself a favor and pick up copies of Slow Motion Riot and The Intruder as well
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