Rating: 
Summary: On the Second Try, Success!
Review: I first picked up this book back in January at a bookstore. After reading the first few pages, I thought, well, it's well-written, but not my cup of tea. Then I saw a few outstanding reviews and decided to give it a second chance. I'm glad I did. Man oh man, other people have written this before, but the ending knocked me for a loop. Beautiful writing, brilliantly imagined characters, and a vivid evocation of NYC that left me longing for a city I've never been too!!! A nearly perfect short novel-- I'd give it six stars if I could.
Rating: 
Summary: A failed character study
Review: I know this book has gotten good reviews, but I just do not know why. This book is not a crime novel; it is not even a novel. It is a failed character study of three friends, who are trying to come to grips with one of them reporting to prison for an inevitable 7 year sentence.Had Benioff delved deeper into each of the three friends, and explored and explained their actions in more detail, I believe the book would have been much more satisfying. As it is, I was left feeling cheated.
Rating:
Summary: Not Just a "crime" novel
Review: The better novels are driven by character, not plot, and the best novels have an underlying theme. The 25th Hour is a winner. The characterizations are distinct, the protagonist is complex and likeable. The riff on New York is perfection, and the ending had my crying in the subway -- something I HATE doing. If this is how Benioff writes when he's in his 20s, we're in for decades of pleasure. Bravo.
Rating: 
Summary: THE 25th HOUR - Countdown to a date with prison
Review: Convicted drug peddler Monty Brogan has twenty-four hours left of freedom before he has to report to a federal prison and begin serving a seven-year sentence for his transgressions. Being twenty something and handsome, he is not likely to survive prison very well. He spends his remaining hours of freedom partying with his friends into the night of New York City, and thinking about his future and his options, which are few. Brogan is all ego and no remorse. He is not concerned with crime and punishment, only about his own survival. Brogan's self-absorbed, no-conscience, easy-money lifestyle is contrasted against his friends who have bought into the system: Frank Slattery, a young self-destructive high-roller bond trader, and Jakob Elinsky, a neurotic English school teacher who has enough guilt to cover his convicted friend's lack of any. Three young men, three chosen paths. None are particularly cheery or appealing. Is there another path with a better view? First-time author David Benioff does not build allot of sympathy for Monty Brogan's life and his pending destiny with prison time. In fact, Benioff sometimes argues that it may take a prison cell for a guy like Monty to straighten out. After all, that's the way its suppose to work in a compassionate society of rules and wardens. THE 25th HOUR is a dark but lively countdown with friends and family who are about to loose someone near and dear to incarceration. At the same time, the novel takes an insightful and existential look at the notion of crime; the prerequisite of punishment; and the outcome of redemption and change. Although sometimes sidetracked, THE 25th HOUR is an exceptional work for this first-time author.
Rating:
Summary: Best Book of the Year
Review: I don't usually read crime novels, so when a friend recommended this book, I passed. Then a second friend recommended it, an English professor, and I thought if an English professor likes it, it can't be the standard issue murder/thriller tripe. Now I'm sorry I waited so long. This book is magnificent. I know we've all heard the "I couldn't put it down" stuff a million times, but that's literally true with "The 25th Hour." My only advice is this: skip the jacket copy text; it gives too much away. Just start with the first sentence, a real beauty. My favorite book of the last twelve months.
Rating:
Summary: Highly Recommended
Review: A book about being young, growing up, living and dying in New York City at the turn of the millenium. Expertly crafted, closely-observed, tense, atmospheric prose written by a young writer clearly steeped in the rhythms and moods of classic noir. I look forward to anything Benioff writes in the future.
Rating:
Summary: I Couldn't Put It Down!
Review: I am the kind of book fan who loves to read but sometimes it takes me forever to begin a book and really get into it. Sometimes I can begin a book but I cannot finish it because it does not completely engage me. I encountered neither of these situations when I began David Benioff's The 25th Hour. It is a book that will completely engross you with its colorful characters, authentic depictions of the New York underworld and the city that never sleeps. Benioff's roguish characters will give readers a refreshing perspective on human imperfection and frailty as well as the meaning of unwavering loyalty to friends, family and honor. The 25th Hour is a superb illustration of the notion that even sinners have soul, too. Give yourself a treat and read this book!
Rating:
Summary: life isn't fair
Review: this book is so sad because the hero is so sympathetically written and yet was a midlevel drug dealer in n.y.c.the book is about loyalty to friendships, kindness to animals,even to a pit bull and the lives of people living out their mid to late twenties in manhattan. this book begs to be read in one night as i did exactly that.
Rating:
Summary: Short but Sweet
Review: Although just under 200 pages, David Benioff's masterful first novel draws you into a world that you never want to end. Ostensibly a "mystery" (where else are they gonna shelve it?), "The 25th Hour" is a book unlike any you have ever read, yet is so familiar and has characters so recognizable that it's like curling up late at night with a warm gun. A voracious reader, I can't stand tin-ear dialogue, and it's that more than anything else that will have me tossing some half-read "thriller" across the room in frustration. Not one word of Mr. Benioff's novel rings false. I'd rather invest 4 hours in words as beautifully gritty as these than slog my way through the latest 700-page Clancy. Benioff's masterstroke is that, even though you know his "protaganist" is guilty in all senses of the word, the classic anti-hero, you root for him the entire way. Oh, yeah, the last 20 pages are the best you'll ever read.
Rating:
Summary: Raw, Rough and Heartbreaking
Review: Montgomery Brogan has the looks of a movie star, the money of a rich man and the RAP sheet of a convicted felon. Tonight, he's a free man in New York. Tomorrow, he's heading to the state pen for seven years. The 25th Hour follows Monty through his last 24 hours on the outside. He regrets his poor choices in life, questions his relationship with his girlfriend and watches his life-long obsession of being a fireman die. Dwelling isn't Monty's strong suit, though. Pretty soon he's off for a night on the town with his friends. They all meet up to party now and remember the reason for the big blowout later. Two of those party-goers are Monty's best friends. Frank Slattery is a bond trader. He considers the effects of suicide just minutes before he scores a two-million-dollar profit. Jakob Elinsky is Monty's other best friend. He's an English teacher who finds himself fantasizing about one of his teenaged students. One more night of partying. One more night with his best friends. One more night of freedom. But before he boards a bus to Otisville, Monty has one final plan to execute. A plan that will shock everyone. The 25th Hour is a very raw look at Monty's last taste of freedom and New York's "other" life - the life not advertised in tourist brochures. Benioff allows us to really get deep into Monty's soul. There's a substance to Monty Brogan that makes you feel sorry for him. Yes, he was dealing drugs. But he recognizes the severity of his mistake and the great life he could have had if he hadn't taken the easy way out. Be sure to turn off your sensitivity meter if you want to enjoy this book. The foul language and sexual content scratch this book from your kiddie's bedtime story list. Get past all that and the last chapter of The 25th Hour will leave you hanging on for a sequel.
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