Third Degree: A Novel Reviews

• "He's gone over the edge."

  
  By AC1K4OQOZ90RS on 2007-11-18
  "Third Degree," by Greg Iles, takes place in the small town of Athens Point, Mississippi. Thirty-five year old teacher Laurel Shields has slowly drifted apart from Warren, her husband of twelve years. For eleven months, she conducted a clandestine affair with a married man, Danny McDavitt, the father of an autistic child in her class. When Warren accidentally discovers evidence of his wife's betrayal, he is enraged and demands to know the identity of her lover. Laurel stonewalls and attempts to calm Warren down, but he refuses to be mollified. Ironically, Warren is a physician who has always been a model of stability, integrity, and compassion. Much to Laurel's horror, her calm and predictable husband suddenly becomes a violent, cruel, and unpredictable monster. Laurel's six year old daughter, Beth, and nine-year-old son, Grant are caught in the middle of their parents' potentially tragic domestic dispute.
  
  This is a plot-driven, melodramatic, and unconvincing novel with trite dialogue and poorly drawn, one-dimensional characters. Laurel is a self-absorbed, foolish, and impulsive woman; her lover, Danny, is a former war hero who is too saintly to be believed; Warren is a cipher whose behavior is incomprehensible until late in the novel, when we learn that he is hiding a devastating secret; Warren's partner, Ken Auster is a greedy philanderer whose fraudulent financial practices have attracted the interest of the Medicaid Fraud Unit and the IRS. None of these people is remotely believable, nor do their troubles generate much sympathy. At almost four hundred pages, the book is heavily padded with plodding exposition and the omniscient narrator's recital of each individual's personal history and innermost thoughts. The author throws in some action-adventure elements during the book's improbable and pat conclusion.
  
  Iles occasionally touches on worthwhile themes: the racism that is still endemic in small Southern towns; how seemingly sound marriages gradually disintegrate; the many ways that earning money dishonestly can backfire; the unfairness of life and randomness of fate. Unfortunately, the author fails to develops any of these ideas fully or meaningfully. "Third Degree" is a disappointingly formulaic and artificial family drama that is devoid of depth or realism.
  
  

• Enjoyable, fast paced thriller spanning one day, has flaws, but good overall

  
  By A25HYPL2XKQPZB on 2007-11-29
  Greg Iles latest novel, THIRD DEGREE, is a harrowing thriller that takes place over the course of an afternoon. Lauren Shields teaches a developmentally disabled class at the elementary school. Her husband Warren is a doctor. One morning she wakes up and finds Warren frantically searching the house for something. In fact, he's been searching all night. He says it has something to do with an IRS audit of his business. Lauren has problems of her own. She's pregnant, and the baby probably isn't Warren's. For the past several months, She's been having an affair with Danny McDavvitt, a war hero and a kind man who has marriage problems of his own. Danny wants to leave his wife for Lauren, but can't for fear that his wife will get custody of his autistic son. Warren's office is also under investigation for Medicare fraud, and Warren's partner, Kyle Auster is devious and amoral.
  
  You throw the above beginnings of a plot into a a 12 hour period, and you get this novel. I glanced at a few reviews, and many negative reviewers seemed to dislike the story as not a traditional Iles novel. Iles is a great novelist and one of the few out there that constantly change genres. He started out with World War II novels, then moved onto standard thrillers. He wasn't afraid to try new things, like Footprints of God (a sci-fi look at the nature of religion) or Dead Sleep (a novel all Steven King fans would love). Iles has tried this before. His 24 Hours spanned a day. He's trying it again in this character driven thriller. If the entire novel is compressed into a day, then what keeps the pages turning? Iles introduces a desperate man in Warren and a confused wife in Lauren, thows in a couple of kids and then keeps adding characters who have parts to play in the drama. We miss out on character development, although Iles does add just enough backstory to let us know what is going on.
  
  I liked this book because I like Iles, and I trust that he knows what he is doing even as he tries to tell a different type of story. The book has some weaknesses as well. Telling a story over a 12 hour period means you lose a lot of characterization. The decision to cheat on your spouse and potentially destroy a marriage is not one entered into lightly, yet the relationship between Lauren and Warren gets neglected in the format of the novel. Why did she cheat? Why did she feel the need to cheat. What did she ever see in Warren in the first place.
  
  Don't worry, by the end of the novel, Iles has resolved most plot threads and even offered and explanation for Warren's sudden erratic behavior. He also tries to explore some themes such as marriage, family and forgiveness, but never really offers any answers. By reading the reviews, it is obvious some fans were disappointed in Iles' latest effort. Not me. I found it quick and easy to read, and highly suspensful. The only negative is that there weren't really any sympathetic characters to root for. They weren't all truly evil, but when your heroine is an adulterer who refuses to tell her husband who she is sleeping with, there isn't much room for sympathy. Overall, I recommend to all Iles and thriller fans. Just know you are getting something different, and be thankful that Iles is one of the best authors around and very capable of pulling it off.
  
  
  

• A bit shallow for Iles

  
  By AL66W0H5A29VQ on 2007-11-20
  I had a hard time putting this down and read it quickly. It'a a page turner, but not up to Iles usual fare. It's more like a quick chick flick that his usual breathless thrill ride. The momentum is there, but there is no depth to any of his characters and you find yourself looking in on these strangers' lives instead of really getting inside their heads as in most of his other novels. I did not really relate with any of them. I did not hate them, I just wanted to know them better. I was very surprised by this as Iles is much better than this. I also thought the ending contrived and it left me feeling unsatisfied.
  
  

• What a Day! What a Read!

  
  By A25E44CFFC4B7T on 2008-01-06
  I bought this book the old fashioned way...at a bookstore...so I was unaware of the variety of reviews it has engendered here on Amazon until I finished it. Quite frankly, I fail to understand what all the fuss is about with those who didn't like the book. It is a flat out page turning read.
  
  A number of people have more than adequately gone over the plot and telling to much would spoil it for others. All I will say that the one day that is packaged between the covers of this book is really something and if you pass it by it will be your loss.
  
  Mr. Iles continues at the top of his profession, in my judgement.
  
  
  
  

• 3.5 Star 'Box-of Chocolate'

  
  By A3U29LBT749HJ0 on 2007-11-11
  This effort by Iles is one-part Lifetime Movie of the Week, and one-part Robert Crais-like thrill ride. The Lifetime sections can be long and overwrought, but the thriller sections are taut with anxiety. The problem is that there are too many parts reminiscent of Lifetime movies, compared to the parts that we thriller fans are looking for.
  
  Iles is a skilled writer, but because he doesn't stick to a tried-and-true formula, he's a box-of-chocolates kind of author; we never know quite what we're going to get until we've bitten into the offering.
  
  If you skim wisely, you'll be holding a page-turner. If you read every word, you might doze off.
  
  
• Third Degree: should be called "Chinese Water Tortue"
  By A1YMB0R79RSBMK on 2007-11-23
  I'm a big fan of Greg Isles but this novel was pretty awful. I had to muddle through this one, it was torture. Where's the quality that was in "The Quiet Game" and his other novels. It's as if he wrote it over the weekend. His prose, especially when he describes the characters sex life, reads like a 15 year old boy wrote it. I always buy his books as soon as they come out but I may be waiting for the paperback on his next book.
  
  
• Slips Past Mediocrity - Barely
  By A3O6IY4UKCMQHG on 2008-04-13
  SUMMARY: Laurel Shields, an unfaithful doctor's wife, wakes up one morning to her worst fear confirmed: she's pregnant and is unsure as to the father. Meanwhile, her husband Warren is undergoing his own dramatic trauma as his medical practice is the subject of intense scrutiny by the Attorney General's office. As Laurel watches as both her marriage and her husband's mental stability deteriorate, Warren takes drastic action to assert some control over his life.
  
  WHY YOU'LL LIKE IT: Iles is a master of writing taut action scenes fraught with psychological suspense. That the book unfolds over the course of one day is ambitious, and he pulls it off. This feat is the only thing which saves this work. Iles manages to touch on some very topical and compelling issues (the dissolution of a marriage; the dissatisfaction with American healthcare; modern racism which is more subversive and, therefore, potentially more dangerous), albeit infrequently.
  
  WHY YOU WON'T: As other reviewers have noted, the style of this book shifts drastically from Iles' norm. The plot has the potential to be intriguing, but falls flat as it is subsumed by melodrama typical of Lifetime movies. The characterization is spurious: Laurel is intended to be the heart (or heroine) of the book, but there's very little to like about her, save her desire to protect her children; that she actively opposes events and tries to avert them are points in her favor, but otherwise she's a shallow, vain woman with nearly no redeemable characteristics. She has no rooting value, but is too banal to be an anti-heroine. The supporting characters are stereotypes, and caricatures of them at that.
  
  BOTTOM LINE: Iles is known for authoring complex psychological tales with multifaceted characters who have depth; this novel is an exception. Some parts were so pedestrian, I had to skim over them entirely, and found - rather depressingly - I missed nothing relevant to the overall story. This novel is still above much of what's currently released in the genre, but true fans of Iles would do better to avoid this, nor should new readers use this as a platform into exploring the author's (far better) offerings.
  
  
• Don't give up on this one read on
  By A3AFCZTWL5VNNR on 2007-11-21
  Firstly, I am an uber Greg Iles fan. Two books, Mortal Fear, and The Quiet Game, are my absolute favorites - If you have read The Quiet Game, you will recall the lyric quality of it - the layers and layers that unfolded before your eyes, and not only was the story beautifully told, but you got a better look at Iles' South -
  The premise of Third Degree is not something fun - A man, Dr. Warren Shields, has been deceived by his medical partner - The government is closing in on the partner, and Shields is going to be the fall guy in the partner's larceny - Also, Shield's wife, Laurel, is having an affair with Danny McDavitt, and discovers she is pregnant - but with whom??
  When Warren finds some evidence, he holds his wife and children hostage, and a true hostage situation ensues. You see, the poor guy, Warren, is the only adult who isn't a cheater or a thief...so my feelings while reading this book were mixed.
  But...Third Degree, although slow, especially at the beginning, ends with your head spinning - Is the action in Athens Point Mississippi written in the beauty that only Iles can write? No. It is tough, gritty, and oh so amazing.
  The title Third Degree, not only means the interrogation Warren grills Lauren with, but Third Degree in SWAT lingo also apparently means to kill the target....
  It is one heck of a story -
  
  
• A (hopefully) rare misfire from Iles
  By A3TX4N6SOLVMBS on 2008-04-03
  Greg Iles is one of my favorite authors and has written many exciting thrillers, but this book about a psychotically jealous husband is a big fat strike out. None of it rang true to me and -- worse -- it wasn't exciting at all. I kept waiting for it to start reading like a real Iles book but ... no. It never did. Man, I hope this book is just an aberration and Iles returns to his usual top form soon. I would hate to see him pull a Harlan Coben on us -- i.e., start out strong and then start putting out subpar material once he's got an audience.
  
  
• A huge dissapointment by Iles
  By AD41IW90PCOJ2 on 2007-11-20
  I am a fan of Greg Iles and have read and enjoyed all of his previous books.
  
  True Evil was a little weak but 3rd degree is truly awful. If this were the first book by Iles I had read it would be the last. I can only hope he returns to form in the future. In the past, I automatically ordered his next book, in the future I will wait to see the reviews before I purchase another book.
  
  
• Greg Iles returns to form
  By AP26NWNNVKV3S on 2007-11-09
  Greg Iles returns to form with Third Degree, which approaches the high quality and taut suspense of many of his earlier novels. This book reminds me most of 24 Hours because of its short time period and plot, but Third Degree provides much greater character complexity and weaves more threads than the fairly simple 24 Hours did. A little shorter than most of his books, Third Degree moves very quickly but still draws the reader in and really makes you want to know how this story will turn out. By the end, Iles has made you think about what's really important in life and why. I was impressed with one particular turn of events in this book that started out as one of those "Oh, please come on" kind of developments but instead gets turned around 180 degrees and then back again in a single page. That is the kind of thing that makes Iles fun to read.
  
  
• Ugh!!!
  By AMZ6OES4Y8AS7 on 2007-11-13
  I LOVE Greg Iles' books. He is an awesome writer and he's creepy and freaky. Good enough to keep me entertained. This book sucked out loud. It was suspenseful, sure; but really wasn't up to par with what I know he can write. And how can you have a hostaage situation for half the book and not have ANY press involved? It's like the book wasn't totally thought out - maybe just thrown together to have another big sale. Shame.
  
  
• What happened???????
  By A2AII620XUUKAT on 2007-11-16
  Greg Iles is by far my favorite author. Every one of his books has been fantastic EXCEPT this one. What a disappointment!! I was bored after the first chapter and that NEVER happens with a Greg Iles book. I will forgive this effort but his next book better be a good one.
  
  
• What happened to Greg?
  By A5LKPZ65WHGXV on 2007-12-10
  I couldn't put this book down - because I just wanted it to end!! You know how it is - I kept thinking, "It has to get better." But, it never did. I was really hoping all three of the main characters would die - that would have been a happy ending for me and it would have given it at least a little unpredictable twist. I look forward to Greg Iles' books, but next time I'll wait for the paperback or the library.
  
  
• Be Careful Not to Give Yourself Third Degree Burns Throwing This Away in Utter Frustration into the Fire
  By AIO247KHD2O40 on 2007-12-14
  If you're into lonely old lady needing a fantasy romance life read Mills and Boons type books then you'll probably enjoy Greg Isles entry into this genre but if you're a fan of his previous work than Third Degree probably isn't for you. The back cover blurb certainly sounds exciting but, it's not!
  
  In Third Degree, Laurel Fields a bimbo special kids centre teacher is married to the well respected Dr Warren Fields. Like any poorly written chick flick type book he never appreciated her needs, especially in the bedroom so she was forced to turn to Danny, father of a special needs kid to fulfill those needs. Being too cowardly to tell her husband before the affair began or even during it as otherwise her cushy free ride lifestyle will end she is shocked one day upon returning home to not only discover her husband is home, but that he has found a love letter from Danny (only Danny didn't sign his name). Dr Fields demands to know who her lover is and fair enough too, but bimbo Laurel decides if she doesn't admit anything the problem will go away. Only problem is she then notices Dr Fields is holding a gun and its not too likely she's going to get away with the affair any longer, it's also not too likely he won't kill Danny when he learns of his identity or herself is she doesn't give it. Also throw in an audit from the government for Medicare fraud (the whole reason the doctor was tipped off to snoop around his own home in the first place) and you'd think you'd have one hell of a thriller. You don't though! At no time in the story do you care one little about these characters who all seem too stupid to even become teachers, doctors, pilots etc.
  
  Don't let this book paint a picture of Greg Isles work in your mind, he can write, just hasn't done so very well here!
  
  
• Incredibly Disappointed
  By AWMVCQVA65LD5 on 2008-03-06
  I have read every one of Greg Iles books and have thoroughly enjoyed them all. (I believe he is one of the best.) He has brought me many hours of joy, and I thank him for that. And I promise, I will be first in line to read his next one, but as much as I hate to say it, Third Degree is a STINKER!
  
  The subtitle should have been, "One day in the life of a number of uninteresting people doing incredibly boring, impossible to believe, stupid acts." I can't believe I made it all the way to the end, but I trusted that once again he would come up with something amazing. Unfortunately, that didn't happen.
  
  Greg, please publicly apologize for this one and move on to another of your great novels. I still believe you have it in you. Babe Ruth hit a lot of home runs, but he also struck out. This one is a definite strike out.
  
  
  
  
• Better than I expected
  By AQ0FFO257XMD7 on 2007-11-08
  One of the better books he's written recently. The characters are believable, which I had doubted from the previews. Why the husband freaked out as he did was explained in due course, in a credible manner. Bad things happen to good people, some handle, some can't. The characters are more believable than True Evil or Turning Angle's bad guys.
  
  
• A real page-turner!
  By A2MVUWT453QH61 on 2007-11-11
  Set in Athens Point, Mississippi, 30 miles south of Natchez (or is it 35 miles? both the author and the editor missed this inconsistency),Third Degree is a fast-paced novel of psychological suspense in which a dysfunctional marriage becomes a battle zone.
  
  Laurel Shields, having carried on an affair for 11 months. Who is the father: her husband, Warran, or her paramour Danny McDavitt?
  
  A respected physician, Warren is facing his own crisis. The IRS is investigating him and his partner, Kyle Auster, for Medicaid fraud. And a dark secret, we learn, is driving him to desperation.
  
  Unmoored from reality, Warren alternates between fury and depression. Think the character played by Jack Nicholson in "The Shining."
  
  Iles is a master or racheting up the tension. A Mississippi resident, he effectively captures the book's setting while keeping the focus on the intensifying plot, as the stately Shields mansion comes under siege by a local, and incompetent, "S.W.A.T." team.
  
  An expert sniper, a veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan, is ordered to "take out" Warren before the berserk doctor harms his wife and children.
  
  Despite its foul sexual language, Third Degree is a gripping, white-knuckler tale that moves and crackles like a windswept prairie fire. At several points, just when you think the action is over, the author has more surprises in store.
  
  Greg Iles was born in 1960 in Germany where his father ran the US Embassy medical clinic during the height of the Cold War. After graduating from the University of Mississippi in 1983 he performed for several years with the rock band Frankly Scarlet and is currently a member of the band The Rock Bottom Remainders. His first novel, Spandau Phoenix, a thriller about Nazi war criminal Rudolf Hess, was published in 1993 and became a New York Times bestseller. Iles went on to write ten bestselling novels, including Turning Angel, Blood Memory, The Footprints of God, and 24 Hours (released by Sony Pictures as Trapped, with full screenwriting credit for Iles). He lives in Natchez, Mississippi.
  
  
• boring
  By A1XAI9O3YBIK0C on 2007-12-04
  I have read all of Mr. Iles book and usually enjoy them but this one is not very good. I appreciated that his plot was not intricate as so many thrillers now have hugely complicated plots but this one suffered as the plot line was very thin, the characters were not all that likable and I ended up skimming through pages as I found it so dull. He wrote a book awhile ago called 24 hours or something and i was hoping it would be along those lines as i really enjoyed that book but it was not to be. I hate not finishing a book once I start and I did finish it but I found it tedious. Books are expensive these days so I suggest checking it out from the libarary if you really want to read it but don't expect much.
  
  
• Third Degree
  By A3CBPW2JNK2KUF on 2007-12-24
  Was very disappointed in this new book of Iles. Have read all of his and loved them. Not interesting and very predictable!!! His books are coming to press too quickly so think he should take his time and have a new 'plot' next time. A waste of time.
  
  
• Worst book ever!
  By A3H6CD7GKJ1LV4 on 2008-03-10
  Greg Iles should have to personally refund money to every person who buys this book! What a rip! One of the worst books I've ever read! Considering how much I've enjoyed Isles' books in the past, this was incredibly disappointing. Iles is no longer "appointment reading" after this tragic dung heap of a book! I hated every single character in this book, and I just hoped they would all die and the book would end. ZERO stars! Avoid like the plague! Read a high school textbook instead - at least there's some redeeming value! Seriously - stay away! I can't emphasize enough how awful this book is! HIDEOUS!
  
  
• Disappointing
  By A1104P91JWVAOI on 2008-03-16
  I hate to agree with everyone else on this, but I found this one extremely disappointing. The dialogue was bad to the point of being ridiculous, too many points belabored to the point I was mentally screaming, "just shoot him." I have to say I've noticed a downward trend in the quality of his writing in his last few novels. Maybe he should stick to singing...although that's not very good either.
  
  I was a big fan in the beginning, but honestly, I think he's spent!
  
  
• "Third Degree" is a scorching read
  By A3VOL71W5GIO1H on 2007-11-06
  In 'Third Degree' physician Warren Shields is dealing with fraud on two fronts: at home with an unfaithful wife, whose affair may have resulted in an illegitimate pregnancy; and at work with a business partner who's apparently cheating the Medicaid system, which subjects their medical practice to a government investigation. A letter from his spouse's lover sends Warren over the edge and he holds her at gunpoint in their home, determined to plumb the depths of her infidelity, and by extension their marriage - all while the authorities, alerted by a neighbor, surround the house in an armed siege. The title obviously refers to the interrogation Warren subjects his wife to during the tense police standoff, but for me 'Third Degree' is more descriptive of the burns I got reading this smoking-hot thriller.
  Also recommended: A Stranger Lies There by Stephen Santogrossi, The Tin Roof Blowdown: A Dave Robicheaux Novel by James Lee Burke.
  
  
• terse domestic thriller
  By AFVQZQ8PW0L on 2007-11-07
  In Athens Point, Mississippi, special education teacher Laurel Shields takes a home pregnancy test and is horrified to learn she is pregnant; for eleven months she was having an affair with Danny McDavitt, the father of one of her students. He ended it because if he couldn't file for divorce because his wife would gain custody of his beloved autistic son even though she finds their child is a burden.
  
  aurel leaves the house for a parent-teacher conference, while her husband Dr. Warren Shields searching the books in the library. When she returns home, Warren points a gun at her. He found a love letter Danny wrote to her even though he didn't sign his name; Warren is furious demanding to know who her lover is. She doesn't tell him but he has an idea that will crack her password on the computer and she knows that there are emails with Danny's name on them. When the children come home, he frightens them by acting crazy but Laurel is able to get her son out of the house. He tells the neighbor who tells the sheriff and pretty soon the house is surrounded by police who know that there is a good chance that the good doctor will kill his wife if and when he discovers who the father of her children. In an ironic quirk the only person Warren trusts to talk to is Danny.
  
  When one thinks of a great thriller writer Greg Iles naturally comes to mind. The tension begins on the very first page and just keeps on escalating as Warren becomes more and more out of control. There is no reasoning with him yet Laurel desperately tries to reach him. Readers will admire her as she deftly handles him but will also sorry for the couple who have lost so much and stand to lose even more. THIRD DEGREE is the appropriate title because that is what Warren does to Laurel throughout this terse domestic thriller.
  
  Harriet Klausner
  
  
  
• Readable, but not his best
  By A2O1NI25Y8ICMY on 2007-11-13
  I have read all of Iles' previous books and was definitely looking forward to reading Third Degree, his most recent novel. Frankly, this is not his best effort. The book is certainly readable, but it simply is not in the same league as his previous work. I think the previous reviewers nailed the issue well in the sense that this sort of veers between taut, gripping scenes that are extremely well drawn and somewhat unbelievable melodrama. Again, I have certainly read worse books, but since Iles has set the bar so high in his previous work, this was a tad disappointing.
  
  
• Big Disappointment
  By A2X7F0D66LK2WN on 2007-11-21
  I first became an Iles fan upon reading Mortal Fear followed by The
  Quiet Game, which I believe is his best work. I was so excited when 24 Hours was published only to feel I was left down. This novel did little more for me. First, I found it to be boring. The rescue mission was somewhat farfetched and the characters roles were equally unbelievable. In addition, the novel just seemed void of the spark and poetry typically found throughout the pages of his aforementioned works. 2.5 stars.
  
  
• Must have had a ghost writer..
  By A2OZ4VYALZBS1I on 2007-12-03
  OMG, surely somebody else wrote this book and signed Greg Iles' name... truly awful, I read until the bitter end, hoping, hoping, hoping that something would happen that would save the book, but nope, no such luck.
  
  I share books with my grown daughter, and am honestly ashamed to send her this one...
  
  
• Dull as Dirt
  By ANUWRX1S79BH2 on 2007-12-24
  Sorry about this. After fifty pages or more (or so it seemed) hearing about the results of a home pregnancy test and the doctor throwing books... I gave up. I typically like Iles book but not this one.
  If it takes, and sorry for the lack of patience,this much time to discuss the pregnancy test and the "terror" of locating before husband discovers... they why in the world would one want to continue.
  
  
• Disappointing
  By ALZBLUK5UVNEZ on 2008-01-03
  Greg Iles is one of my favorite writers but this book was extremely disappointing. Not up to his usual high standard - tedious, tiresome, and a plain waste of money!
  
  
• Far below Iles' standards.
  By A2YRLGJE13FUK8 on 2008-01-21
  What happened? Where is Greg Iles and who wrote this hairball of a book? Iles has written some very entertaining and worthwhile books, but this is not one of them. It is trite, melodramatic, predictable and ultimately boring. The dialogue must have been written by an untalented high-school sophomore. Avoid it like the plague.
  
  

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