Rating: 
Summary: talented writer, poorly drawn characters
Review: "To win your heart's desire, you must face your greatest fear."The catchy slogan of the latest show in reality television with death being the ultimate outcome in this terrible debut novel from news anchor, Jim Brown. Vassa Island is the stage for twelve contestants bidding for two million dollars and their heart's desire. With 638 cameras arranged around the island and twelve contestants, the race is on to be the final contestant. Dana Kristen is the last contestant added and if she wins, she just might save her own child's life and get her into a medical study in Switzerland. Her daughter, Jenna, is slowly dying from a form of Muscular Dystrophy and a new possible drug is being studied in Switzerland. More than the money, Dana desperately wants to get her into that study. She soon regrets fighting so hard to be one of the twelve when just minutes into their live world wide broadcast, the host and entire broadcast team collapse and die horrible screaming deaths in front of them. They are informed by an electronic voice that he is now in control and that each day the world will vote for one of them to die. The others will live on, after receiving an injection to control a designer Ebola virus circulating in their bloodstreams for another twenty-four hours. The game will continue as before but now instead of just losing, they face the prospect of losing their life. And whoever is in charge now has managed to make the viewing public accomplices to murder. What does it say about a society that will judge twelve contestants and knowingly vote to execute them one by one? Unfortunately that question and others that this novel raise are never addressed in any way, shape or form. While full of action that really moves the story along, there is little substance behind this novel. The characters are stereotypical, the writing is average at best and the sequence of events is predictable. The "twists" that fill the last fifty pages are of the kind one finds in a really bad movie of the week. Instead of condemning the reality television concept, Jim Brown seems to raise various societal questions and then swat them away as he profits off the concept. As such, he becomes part of the problem he seems to condemn. All he needs is some catchy theme music that would play as the novel was opened and he would have a sure winner on his hands. No doubt the action filled computer game and new series can't be far behind.
Rating: 
Summary: A chilling thriller
Review: 24/7 is America's latest reality television show where twelve contestants are flown to the deserted island of Vassa in the Caribbean. Challenges confront each participant and every three days the audience votes on which person is eliminated. The final survivor wins two million dollars and his or her heart's desire. Dana Kirsten, a last minute substitute, wants to win because she has a ten-year-old daughter living on borrowed time with a doomsday clock ticking away if she fails to obtain experimental treatment in Switzerland.
On the first day of the stay at Vassa, the TV people are all killed by a mysterious ailment. A voice calling itself Control informs the contestants that an Ebola-like virus infects them all. On the day that a contestant is scheduled to be eliminated, a temporary antidote will be administered to the survivors. The winner will gain the ultimate prize, his or her life.
This mind-boggling thriller is a technologically aged version of Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None". Jim Brown has written a complex fast-paced story line populated by three-dimensional characters. The audience will root for some of the cast members to escape death and will feel sad when many do not. This novel contains more twists and turns than a meandering river or a mountain road. Harriet Klausner
Rating: 
Summary: Well
Review: Action, suspense, drama, this book has it all. I was immediately drawn to the lead female, Dana a strong, independent working class mom who goes toe to toe with the men and proves a female characters can be sexy and smart without being a lawyer or FBI agent or the like.
The surprises and twist are not stop right up until the end.
Rating:
Summary: talented writer, poorly drawn characters
Review: I thought the book was fast moving and interesting. But my complaint is not one of the characters moved me. There were too many and by necessity....each was given a stereotypical generic backstory with as much psychological complexity as befits a third grade mentality. Dana, the generic single mother, put me to sleep. And her love interest, too. Boring, boring, boring..... They were meant for each other...two generic fictional non-entities.. Of course, you knew from the beginning they'd end up in good shape and with each other..but I never really cared....which is a death knell for a novel...Even complex dark evil characters....I can be drawn to...and grow to find fascinating.....if they're complex and delineated enough and come to life......Mr. Brown's characters were cookie-cutter...Which is why the plot was so busy and filled with piled over-the-top incidents...
When I finished it...my conclusion was how busy and intricate the plot was...the ending was ridiculously stagey and unbelievable.....and I thought how shadowy and undeveloped the characters..And in a week's time, I forget all about it, because the characters aren't "alive" for me...Sort of like junk food, when I crave gourmet...something that lingers...
Rating: 
Summary: Guilty Pleasure!
Review: I've never been a fan of reality TV. As an avid reader, though, Jim Brown's premise appealed to me. Perhaps Brown, a former TV anchorman, could give this overworked idea a good kick in the pants. Brown comes through with flying colors. The premise: Twelve contestants, on an island, are involved in a "Survivor"-like TV series that turns ugly when an unknown entity informs them they have all been infected with a deadly designer virus. Based on the TV audience's votes, one contestant will be refused the daily antidote and will die a horrible death. It's a modern and macabre twist on the old lifeboat analogy. Okay, so as a reader I found myself appalled and entranced by the horrors of Brown's tale. He quickly thrust me into the action and the next thing you know...I was hooked. I primarily read during my lunch-breaks in our employee cafeteria. With fork in hand, shovelling food into my mouth (successfully, in most cases), I raced through the pages to discover the story's ending. 24/7 jumps all over the place and follows a parade of characters, yet maintains an amazing congruity. Brown juggles a dozen subplots without dropping a single one. By the end, I was exhausted by the energy and intricate structure that brought the story to its conclusion. Despite these plaudits, I must say that the story stretches credibility on more than one occasion. As with reality TV, I got the feeling more than once that this whole thing was rigged, that it wasn't as believable as it wanted me to think it was. The characters are brief, but memorable sketches, and the plot threads tie off nicely, if not too conveniently. Overall, 24/7 became a guilty pleasure. I couldn't put it down, though it seemed so shallow at its core. Or maybe that was the very point. The irony of it all. By ensnaring me in his thriller's web, Jim Brown showed me that I, like so many, am willing to "tune in" to see what'll happen, even if it means sacrificing my time, ethics, and integrity. Like his fictional TV audience, I was mentally voting death for the characters I disliked...and in so doing, I underlined the story's basic moral: In a society fueled by entertainment and false reality, we quickly sink to our lowest common denominator. Brown uses the very methods that'll attract his targets to slap them in the face with this harsh truth. Okay, Jim, I learned my lesson...Are you ready to teach me another?
Rating: 
Summary: It's time to leave, the tribe has spoken......
Review: If I could give this book 0 Stars, I would. I'm a HUGE fan of the show Survivor. When I heard about this book, I went to many book stores and libraries to find it. I finally did and was very excited to read it. I was very disappointed in t his books. This is nothing like Survivor or "reality shows". It alomst seems like the "reality" aspect was just an afterthought. What this is really about bioterrorism. The characters are so weak, and flat, its' not funny. They act in away that makes the characters unreal. The dialouge is flat people just dont' talk that way. I suggest that if you like shows like Survivor then stay away from this 24/7. *hold paper with 24/7 on it. It's time to leave, the tribe has spoken.
Rating:
Summary: Loved it!
Review: If you find it hard to flip the channel when a reality show is on, you will find it just as hard to put this book down. Sure, the premise is "out there", but that is what makes the book fun.
Definitely a page turner.
Rating:
Summary: WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD
Review: Jim Brown's 24/7 was predestined; in the wake of those horrendously unreal series like "Survivor" "Paradise Hotel" "Big Brother" and such, it would take a former newscaster to bring us back into the real world.
The plot has been discussed in both the synopsis and by other reviewers, but what really makes this book so believable is Brown's epilogue in which he reminds how "real" reality tv can be. And where its limits will extend.
Already we see people sleeping together, tricking and deceiving each other; and in one case, a contestant on "Big Brother 2" pulled a knife on one of his housemates. And the most terrifying aspect of this well-written, fast-paced shocker, is that we the audience are what makes the shows successful. And in this one, the audience tunes in and votes--not merely to exile the person from the island---but to decide who should DIE. (Death comes from a designer virus that kills in a horribly ebola-like fashion). There a lot of subplots, but some really interesting characters including the seemingly unheroic Tyler Thorn. His newsphotographer/reporter role feeds the reader with the solution to many of the puzzles. The islanders themselves are stereotypical, balancing between the likeable (Dana, Justin and Nerine) and the despicable (Foster, Brandon, Renee). It's a tense read and fun, but ultimately sad because we become the real murderers.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Rating:
Summary: WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD
Review: Jim Brown's 24/7 was predestined; in the wake of those horrendously unreal series like "Survivor" "Paradise Hotel" "Big Brother" and such, it would take a former newscaster to bring us back into the real world.
The plot has been discussed in both the synopsis and by other reviewers, but what really makes this book so believable is Brown's epilogue in which he reminds how "real" reality tv can be. And where its limits will extend.
Already we see people sleeping together, tricking and deceiving each other; and in one case, a contestant on "Big Brother 2" pulled a knife on one of his housemates. And the most terrifying aspect of this well-written, fast-paced shocker, is that we the audience are what makes the shows successful. And in this one, the audience tunes in and votes--not merely to exile the person from the island---but to decide who should DIE. (Death comes from a designer virus that kills in a horribly ebola-like fashion). There a lot of subplots, but some really interesting characters including the seemingly unheroic Tyler Thorn. His newsphotographer/reporter role feeds the reader with the solution to many of the puzzles. The islanders themselves are stereotypical, balancing between the likeable (Dana, Justin and Nerine) and the despicable (Foster, Brandon, Renee). It's a tense read and fun, but ultimately sad because we become the real murderers.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Rating:
Summary: Terror in the Tropics
Review: Man what a book! Stayed up all night trying to finish it. Didn't, so I stayed home from work to finish this book. What a wild ride. Will this happen some time soon? Maybe. Would you watch it? Yes. But would you Vote? Kind of makes you think about yourself. Have you ever watched a reality show and realy dislike someone on it? Jerrie comes to mind but could you realy vote to kill her? The commintary in the back was a real eye opener. I didn't know that happened on Big Brother 2. So this was what it was like in Rome 1800 years ago. Thumbs up or Thumps down. Read this book then take a long look at yourself.
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