Third Degree

I "read" this book as an audio book, while driving. I was never eager to get where I was headed -- I was more interested in finding out what was going to happen next! The audio version is wonderfully performed, so you get the sense of experiencing both a great read and a spell-binding drama. Narrator David Colacci has never been better; there is a lot of dialogue and many characters in this epic story of one bad day and a bunch of messed-up lives! I had read - or heard - one other Greg Iles book, and remembered it as being a page-turner. Third Degree is that in spades. It's part thriller, part hostage drama, part psychological study, part morality play. Every single character in the book -- both the white hats and the black - is lying show more about something; some, many things. The book is really about "Oh, What a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive." All the way through, you're wondering if there is any getting out of this mess for anyone, any possibility of a satisfactory ending for anyone. Well, read it or listen to it, and find out! show less

I’ve seen a wide range of reviews for this book, and I think I understand why. I had no respect for any of the main characters. Laurel and Danny are cheating on their respective spouses, and Warren is not only holding his family hostage, he’s been cheating the government through his business. There were frustrations, like why didn’t Laurel fight harder? Why did they insist on keeping the affair a secret, even after discovery? That’s probably the point I found most ridiculous… that as Warren found out secret after secret, Laurel still admitted nothing — much to her detriment, and the detriment of her children.

But despite all this, I found myself actually leaning forward in my seat as I listened, completely caught up in the show more suspense. Turns out, I don’t have to like the characters to like the story! I was engaged and anxious throughout the whole thing, because you know there will be no happy ending for everyone… and perhaps for no one. So, if you don’t care about the morals of your protagonists, I recommend this as a good read. Otherwise… you should probably skip it. show less

Imagine that you're riding a world-class roller coaster. Oh, and the person next to you is an angry badger. Yeah, that's what this book feels like. I haven't felt such an intense book-long rush in quite a while.

Greg Iles is a master at building suspense. Sure parts of it aren't especially believable, like having an angry badger as your passenger on that roller coaster, but he manages to suspend enough disbelief to keep you interested. The plot was so intense it was hard to read too many pages at a time without a breather.

One curiousity about this story is how there are no clear heroes. There are a few obvious villains but the heroes are all tainted and I suppose that gives the story a real-life feel to it. As delicate as Iles is in show more treating his heroes, he was a bit clumsy with his villains, as if he wasn't sure we'd recognize them if they didn't have their black hats on.

That may be the gist of how this book is not worth another star of rating to me. Maybe he doesn't want to write literature but this story approaches it, if not for the villains. Iles captures a great deal of subtlety in the protagonists, just not so much on the bad guys. It was absolutely worth reading and I'll recommend it to fans of thrillers.

And without spoiling anything, there are a couple of big loose ends that don't matter to the main plot but Iles made us care so why not wrap them up better? I'm thinking of the Fed-versus-Sheriff and also the two sisters. Was Iles pushed to print this book before it was complete edited? show less

SUMMARY: Laurel Shields, an unfaithful doctor's wife, wakes up one morning to her worst fear confirmed: she's pregnant and is unsure as to the father. Meanwhile, her husband Warren is undergoing his own dramatic trauma as his medical practice is the subject of intense scrutiny by the Attorney General's office. As Laurel watches as both her marriage and her husband's mental stability deteriorate, Warren takes drastic action to assert some control over his life.

WHY YOU'LL LIKE IT: Iles is a master of writing taut action scenes fraught with psychological suspense. That the book unfolds over the course of one day is ambitious, and he pulls it off. This feat is the only thing which saves this work. Iles manages to touch on some very topical show more and compelling issues (the dissolution of a marriage; the dissatisfaction with American healthcare; modern racism which is more subversive and, therefore, potentially more dangerous), albeit infrequently.

WHY YOU WON'T: As other reviewers have noted, the style of this book shifts drastically from Iles' norm. The plot has the potential to be intriguing, but falls flat as it is subsumed by melodrama typical of Lifetime movies. The characterization is spurious: Laurel is intended to be the heart (or heroine) of the book, but there's very little to like about her, save her desire to protect her children; that she actively opposes events and tries to avert them are points in her favor, but otherwise she's a shallow, vain woman with nearly no redeemable characteristics. She has no rooting value, but is too banal to be an anti-heroine. The supporting characters are stereotypes, and caricatures of them at that.

BOTTOM LINE: Iles is known for authoring complex psychological tales with multifaceted characters who have depth; this novel is an exception. Some parts were so pedestrian, I had to skim over them entirely, and found - rather depressingly - I missed nothing relevant to the overall story. This novel is still above much of what's currently released in the genre, but true fans of Iles would do better to avoid this, nor should new readers use this as a platform into exploring the author's (far better) offerings. show less

Have you ever been watching television, reading something, or even had something happen to you that makes you think, “Damn, that’s a bad day”? I do this on a daily basis. All while reading Greg Iles’s Third Degree that is what I was thinking. That being said, I couldn’t put the book down. It was fantastic!

Laurel Sheilds wakes up one morning to find out that she is pregnant. This is just after ending an affair that she had been having for a year. While she is reeling from the news, she knows that the show must go on and so she begins to go through the day. Her husband is acting a bit strange, but she thinks nothing of it. She knows he has been stressed about troubles with the IRS at work. Later that morning Laurel isn’t show more feeling well and returns home. This is when things start going downhill. Something obviously is not right with her husband Warren, and Laurel’s only hope is Danny McDavitt, her former lover and a retired serviceman. And that’s all I’m saying, because I don’t want to give anything away.

Something that I really liked about Third Degree was that the book takes place during a single day. In the span of one day, a man who many had thought of as a stable family and working man shows that there is another side to him. You spend the majority of the book wondering what happened to inspire such a change in one man. At the end though blood is spilled, secrets are revealed, and there is no shortage of shock.

Greg Iles didn’t just write a book that had me at the edge of my seat, he wrote a book that gripped my emotions and had me feeling for everyone, primary and background characters, the ‘good guys’ and ‘bad guys’ alike. I had several moments where I reeled in shock or shook my head in plain disbelief. And then things would just keep moving onto the next big thing. There is no ‘come on… let’s get moving’ with this, while reading Third Degree. The book is a page turner and, if you are like me will keep you up all night until you find out what happens. show less

Enjoyed the helicopter pilot, Danny, who knew that he just did things to be right and not for hero status. Laurel, as his aldutress, made no sense. Her reasons for starting the affair did not click. She admitted her husband had got distant but then justify it with cheating. Her husband, Warren, was not understandable until his actions were explained. He felt he was doing everything right to help his family. The Medicare fraud was a nice side, showing how easy it is for people to feel OK about it. The actions of bumbling police helpers and medical helpers added a fun touch. The ending was exciting, added twists with son Grant's attempt at bravery.

Returning to a format similar to his 24 Hours, Greg Iles constructs another thriller occurring over roughly a one-day period. Though for this one, he tackles the tension of a domestic upheaval. Laurel Shields learns she is pregnant and unsure who - her husband or her lover - is the father, at the same time she becomes a witness to, and later the victim of, her husband's seemingly inexplicable breakdown.

The tension builds as Laurel, then her children, and finally her husband's partner become drawn into the situation. Meanwhile, outside the sheriff's department, the FBI, and finally Laurel's lover, Danny, form alliances and battle each other to bring the crisis to an end.

Though a slightly different setting for Iles, he still shines. The show more characters are well-written, and the situations are reasonably believable, especially once the reasons behind Warren's breakdown become evident. I'm pleased that an adulterous woman - so often the scourge and graphic victim of other writers - is treated reasonably honestly. Danny might be a little too good, however, though it's also reasonable that he might want to shield Laurel's children from more pain. Not Iles' best, but still very, very good.

As an audiobook, this was well done. I usually only listen to audiobooks when on solo trips, and haven't taken any in a while, but I recently discovered the benefit of listening to books vs. music at the gym (not so boring, and I will stay longer to hear what's going on) and also just driving around town. The reader was excellent, he displayed the emotions properly to help build the tension. This audiobook gets an A. show less