Takeover (Theresa MacLean Series #1)

by Lisa Black

Overview

A grisly death in a quiet suburb pulls forensic scientist Theresa MacLean into the case.

A terrifying hostage situation at a downtown bank makes it personal.

But the nightmare truly begins when she gets inside.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780061544477
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	06/30/2009
Series:	Theresa MacLean Series , #1
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	384
Sales rank:	578,398
Product dimensions:	4.10(w) x 6.70(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Lisa Black is the author of three previous thrillers featuring Theresa MacLean: Trail of Blood, Evidence of Murder, and Takeover. A latent fingerprint examiner and CSI in Florida and a former forensic scientist for the Cleveland coroner's office, she is a member of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences and has testified in more than fifty homicide trials. A native of Cleveland, she lives in Cape Coral, Florida.

What People are Saying About This

Jeremiah Healy

“The combination of a credible, likable hero and a bizarre, chilling story is rare in crime fiction....Lisa Black makes the tumblers click perfectly.”

Ridley Pearson

“Takeover is captivating. Part procedural, part psychological suspense, and every inch a thriller, Takeover succeeds from the opening chapter.”

Peter Abrahams

“Takeover is a riveting hostage drama packed with surprises. Once Lisa Black gets you inside the bank, you—like the bad guys—won’t be able to stop.”

Bill Bass

“An exciting story that is hard to put down.”

Tess Gerritsen

“Grab-you-by-the throat suspense, written by someone who has actually walked the disturbing walk of an investigator.”

Editorial Reviews

...a tautly plotted, relentlessly suspenseful debut. Let’s hope she writes another scorcher-and soon.” — Booklist (starred review)

“Grab-you-by-the throat suspense, written by someone who has actually walked the disturbing walk of an investigator.” — Tess Gerritsen, New York Times bestselling author of Body Double

“The combination of a credible, likable hero and a bizarre, chilling story is rare in crime fiction....Lisa Black makes the tumblers click perfectly.” — Jeremiah Healy, author of Invasion of Privacy

“An exciting story that is hard to put down.” — Dr. Bill Bass, forensic anthropologist at the Body Farm and coauthor of The Devil’s Bones

“Takeover is a riveting hostage drama packed with surprises. Once Lisa Black gets you inside the bank, you—like the bad guys—won’t be able to stop.” — Peter Abrahams, author of Delusion

“Takeover is captivating. Part procedural, part psychological suspense, and every inch a thriller, Takeover succeeds from the opening chapter.” — Ridley Pearson, New York Times bestselling author of Killer View

“Entertaining” — Chicago Sun-Times

From the Publisher

Takeover is captivating. Part procedural, part psychological suspense, and every inch a thriller, Takeover succeeds from the opening chapter.

Ridley Pearson

Takeover is a riveting hostage drama packed with surprises. Once Lisa Black gets you inside the bank, you—like the bad guys—won’t be able to stop.

Peter Abrahams

The combination of a credible, likable hero and a bizarre, chilling story is rare in crime fiction....Lisa Black makes the tumblers click perfectly.

Jeremiah Healy

Grab-you-by-the throat suspense, written by someone who has actually walked the disturbing walk of an investigator.

Tess Gerritsen

An exciting story that is hard to put down.

Dr. Bill Bass

Entertaining

Chicago Sun-Times

...a tautly plotted, relentlessly suspenseful debut. Let’s hope she writes another scorcher-and soon.

Booklist (starred review)

Entertaining

Chicago Sun-Times

"An exciting story that is hard to put down."

Doctor - Bill Bass

"...a tautly plotted, relentlessly suspenseful debut. Let’s hope she writes another scorcher-and soon."

Booklist

When high-level executive Mark Ludlow is discovered beaten to death in front of his house early one morning, forensic scientist Theresa MacLean and her fiancé, homicide detective Paul Cleary, investigate in Black's underwhelming debut, a thriller set in Cleveland. Paul immediately heads downtown to interview Ludlow's co-workers at the Federal Reserve Bank and walks right into a botched robbery attempt and hostage situation. Lucas Parrish and Bobby Moyers want $4 million, but top hostage negotiator Chris Cavanaugh isn't ready to give in to their demands. When Paul is shot in the leg and becomes a hostage, Theresa breaks protocol and convinces Lucas to let Paul go and take her instead. It's up to Theresa on the inside and Chris on the outside to uncover the motive behind the robbery and Ludlow's murder before anyone else gets hurt. Theresa, despite her professional training, devotes little time to scientific deduction. Readers can expect to find richer plots on most TV crime dramas. (Sept.)

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Publishers Weekly

Make room for another gutsy forensic pathologist unwilling to stay put in her lab. Theresa MacLean is horrified when the banker found murdered in his driveway connects, just a few hours later, to a bank hostage situation at the Federal Reserve Bank in downtown Cleveland. Why does her fiancé, detective Paul Cleary, have to be one of the hostages being held by two men who are either incredibly stupid (who robs the Federal Reserve?) or very much clued in to the bank's unique delivery patterns? After a few tense hours observing from the command post across the street, Theresa impulsively defies the hostage negotiator's protocol and swaps places with her wounded fiancé. Now on the inside, she uses her keen observational skills and gains a clearer idea of the robbers' motives. Human behavior, unpredictable as always, forces the hand of the robbers, and the situation escalates messily. Theresa is caught in a harrowing conclusion-car chase and all. Fans of Tess Gerritsen's Jane Rizzoli and Maura Isles novels will enjoy this debut thriller by a forensic specialist for its steady suspense, female intuition, and distinctive venue. A terrific vacation read; recommended for all popular collections. [See Prepub Alert, LJ5/15/08.]
—Teresa L. Jacobsen

Library Journal