The Third Degree should be The First Book In The Trash!

A few comments on Greg Isles' new book "The Third Degree"...

I'm a Greg Isles fan - he usually writes a mean page turner. Good suspense, lots of twists and turns, and people who aren't as they seem. In short, a lot of fun! Nothing intellectual, but a good read.

It's a tragedy to call "The Third Degree" a book. It reads like something you'd expect to see scribbled on a bathroom wall at O'Hare.

To my own shame, I actually finished the entire (so called) book. The only reason for this is that I kept waiting for the "real" Greg Isles to show up. It didn't happen. He didn't make an appearance. When I finished the book, I literally threw it in the trash (in a hotel in Reno, NV where I was at the time).

I wasn't just disappointed in the book, I was angry. I felt ripped off for buying the book, and I felt cheated out of (what I had expected to be) a good story. I find it difficult to imaging anyone liking the book as it was truly repugnant. Every character in the book was hateful, and it was impossible to root for them. As I read the book, I was hoping the next page would bring a character's death - regardless of who - because they all deserved it. The main characters consisted of two people who had a Harlequin romance novel type affair, both cheating on their absolutely repulsive spouses. Nobody in the book was sympathetic. The man's wife was a horrible person who only wanted money. The wife's husband was a psycho who took his family hostage to prove how bad they were. Ok, great! This sounds like the makings of a great tale. Add in all the other sub-characters who were just as disgusting, and there you go...

I truly believe this is one of the worst books I have ever read. I guess I learned my lesson about pre-buying books & having them ship automatically when they are available. There are some authors who can stay on that list.

Greg Isles has been permanently removed, and I don't know if I will ever read one of his books again.