Rating:  Summary: One Hot Property Review: Pressure Points by Larry Brooks is hot enough to burn your fingers. This is one of those books that you can't put down. After I allowed myself to take a break and go to work, I spent the next ten hours looking at the clock-just waiting for the work day to end so that I could go home and finish reading one of the most thrilling novels that I have read in the last five years. There is no surcease of action here. Each new wrinkle tempts you into believing that you may have figured out what is going on; but nothing is really as it appears. Reading this novel reminds me of how much I enjoyed being terrified watching scary movies when I was a youngster. I actually enjoyed the mind games the author put me through. Larry Brooks knows how to weave a tale of intrigue and deception. As in Brooks first novel, Darkness Bound, this work is well researched and the character development is superb. I particularly like the author's development of his female characters: they are certainly the equal or superior to his male characters. Buy this book. You will not be disappointed-especially if you are an action junky.
Rating:  Summary: WOW! This is one the best thrillers I've read in years! Review: PRESSURE POINTS is not a paperback I would normally purchase. I was not familiar with the author and there are no reviewers' blurbs for it on the front/back covers (inside or out), which is often a harbinger of bad writing to come. Although I took a flyer when I decided to give this book a try, I was far, far from disappointed. PRESSURE POINTS is engrossing from start to finish. It begins with a bang and never lets up. The plot is labyrinthine, with hairpin twists and turns coming one after another. The dialogue is snappy and hip, peppered with Brooks'waggish takes on the self-help movement, the field of advertising, the infotech industry, and even pyramid schemes. The novel's protagonists are sympathetic and its antagonists truly scary (although you won't know which are which until you're almost done with the book!) I read this book in one sitting--I truthfully could not put it down! Either Brooks' background as a copywriter has served him well or he has one heck of an editor, because his writing is flawless. This man knows how to build a sentence as well as he knows how to build a plot. And here's a real plus: I counted fewer than five grammatical/spelling errors in the entire book, and those I did find were quibbling. The type of care Brooks takes with the English language is so rare in this day and age as to be nearly non-existent. Thank you, Mr. Brooks--I can't wait to read your next novel!
Rating:  Summary: Pressure Points Delivers Review: Pressure Points takes the reader on an intense psychological journey via would-be CEO Brad Teeter's required attendance at a mind-blowing seminar. You're forced to question your own response to each and every excercise Brad endures. It's hip, fast, scary, riveting, thought-provoking and full of surprises. I finished this book in two days as I had to know who was behind the diabolical scheming. Larry Brooks latest novel is a book to be talked about. Trust me, buy this book.
Rating:  Summary: A seminar to die for... Review: Start the coffeemaker; you'll be up all night reading this page-turner. From the first paragraph to the last sentence, Brooks keeps the reader wondering which characters -- if any -- will ultimately survive "The Seminar," a secretive retreat aimed at executives needing a shot of self-awareness. A trio of ad agency managers are coerced into attending "The Seminar" by a boss with an unusual motive. The threesome have their own reasons for attending the retreat, but they quickly realize soul-searching can mean deadly discoveries. Brad, Mark and Pamela -- the characters who launch this roller coaster plot -- are not typical mystery/thriller stereotypes. They're frightening real people. You'll find yourself wondering who can be trusted, and who would kill to cover up a trail of lies. Don't cheat and read the last page. The twists and turns that drive this book will throw you a curve long after you ponder the last sentence. If psychological thrillers without cliches are your cup of tea, then hustle out and grab this one. It's a fast-paced and satisfying read.
Rating:  Summary: Super-Exciting Office Thriller Review: Super-exciting office thriller about three partners, at odds, who are forced to go on a week-long seminar retreat together in a remote Oregon location. The characters are partners in an advertising agency. Brooks is uniquely qualified to write this book, having spent twenty-one years in advertising before becoming a writer. I read the entire book in one day, finishing after midnight, just because I couldn't put the book down. The twist at the end was unexpected, and caught me completely by surprise. I plan to read more of Larry Brooks.
Rating:  Summary: Super-Exciting Office Thriller Review: Super-exciting office thriller about three partners, at odds, who are forced to go on a week-long seminar retreat together in a remote Oregon location. The characters are partners in an advertising agency. Brooks is uniquely qualified to write this book, having spent twenty-one years in advertising before becoming a writer. I read the entire book in one day, finishing after midnight, just because I couldn't put the book down. The twist at the end was unexpected, and caught me completely by surprise. I plan to read more of Larry Brooks.
Rating:  Summary: Fresh, intense, fascinating, even life-changing Review: Talk about new and different. This novel will mesmerize you with its characters, its concept and its heart and soul. You are THERE, and being there is an intense, terrifying ride that will leave you wondering about everything from what just happened to what you believe. This is a mystery but there are no detectives, this is a thriller but there are no burning buildings, this is a lesson in life but there is no preaching. The style reminds me of Lahane or DeMille, goes down smooth yet eloquent and full of barbs and insight. Mr. Brooks picks up where he left off with his earlier book, Darkness Bound, on his journey to the bestseller lists. If you want a book that you can't put down (a cliche, granted) and you can't forget (a rarity), then Pressure Points is your book. Messed me up for days -- I'm still thinking about it.
Rating:  Summary: BETTER THAN "DARKNESS BOUND" WHICH I LOVED! Review: THE BOOK HELD MY ATTENTION THROUGHOUT...MANY TWISTS AND TURNS. JUST WHEN I THOUGHT I HAD FIGURED OUT THE PLOT, IT TOOK ANOTHER TURN WHICH I HAD NOT ANTICIPATED. THIS BOOK WOULD MAKE A GREAT MOVIE..HOPE THE SCREENPLAY IS PICKED UP BY A MAJOR STUDIO! CAN'T WAIT FOR BROOKS' NEXT NOVEL!!
Rating:  Summary: Fun, thrilling, and unexpected Review: This book is a fun read. The plot has many unexpected twists. Just about the time you think you know what is really happening, another kink is thrown in leaving you wondering again. The ending was fantastic. I would highly recommend this book to someone who wants a fun, fast, and unpredictible read.
Rating:  Summary: Worth reading Review: This book is well worth your time. My favorite aspect of the book is that the characters have mixed motivations: the good guys have a bad side, and the bad guys have a good side. The book is a page-turner, well-written, and has its fair share of plot twists. The only quibbles I have are that, in the denouement, the guilty party seems a bit too omnipotent and omnipresent, and that the end drama was inserted into the Prologue, and trumpeted on the front art and back cover. I'd rather read the book wondering what problems are going to happen at the seminar, instead of feeling like I had read the end of the book before going to Chapter 1.
I also wish those who write reviews would read the reviewed book first. In this instance, the "#1 reviewer" comments that agency owner Wong "has not even shown up at the office in months. Unless he sells [three key employees] the company, they will quit and start a new company. At least half the present clients of Wright and Wong would come with them. Wong agrees with the stipulation that the threesome come with him on a retreat first." In fact, according to the book, Wong had been gone two weeks at most -- from "the annual holiday bash" to late December. Wong took 18 weeks a year vacation, not 18 weeks in a row. The workers calculated that _all_ the company's clients would come with them. And Wong's stipulation was that the three go on a retreat _without_ Wong, not with him. Maybe Ms. Klausner, who managed to post _85_ reviews in November 2001, should cut back on her production in favor of accuracy.
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