Helpful Score: 10
This is one of those rare instances where I liked the movie more than I did the book. Probably because I have the hots for Clive Owen and he made the main character, Charles, more likeable. Because in the book I didn't really like old Charlie at all - even when he redeemed himself in the end. Here's an ordinary guy with a great family and a good job, who becomes involved with another woman and gets caught (literally) with his pants down. A ruthless blackmailer sees a prime opportunity and proceeds to exploit it - which stupid Charles goes along with - up to a point. That's when Charlie gets a new set of cujones and things really get interesting. PS - this book is pretty graphic in detail, so don't read it if you are easily offended.
Helpful Score: 4
What a great book. I was completedly surprised at the ending, I had no idea! Which is saying a lot since I read all the time and usually have a clue about endings. I saw the movie after reading the book and was very disappointed with it. The movie was nothing compared to the book.
Helpful Score: 4
...maybe even more than the movie, and I loved the movie. The story has a few differences in it, but I think they probably needed to shorten it a bit for the movie. Throughout the book I teetered between feeling bad for the main character and thinking he got what he deserved. Still not sure how I feel about him.
Helpful Score: 4
Very suspenseful! I couldn't put this book down. Really great plot that moves along quickly, with awesome twists and turns. I saw the movie the next week, and it didn't come close to the thrill of the book. I highly recommended this book to my reader friends.
Helpful Score: 4
Awesome book! Very suspenseful! I literally couldn't put it down. Just a study of how one ordinary man gets himself into so much trouble, and then struggles to get out of it. Constantly kept me guessing. A thrill ride from beginning to end.
Helpful Score: 3
Although this book was better than the movie (most are) and does a great job of depicting the world of con men and/or women and criminals that few of us see and shows just how easily your life could be destroyed, I figured out who the "culprit" was about halfway through and spent the rest of the book waiting for it to end. I think if I hadn't seen and read so much about the movie and the book described as a "shocker", I might not have been disappointed, but it became very obvious that some things were just too "convenient", and for me, ruined the surprise. However, I did love the character of Lucinda Harris and thought the way the writer depicted her was clever. And to be fair, I loved the ending, which was excellent. If you haven't read or seen anything about the book, you'll probably like it much better than I did!
Helpful Score: 3
Oh wow - what can I say? This was the best book I've read in a long time. It caught my attention from the first page to the last. Shocking suprises all through the book.
Helpful Score: 2
What if you walked on a train one morning..and everything changed.
Intense and startling...a top-notch novel of suspense with unexpected twists that are shocking and satisfying.
Intense and startling...a top-notch novel of suspense with unexpected twists that are shocking and satisfying.
Helpful Score: 2
Excellent thriller...loads of twists and turns! This very plausible piece of fiction will make you believe that any ordinary person can get caught up in an extraordinary nightmare.
Helpful Score: 1
He rode the train to work every day.He has been married 18 years and has a little girl with a life threatening desease.Hw was taken off a high paying account.That day when he rode the rain a look changed his life forever.This book is written in an interesting way and has a twist in the end.It has one grapic horror piece that was hard to read.It was a page turner mystery.
two strangers on a train. a taste of temptation. a life thrown trrifyingly of course.
This book is one of the better thrillers I've read, it kept me guessing and devouring each page to find out what happens next. A good read!
This book tells an amazing story. The prose is well-written, and the story is full of suspense and drama. Although he isn't perfect, you'll be rooting for the main character (at least by the end). I didn't see the movie before reading the book--I highly recommend you don't either. The book will lose some of it's "wow factor" if you know how it all turns out beforehand. Even if you have seen the movie, this one is worth reading.
"Fabulous story, I could not put it down! One of those books you just cannot put down and then hate yourself for reading it so fast instead of stretching it out!"
this was excellently written; a very fast and fascinating read.
I saw the movie first, the book was so much better. I really like James Siegel style.
Successful family risks it all and pays the price. Another page turner. James Siegel is one of my favorite authors.
This was a fantastic book!! ONLY READ BOOK DON"T SEE MOVIE!! The book was so much better....as in most cases. I read it first and was excited to see the movie but was disappointed. I read this book in a day...could not put it down!!
"Fabulous story, I could not put it down! One of those books you just cannot stop reading and then hate yourself for reading it so fast instead of stretching it out!"
good read. . .. good plot, like the Alfred Hitchcock "strangers on a train", will try his other books.
"Fabulous story, I could not put it down! One of those books you just cannot put down and then hate yourself for reading it so fast instead of stretching it out!"
This book is much better than the movie version.
I could not put this one down, very suspenseful with a dynamite conclusion. I heard the movie was not that great, but the book is a winner.
Much better than the film.
Fabulous story, I could not put it down! One of those books you just cannot put down and then hate yourself for reading it so fast instead of stretching it out!
I loved this book. It is a must read!! Everytime you turn a page, you do not want to stop.
"Advertising director Charles Schine is just another New York commuter, regularly catching the 8.43 to work. But the day he misses his train is the day that changes his life. Catching the 9.05 instead, he can't help but be drawn by the sight of the person opposite. Charles has never cheated on his wife in eighteen years of marriage. But then Charles has never met anyone like Lucinda Harris before. Charming, beautiful and a seductively good listener, Charles finds himself instantly attracted. And though Lucinda is married too, it is immediately apparent that the feeling is mutual. Their journeys into work become lunch dates, which become cocktails and eventually lead to a rented room in a seedy hotel. They both know the risks they are taking, but not in their worst nightmares could they foresee what is to follow. Suddenly their temptation turns horrifically sour, and their illicit liaison becomes caught up in something bigger, more dangerous, more brutally violent. Unable to talk to his partner or the police, Charles finds himself trapped in a world of dark conspiracy and psychological games. Somehow he's got to find a way to fight back, or his entire life will be spectacularly derailed for good."
"Advertising director Charles Schine is just another New York commuter, regularly catching the 8.43 to work. But the day he misses his train is the day that changes his life. Catching the 9.05 instead, he can't help but be drawn by the sight of the person opposite. Charles has never cheated on his wife in eighteen years of marriage. But then Charles has never met anyone like Lucinda Harris before. Charming, beautiful and a seductively good listener, Charles finds himself instantly attracted. And though Lucinda is married too, it is immediately apparent that the feeling is mutual. Their journeys into work become lunch dates, which become cocktails and eventually lead to a rented room in a seedy hotel. They both know the risks they are taking, but not in their worst nightmares could they foresee what is to follow. Suddenly their temptation turns horrifically sour, and their illicit liaison becomes caught up in something bigger, more dangerous, more brutally violent. Unable to talk to his partner or the police, Charles finds himself trapped in a world of dark conspiracy and psychological games. Somehow he's got to find a way to fight back, or his entire life will be spectacularly derailed for good."
A very well written very engrossing novel. It kept my attention from start to finish!!! I would recommend it to anyone!!
I found this to be a very easy read. Great book for the beach this summer. There are lots of twists and turns that I completely didn't expect.
Excellent suspense! You won't be able to put it down! A must-read book that you will love!
I read this book in 2 days and couldn't put it down! A great thriller about a man who is late for one train and how his life spins out of control. Made into a movie with Clive Owen and Jennifer Aniston.
Boring at first then the plot begins to emerge and I could not put it down
Things are not always as they seem! Suspense makes this a gripper.
Thriller with lots of twists.
The movie comes out Nov 2005, stars Jennifer Aniston and Clive Owen.
"When two married business executives (Owen and Aniston) having an affair are blackmailed by a violent criminal, the two must turn the tables on him to save their families..."
The movie comes out Nov 2005, stars Jennifer Aniston and Clive Owen.
"When two married business executives (Owen and Aniston) having an affair are blackmailed by a violent criminal, the two must turn the tables on him to save their families..."
Couldn't put it down. Very suspenseful and a nice twist. I can't wait to see the movie.
Not what you expect. There are many twists and I can say you'll read it in one sitting because you will not be able to put it down....on the edge of your seat kind of read.
I absolutely loved this intense and suspense filled novel. It's a real page turner and I highly recommend it!
Siegel NEVER disappoints!....
Excellent reading! Exceptional Ending!
This has 4 cassettes and is 6.5 hours
Wow! This one keeps the suspense going. Thought it was very well written. Enjoyed it more than the movie by a long shot, but that is usually the case.
"Fabulous story, I could not put it down! One of those books you just cannot put down and then hate yourself for reading it so fast instead of stretching it out!"
I didnt like this book. But it is well written and kept my attenion until I learned the twist.
Fast paced...could not put it down. Read it in 2 days!
Fatal Attraction meets The Usual Suspects in this dazzling thriller about a businessman whose life becomes a nightmare when he gets involved with the wrong woman. When an English teacher at Attica State Prison asks his incarcerated students to write about why they're in prison, he is astounded by the story of Charles Schine. Schine is a white, upper middle-class ad exec who meets Lucinda, a married woman, on the Long Island Railroad. Sharing pictures of their kids soon leads to a rendezvous in a sordid downtown hotel. But before they actually enter the room, they are held up by a man who rapes Lucinda, assults Charles, and steals both their wallets. He then proceeds to blackmail them. Desperate, Charles hires someone to eliminate him-but it's the hitman who ends up dead. In a world where no one is who they seem to be, Charles sinks deeper into a labyrinth of deceit, murder, and betrayal. And in a final act of stunning retribution, it's clear why Charles is in Attica-and what he's come to do there.
This copy is a 2005 issue with the movie tie-in starring Clive Owen and Jennifer Aniston on the cover.
This copy is a 2005 issue with the movie tie-in starring Clive Owen and Jennifer Aniston on the cover.
When I started reading this, I couldn't put it down. Fantastic character and storyline development. The ending was a little weaker than I would have preferred, but overall, a great about how someone's life can fall apart through a series of bad decisions.
Absolutely terrifying. But you can understand how someone's life spirals down after just one mistake.
"Fabulous story, I could not put it down! One of those books you just cannot put down and then hate yourself for reading it so fast instead of stretching it out!"
A good thrilling book. I like the how the ending turns out.
Edge-of-your-seat/can't-put-down reading!
Made into a major motion picture with Jennifer Aniston. This is the super-charged, high tension book that will thrill you non-stop.
Made into a major motion picture with Jennifer Aniston. This is the super-charged, high tension book that will thrill you non-stop.
I could not put this book down! Intense and full of twists. James Siegel keeps you on the edge of your seat with this riveting thriller!
A good book with lots of twists and turns.
I finished this in a couple days which is a quick read for me. I was definitely drawn in by the suspense and worry for the family, but didn't care for the main character, Charles, all that much. He never once had my sympathy, but his wife and kids did.
Overall, it's a well written page turner that is definitely worth reading to pass the time.
Overall, it's a well written page turner that is definitely worth reading to pass the time.
Excellent thriller.
One of the most exciting thriller in years.
Suspense, written in the first person
WOW! I could NOT put this book down....I was up until 3 in the morning so I could find out what happened to Charles!
Really good book. Lots of twists and turns. The movie they made from it was horrible. If you've seen the movie, you must read the book. It is far superior.
I didn't see the movie, but the book was great. Quite an easy read with twists and turns at every juncture. Very enjoyable.
A better book than movie. Good noir.
Excellent read.
I very fast read that goes places you don't expect.
"In Derailed by James Siegel, Charles Schine is a New York businessman who meets a sexy woman on a train and ends up in a seedy hotel room with her. While there, he's beaten and she is raped by a man who also robs them. The robber then begins to blackmail Schine so that his wife and family don't find out about his infidelity with the woman. This drives Schine from his humdrum life into a world of fraud, betrayal, and murder. USA Today says, "Derailed is tautly written and cleverly plotted, with plenty of roller-coaster turns that nicely contrast the blandness of suburban life with the dark underworld that Charles has entered." (from ReviewsOfBooks.com)
A really raw, sometimes sickening, nail biting novel.
VERY scary, it WILL keep you up nights! And the horror of it IS the reality, and possibilities this book makes you think of!
However like a couple I have read recently, a VERY BAD WOMAN book!!
Somehow NONE of the evil serial killer men are HALF a terrifying as the evil women in this (and other) books!!
SO be sure you are READY for some very sickening surprises!! SHOCKING!!
It was a fantastic thriller, but not sure I would have read it IF I had know HOW awful the story was!!
VERY scary, it WILL keep you up nights! And the horror of it IS the reality, and possibilities this book makes you think of!
However like a couple I have read recently, a VERY BAD WOMAN book!!
Somehow NONE of the evil serial killer men are HALF a terrifying as the evil women in this (and other) books!!
SO be sure you are READY for some very sickening surprises!! SHOCKING!!
It was a fantastic thriller, but not sure I would have read it IF I had know HOW awful the story was!!
Well written thriller. Intense. Unexpected twists. Very interesting book. In dust jacket. Like new.
Enjoyed book!
4 cassettes/6.5 hours
Read by Gregory Harrison
This was an exciting audio book. I skipped lunch while at work just to go to my car to listen to the book.
Read by Gregory Harrison
This was an exciting audio book. I skipped lunch while at work just to go to my car to listen to the book.
Got this as a gift.Never read it,not my type of book.
