Thanks to the young lady who purchased a thriller today outside the Dolphin Gym.
Greg Iles has written 13 best sellers in the thriller genre. I just finished 24 Hours (2000). It traveled familiar territory for the most part until a spectacular, unusual chase sequence at the end. I chose it over the other two Iles books David had donated, as it is less than 340 pages. That, I contend, is the proper length for a thriller. The writing is rock solid. One line, reminiscent of Raymond Chandler or Dashiell Hammett, had me laughing out loud: "The smile on her face was as forced as an Avon lady's on a poor street..." The novel was transformed to the screen as Trapped (2002), starring Charlize Theron, Kevin Bacon, Stuart Townsend, Courtney Love and Dakota Fanning. I'm tempted to rent it, despite knowing the story line. I'm curious as to how closely the novel was followed. The screenplay was written by Iles as well. Iles grew up in Mississippi, where the novel is set. He founded the rock band Frankly Scarlet but was forced to quit when touring made family life impossible. He turned to writing and almost immediately found success. He also plays in that band comprised of Dave Barry, Stephen King, Amy Tan, etc. On a scale of five, I rate 24 Hours three-and-a-half. Of the 15 or so thrillers I've sampled, I still find Tami Hoag's A Thin, Dark Line far superior to the others.
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