By: Stefanie Pintoff
ISBN: 9780345531407
Publisher: Random House
Publication Date: 8/18/2015
Format: Hardcover
My Rating: 4 Stars
From Edgar Award winner Stefanie Pintoff comes the start of an electrifying new thriller series featuring Eve Rossi, head of a secret division of the FBI—one made up of ex-convicts with extraordinary talents, oversized egos, and contempt for the rules. Perfect for readers of Iris Johansen and Catherine Coulter.TERROR STRIKES AN ICONIC CHURCH—AND BRINGS A CITY TO ITS KNEES.
In the hushed quiet of early morning Manhattan, in front of the towering brass doors of Saint Patrick's Cathedral, a young woman holds a sign that reads: HELP ME. For one FBI agent, a madman's terrified hostages, and an entire city, a long and harrowing day is about to unfold.The hostage taker's identity is unknown. But he knows who FBI agent Eve Rossi is—and everything about her past. Along with her presence, he demands five witnesses: ordinary people with some hidden connection. Defying her superiors, Eve begins a deadly dance with an adversary whose intentions are surely sinister, whose endgame is anything but certain, and whose cunning keeps him one step ahead at every turn.
As Eve manages a taut hostage situation, she relies on the combined skills of her team—a secret unit inspired by France's most notorious criminal and made up of ex-convicts with extraordinary talents, oversized egos, and contempt for the rules.Eve is up against a rapidly ticking clock. But the dangerous man calling the shots has a timetable of his own—and a searing question for his targets: What are you guilty of? As shocking revelations surface, so does another crisis nobody could anticipate—one not even Eve and her team may be able to stop.
About the Author
Stefanie Pintoff is the Edgar® award-winning author of three novels. Her writing has also won the Washington Irving Book Prize and earned nominations for the Anthony, Macavity, and Agatha awards. Pintoff's novels have been published around the world, including the United Kingdom, Italy, and Japan.
She lives on Manhattan's Upper West Side, where she is at work on the next Eve Rossi thriller. Website
My Review
A special thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Bantam Dell and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
THE HOSTAGE TAKER by Stefanie Pintoff, a new riveting urban contemporary series, featuring Eve Rossi negotiator FBI agent for an intense roller-coaster crime thriller intense ride!
What starts as a shooting outside of Saint Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan revolves into a dangerous and complex hostage situation. At stake are not only the lives of the hostages but the fate of the most iconic church in the country.
Eve Rossi, is head of a secret division of the FBI. Most of the eclectic team is a mix of highly intelligent professionals, criminals, and ex-convicts, a secret squad known as the VIDOCQ Unit.
On the day of the Rockefeller Center tree lighting, in New York, a man barricades himself and an unknown number of hostages inside St. Patrick’s Cathedral. He requests Eve Rossi, who’s on bereavement leave following her stepfather’s death, a former a former CIA operative.
Eve is called back to work; however, the mysterious hostage situation is complex and so many elements are on the line. He wants five individuals brought to the scene to act as "witnesses" to the events. As the terror and intensity heats up, as the clock ticks, getting close to the deadline-- things do not go as planned.
I enjoyed the news breaks by the hour, with new correspondents, and the visual classified VIDOCQ files listing the individual's expertise, age, and criminal record, (along with their strengths and weaknesses), etc. --adding to the drama. The Author's Note was a nice addition with, master-of disguise, Eugene Francois Vidocq.
A fast-paced and strong and compelling protagonist heroine, pulls you into the suspenseful terrifying drama unfolding with a deadly standoff, with deadly secrets, and special talents from the team.
My first book by Pintoff, spinning a twisted well-developed crime thriller page-turner– hope to see more of Eve Rossi!
Fans of Lisa Gardner and Tami Hoag will enjoy this new thriller, HOSTAGE TAKER.
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