Hostage Taker

June 1, 2015
With this entertaining but superficial series opener, Edgar-winner Pintoff (Secret of the White Rose and two other historicals featuring Det. Simon Ziele) shifts to present-day Manhattan. On the day of the Rockefeller Center tree lighting, a man barricades himself and an unknown number of hostages inside St. Patrick’s Cathedral and requests as negotiator FBI agent Eve Rossi, who’s on bereavement leave following her stepfather’s death. Over the next hours, Eve and her Vidocq team—a group of criminals who chose law enforcement rather than prison—confront a hostage taker who has shown his willingness to kill and wired the historic cathedral with explosives. Their efforts are undermined by Eve’s ambitious, politically motivated boss and a church hierarchy that values the building over people’s lives. Pintoff tosses out crumbs of mystery related to Eve’s stepfather that may be developed in further installments, but references are too cryptic to engage most readers. Still, those seeking a light late-summer read will be satisfied. Agent: David Hale Smith, DHS Literary.

October 26, 2015
Pintoff begins a new contemporary Manhattan-based series featuring unorthodox FBI negotiator Eve Rossi and her Vidocq team of ex-cons as unruly as they are talented, who have opted to behave like criminalists rather than criminals. Their seemingly impossible mission pits them against an apparent madman who has locked himself inside St. Patrick’s Cathedral with an unknown number of hostages and enough explosives to level the landmark. Reader Eby’s voice initially sounds too soft and cheery for a taut thriller, but that actually adds to the surprise when violence erupts. Her narration toughens and her pacing quickens as Eve arrives at the crime scene, issues terse orders, and begins to form a plan, ignoring the blustery demands of a boss more concerned with appearance than action. As Eve reassembles her disbanded team, Eby shows off a vocal versatility that ranges from the street-talk of Mace, a highly competitive ex-gangsta from the South Bronx, to the charming honeyed brogue of Irish cyber and code expert Haddox. Pintoff’s novel is packed with shocking surprises and populated by a large portion of N.Y.C.’s 8.5 million residents, but Eby handles the plot’s twists and turns and
the myriad of voices with seeming ease.
A Bantam hardcover.

Pintoff's cracking New York City thriller has tricks and clues and traps for the unwary as well as a new protagonist and a new cast of larger-than-life characters. A hostage taker holds an unknown number of victims inside St. Patrick's Cathedral, threatening to kill them and destroy the church. Tanya Eby is a strong narrator. Her intimate, slightly breathy alto conveys the tension of the story as it unfolds. Her dialogue voices are distinct without being distracting. And her pacing is a little fast (as befits the New York setting) but always consistent. Unlike Pintoff's earlier thrillers, this story is contemporary, not historical. Her subject remains heartless Gotham, its victims and its heroes. F.C. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine

November 15, 2015

Pintoff (Curtain Falls) introduces a new series featuring FBI special agent Eve Rossi and a special FBI unit of highly skilled former criminals who work for her. Several people are taken hostage in New York City's St. Patrick's Cathedral by an expert who knows the NYPD playbook. When the hostage taker demands negotiator Eve Rossi, things get interesting. After several hostages are executed, the press, the mayor, the FBI, and the Catholic Church are all ratcheting up the pressure. Meanwhile, the hostage taker is demanding that random people be brought to him to confess to their various sins. The narration by Tanya Eby is rough with some of the male voices. VERDICT Overall, this is a gripping thriller. ["Strong writing, a well-paced plot, and intriguing characters make this one of the best thrillers of the year": LJ 7/15 starred review of the Bantam hc.]--Scott R. DiMarco, Mansfield Univ. of Pennsylvania Lib.

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