The First 48

by Tim Green

Book Overview

Tom Redmond is a former cop turned lawyer in upstate New York. But when his daughter, Jane, disappears, he drives to Washington. He knows that if an abducted victim is not found within the first 48... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0446614882
• ISBN13: 9780446614887
• Release Date: May 2005
• Publisher: Warner Books (NY)
• Length: 380 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 4.3" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

Interesting plot, unbelievable actions...

Let me start off by saying that I am a fan of Tim Green, I really like his style and his plots are always interesting and full of twists and turns. The First 48 had all of the great things that I have come to expect from Tim Green, but it also had one major flaw, it was too implausible. The Plot was there, and the twist were there, but I could not get over the fact how out there some of the actions were. The plot, a father searching for his missing daughter who happened to be about to blow the whistle on a corrupt Senator, has so much potential, but it is ruined by the outrageous and unbelievable actions of the characters. At the very beginning of the father's search, things start to go downhill for me. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed reading The First 48, and if you can get by the fact that most of the actions of the main characters are unbelievable, then this is the book for you. As usual this was a quick read that flowed well. If possible I would have given this book 3.5 stars but I decided to round up seeing the book was entertaining.

Not perfect, but very entertaining...

Since I recently picked up a Tim Green novel and really liked it, I got a copy of his latest book and finished it this morning. The book is called The First 48, and it's a very good crime thriller. Jane Redmon is a newspaper writer, and she's been fed some information from a secret source that could destroy a senator's career. The editors at the paper let her write the story, but before she can hit the deadline she disappears. Her father, Tom Redmon, had his career as a prosecutor ruined by the same senator, and he's now an alcoholic lawyer and just scraping by. But when he learns of his daughter's disappearance, he starts the manhunt himself. The title comes from the adage that kidnappings that go more than 48 hours without being solved generally don't get solved or a body turns up. He has 48 hours to find his daughter, and will do just about anything to get it done. As a story, I liked the writing and pace. The 48 hour countdown did lend a certain urgency to the search, but it was a little too convenient at the end. Some nice plot twists along the way, and you're not quite sure who is good or bad. The alcoholism slant doesn't really come into play much, and it could have been dropped with no effect on the story. Regardless, not perfect, but it is entertaining.

Tim Green scores big with new novel.

I have read and enjoyed all of Tim Green's books and this new edition of his work did not disappoint. "The First 48" is an action packed adventure/mystery with all the suspense and action of a Bruce Willis or Arnold Schwarzenegger movie. In fact, I am looking forward to the day when one of Mr. Green's novels is converted into a movie. It is long overdue.I like the way the author develops the characters in the story. The reader gets to know the main characters in a way that makes one feel they are real people by the time the book ends. They are wonderfully crafted people with all the flaws and human frailties one expects to find among people in our every day lives. I also enjoyed the way the author builds suspense and tension throughout the book using the 48 hour time frame to drive the story line. By the time the reader gets to the end of the book the action builds to an exciting crescendo that finishes with an exhilarating and surprising ending that leaves the reader on the edge of their seat. The only thing wrong with Tim Green's writing is that he can't write as fast as I read. Having finished this recent book in less than a week I am disappointed with the fact that I will probably wait several months before reading another new book by this author. I highly recommend this book. It is only a matter of time before Tim Green's books share the same fame as those written by the likes of Grisham and Koontz. In my opinion, he is there already.

(4-) A Book with an Excellent Plot but Unrealized Potential

In many ways, this is a typical TIm Green thriller, a fast moving story relatively light on character development but held together by a tight timeline, non-stop action, and at least one unexpected plot twist. The story begins with a brief prologue whose relevance is only established later but which provides sufficient context to allow the reader to guess the motivations of some of the important protagonists as the story unfolds. Unfortunately, therefore, this somewhat reduces the suspense regarding one element of the story. In Chapter One we meet Tom Redmon, an almost fifty year old former prosecutor now barely making ends meet as a low-rent defense attorney who drinks too much in order to keep in touch with his dead wife Ellen and to ease the pain that remains from the long ago incident that ruined his career. Soon thereafter, we meet Tom's only friend and part time investigator, Mike Tubbs - a thirty year old, three hundred pound reformed motorcycle gang member and computer genius who feels that Tom's legal skills and persistence were responsible for keeping him out of prison and that he thus owes Tom a debt that can never be adequately repaid.We have only just been introduced to Tom long enough to learn a little of his eccentric nature when the scene shifts from Ithaca, NY to the newsroom of THE WASHINGTON POST. There a shadowy source is feeding Tom's daughter Jane, a young reporter, very damaging information about none other than Michael Gleason, the cause of her father's downfall many years ago and now a senior and very powerful U.S. Senator. As Jane becomes convinced that she may have a story of Pulitzer Prize potential if her source is trustworthy, she decides that she has to visit her father and confront him in order to finally learn the secret of how Gleason destroyed Tom's career as background for her understanding of the Senator and in order to decide if he is as corrupt as her source has indicated. Under a morning deadline from her editor, Jane returns to DC later the same night to prepare the story for the editor's approval, but she fails to appear at work the next day. When Tom contacts her editor the next afternoon after becoming concerned about her, he learns that the police are investigating her disappearance and that her apartment has been ransacked.Tom was a policeman before attending law school, so he immediately recognizes that THE FIRST 48 hours after a subject's disappearance are crucial to successfully locating the person alive. Since the countdown has effectively begun several hours earlier, he and MIke immediately pack up Tom's old diesel pickup truck and head for DC. Tom finds that his sense of urgency is not shared by either the POST management or the DC police, both of whom are treating Senator Gleason with the deference that the powerful in Washington so often command. Tom's reputation as an oddball and his aggressive behavior quickly end all chances for their cooperation, so he and Mike decide to independently inv

Average Green

See book summary above.This was an enjoyable enough novel but Tim Green doesn't quite meet up to his standards this time around.The story had suspense but it was mostly predictable. The characters seemed thin with not alot of background included. An average suspense thriller good for a quick read.