Helpful Score: 4
Fast, easy, entertaining read. A good old fashioned mystery with a minimum of blood, gore and gratuitous sex scenes, it keeps the plot going with a steady beat.
This isn't the best book you'll ever read - but it'll be an enjoyable few hours.
This isn't the best book you'll ever read - but it'll be an enjoyable few hours.
Helpful Score: 3
Melissa and Jack McGuane went through the adoption process to finally receive their newborn daughter Angelina nine months ago. Life has changed but they are a happy family until the birth father and his father, a influential and powerful judge claim the child back due to never have signed the parental rights away.
Facing the legal loss of their daughter the McGuanes' are left with three weeks to say goodbye to the little girl.
Three weeks that fly by in an instant but not without the McGuanes' using own resources to find something on the judge to discredit him in court. But everyone is shying away in fear of the judge's grudge. Left with two dear friends they find worrying clues but nothing substantial.
With their daily life being messed with the parents know nothing good can come of the judge's family and they begin to fear for Angelina's life.
-
Three Weeks To Say Goodbye is a novel where you literally fly through. With a
no-brainer writing style Box catches the reader on a beach read that is enjoyable but not overly exciting. The missing surprises and the cliche-ish characters didn't match the usual standard I have gotten used to by C. J. Box.
Facing the legal loss of their daughter the McGuanes' are left with three weeks to say goodbye to the little girl.
Three weeks that fly by in an instant but not without the McGuanes' using own resources to find something on the judge to discredit him in court. But everyone is shying away in fear of the judge's grudge. Left with two dear friends they find worrying clues but nothing substantial.
With their daily life being messed with the parents know nothing good can come of the judge's family and they begin to fear for Angelina's life.
-
Three Weeks To Say Goodbye is a novel where you literally fly through. With a
no-brainer writing style Box catches the reader on a beach read that is enjoyable but not overly exciting. The missing surprises and the cliche-ish characters didn't match the usual standard I have gotten used to by C. J. Box.
Helpful Score: 2
This book was riviting. I could not put it down. The story was scary, the characters were great, the villians were evil. It flowed from one bad situation to another with a surprising but satisfactory ending. One of C.J. Box's stand alone novels and a great one. I highly recommend this book.
Helpful Score: 2
Great book! One of the best I've read in this genre in quite a while.
Excellent. Emotionally charged. Awesome.
If an author can get your blood pressure rising with his written words, well, that's worth the price of admission. I am an avid reader and if you are also, you know how often that happens. Not often enough!
This is that one book out of 10 that you are hoping for every time you crack open a new novel. Yes, it's hard to put down. Characters are well developed and you will be rooting for the good guys while screaming inside over the injustices.
The plot, while maybe not totally unique, is expertly crafted. Not necessarily a murder mystery in the sense that you don't know who the murderer is. The suspense lies in the unanswered questions. Will the murderer(s) be caught and will the good guys get to keep the baby they adopted? Who else will die for their cause while trying to help? Will they be able to dig up enough dirty little secrets against their enemies in time to stop them from taking the baby?
You couldn't possibly be bored or disappointed.
If an author can get your blood pressure rising with his written words, well, that's worth the price of admission. I am an avid reader and if you are also, you know how often that happens. Not often enough!
This is that one book out of 10 that you are hoping for every time you crack open a new novel. Yes, it's hard to put down. Characters are well developed and you will be rooting for the good guys while screaming inside over the injustices.
The plot, while maybe not totally unique, is expertly crafted. Not necessarily a murder mystery in the sense that you don't know who the murderer is. The suspense lies in the unanswered questions. Will the murderer(s) be caught and will the good guys get to keep the baby they adopted? Who else will die for their cause while trying to help? Will they be able to dig up enough dirty little secrets against their enemies in time to stop them from taking the baby?
You couldn't possibly be bored or disappointed.
Helpful Score: 2
Story of adoptive parents that suddenly have the 'real' Father show up and want the baby back although it is his Father, a judge, that is behind the procedure of getting the baby back and what the adoptive parents go through digging up anything they can to show the 'natural' family is not worthy of this baby--very interesting and keeps you turning the pages as fast as you can.
Helpful Score: 2
After struggling to conceive, Jack and his wife Melissa are thrilled with their adopted baby girl. Just as they are a family, the baby's birth father comes forward and wants to take their daughter back. Jack and Melissa are determined to keep their family together, but the law is not on their side since the birth father's father is an influential judge.
When they learn of the birth father's gang associations and suspect that he is vandalizing their property, Jack and Melissa turn to their friends for the kind of help that the legal system will not give them.
Three Weeks to Say GOodbye is a suspenseful thriller, with many Harlan Coben-like plot twists. It is also very violent, and the actions of some of the good guys (let alone the bad guys!) will make your stomach churn. However, Box does such a good job of engrossing the reader in Jack and Melissa's family that he or she will keep reading anyway. Highly recommended for those who enjoy gritty thrillers with just the right amount of humanity.
When they learn of the birth father's gang associations and suspect that he is vandalizing their property, Jack and Melissa turn to their friends for the kind of help that the legal system will not give them.
Three Weeks to Say GOodbye is a suspenseful thriller, with many Harlan Coben-like plot twists. It is also very violent, and the actions of some of the good guys (let alone the bad guys!) will make your stomach churn. However, Box does such a good job of engrossing the reader in Jack and Melissa's family that he or she will keep reading anyway. Highly recommended for those who enjoy gritty thrillers with just the right amount of humanity.
Helpful Score: 2
Very good exciting book. Couldn't put it down.
Helpful Score: 2
C J Box normally writes about the adventures of Joe Pickett, a Wyoming game warden, but occasionally produces a stand-alone book for a change of pace, and this is one.
The book has a devilishly fiendish plot involving the protagonist and his wife, who are being threatened with the loss of their adopted daughter because the child's biological father never signed the adoption papers. To make matters worse, the biological father appears to have a lot of behavioral problems, and his father, the baby's physical grandfather, is an extremely powerful and well-connected federal judge, who "just to be a fair" gives the adoptive parents three weeks to prepare to give up the child they have grown to love - almost sounds like one of those Jodi Picoult novels my wife used to read.
This book however diverges widely from any sort of women's issue novel as the protagonist, with the help of one of his best friends (a rogue cop) starts trying to find ways, legal or otherwise to avoid the inevitable. The author does a good job writing a very suspenseful book, although occasionally he does go a little over the top and there is quite a bit of violence, which in reality is occasionally a little cartoonish. Lots of people get shot, and none of our heroes ever seem to miss.
Having spent over twenty years in the military, and being a handgun collector and shooter, I know it isn't really that easy, especially when, like our hero, you have hardly ever fired a pistol before, and never in anger.
Even with a certain amount of unrealistic violence, and several major legal holes in the plot involving some of our hero's actions, the book still rates four stars for originality and suspense; it's one I won't forget soon.
The book has a devilishly fiendish plot involving the protagonist and his wife, who are being threatened with the loss of their adopted daughter because the child's biological father never signed the adoption papers. To make matters worse, the biological father appears to have a lot of behavioral problems, and his father, the baby's physical grandfather, is an extremely powerful and well-connected federal judge, who "just to be a fair" gives the adoptive parents three weeks to prepare to give up the child they have grown to love - almost sounds like one of those Jodi Picoult novels my wife used to read.
This book however diverges widely from any sort of women's issue novel as the protagonist, with the help of one of his best friends (a rogue cop) starts trying to find ways, legal or otherwise to avoid the inevitable. The author does a good job writing a very suspenseful book, although occasionally he does go a little over the top and there is quite a bit of violence, which in reality is occasionally a little cartoonish. Lots of people get shot, and none of our heroes ever seem to miss.
Having spent over twenty years in the military, and being a handgun collector and shooter, I know it isn't really that easy, especially when, like our hero, you have hardly ever fired a pistol before, and never in anger.
Even with a certain amount of unrealistic violence, and several major legal holes in the plot involving some of our hero's actions, the book still rates four stars for originality and suspense; it's one I won't forget soon.
Helpful Score: 1
I enjoyed this book very much.
Not what I expected. Very hard to get into. Never finished it.
Excellent book. Stayed up late to complete it and it was riveting through the end. If you are the type of person who thinks a person is either good or bad and no in between, you'll be unhappy with the characters. But if you're a realist, you'll love it. C J Box is my favorite writer and I am not disappointed once again!
ok read
After 100 pages I gave up. There was nothing to continue for I didnt care what happened because it just could not hold my Interest I disliked everyone even the "good guys"
Am a huge Box fan, but this one didn't get it for me. The 'good guys,' a couple who'd adopted a tot then found the teen father hadn't signed papers properly, were likeable enough. The tot was sort of a stock character cute 9 month old dragged in from time to time to elicit sympathy. The teen father's dad was a nightmare cold lawyer who was easily identified as a real bad guy on first meeting. The two hapless friends of the adoptive father joined up and formed a team trying to help. And from there (the set-up) it was a really quick read and went downhill all the way. I think Box simply packed in too much action as he got bored writing it. By the end of the deal I liked no one and all reality was lost.
C.J. Box is one of my favorite thriller authors. I have read all of the Joe Pickett series and am making my way through his other stand alone novels. This novel was actually the first of three to feature Cody Hoyt, although he was a secondary character in this book. I have not yet read Back of Beyond, the second book to feature him, but have read and really liked The Highway, the third book with Hoyt.
Anyway, this book was another excellent thriller from Box. It starts out with a young couple, Jack and Melissa McGuane who have spent years trying to have a baby. And then after nine months with a successful adoption of a beautiful girl, Angelina, their perfect life is thrown askew when the birth father and the birth grandfather, a Federal judge, decide they want the baby back. The birth father had not signed away his rights to the baby and the grandfather has decided that he and his family want to keep her which is within the law. The couple has three weeks to say goodbye to their precious daughter! After meeting with the birth father and his father, it becomes apparent that there may be something sinister behind the motivations of the pair. Cody Hoyt, is a lifelong friend of Jack and is also a Denver policeman; however, he winds up getting suspended for planting evidence against a possible pedophile. But he is able to assist the McGuanes in their attempt to keep the baby.
This novel was a definite page-turner, full of suspense and I highly recommend it along with anything else written by Box! Unfortunately, I only have a couple of his books left to read and then I will have to wait patiently as he writes more. :(
Anyway, this book was another excellent thriller from Box. It starts out with a young couple, Jack and Melissa McGuane who have spent years trying to have a baby. And then after nine months with a successful adoption of a beautiful girl, Angelina, their perfect life is thrown askew when the birth father and the birth grandfather, a Federal judge, decide they want the baby back. The birth father had not signed away his rights to the baby and the grandfather has decided that he and his family want to keep her which is within the law. The couple has three weeks to say goodbye to their precious daughter! After meeting with the birth father and his father, it becomes apparent that there may be something sinister behind the motivations of the pair. Cody Hoyt, is a lifelong friend of Jack and is also a Denver policeman; however, he winds up getting suspended for planting evidence against a possible pedophile. But he is able to assist the McGuanes in their attempt to keep the baby.
This novel was a definite page-turner, full of suspense and I highly recommend it along with anything else written by Box! Unfortunately, I only have a couple of his books left to read and then I will have to wait patiently as he writes more. :(
