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Capital Punishment

Read more reviews at Brendasbookshelf wordpress. A minha estreia com o autor. May 02, Tony rated it it was amazing. A great political cum police style thriller. Terrorists, kidnapping, family tensions. And it's one of the few books I've read that keeps the final twist literally till the last sentence. If you like complex thrillers rush to the bookshop. One of the best of its kind. Mar 23, Sebastian rated it it was ok. Could have been great, ended up being a mess.

If someone would have told me that I would rate this book 2 stars when I was halfway through it, I would have said they were crazy. At that point, things were looking pretty good. We had a fast-moving plot, with enough intrigue to keep the reader's interest going, and an author that knows how to write and entertain us with the most banal dialogues and events.

The main character, Charles Boxer, has a certain depth and his personal life provided the key Could have been great, ended up being a mess. The main character, Charles Boxer, has a certain depth and his personal life provided the key elements needed for a character in a series. So what went wrong you ask? Well, the main story, involving the kidnapping of the daughter of an influential billionaire had enough uncertainty and violence to keep us guessing and engaged. But then the author decided to start adding layer after layer to the story.

Capital Punishment (Charles Boxer, #1) by Robert Wilson

Many characters started appearing, the reasons for actions by these characters started to become contrived and it became impossible to follow the story. There is not way to remember who the characters are and what they role is without grabbing a pad and paper and getting to work. Even if you do this, the plot goes round and round and you will get lost in the labyrinth. We end up with characters that behave erratically, and the motivations behind these actions are unclear and to tell you the truth also unimportant. The author was able to get me to the point in which I did not care at all about why things happened the way they did, and he did this by trying to include more and more twists and turns and bringing new protagonists out of left field.

When the book ended I felt like I had just wasted a whole bunch of time. It is a shame, because Wilson has the ability to write well, he just got carried away with the plot and I do not believe even he knew where he was going with it. As you can imagine, I have no intention of reading the next book in this series. Proof of this is that the author decided to include a cliff-hanger at the end to get people to buy the next book, and it did not affect me, did not even make me mad, I just did not care.

Dec 12, Lusie rated it it was ok Shelves: This started very promissing, but then it went down hill. In the second part of the book there were just too many characters. It got hard to keep track of who was who.

Execution Day For One Of The Youngest Men On Death Row In Texas

I also didn't like that there was a subplot which made it confusing. I won't read the next book of this series. Apr 24, Ray Palen rated it really liked it. Robert Wilson has risen to fame and much critical claim via the terrific Falcon series set in Portugal. Charles Boxer is a unique character. His background consists of ex-military and ex-police experience and now has found his niche as a professional hostage negotiator.

He is not without his own demons as he fights to keep down the darkness of his own past before it cons Robert Wilson has risen to fame and much critical claim via the terrific Falcon series set in Portugal. He is not without his own demons as he fights to keep down the darkness of his own past before it consumes him.

The Hidden Assassins

Compounding this is the strange relationship he has with his ex-wife, and current Police Investigator, Mercy and the estranged teen-age daughter, Amy, they are both rapidly losing touch with. In an effort to keep himself busy and possibly redeem himself for his personal failures with his own daughter Boxer throws himself full force into his latest assignment. That is the last anyone sees of her.

Her mother, Isabel Marks, is contacted by a mysterious man calling himself Jordan. Unlike most kidnapping situations, Jordan is not asking for money. The standard threat of not involving law enforcement is also given and Frank and Isabel are in a quandary as to how to best get their daughter safely returned to them. He reaches out to his ex-wife, Mercy, of the Metropolitan Police Squad, in an effort to get their support should things get out of control. As the true intent of the kidnappers is slowly exposed Boxer and his colleagues come to the realization that this kidnapping may just be a smoke-screen for a far more sinister plot possibly one of terrorist origins.

Charles Boxer is a refreshingly complex protagonist and definitely worthy of his own series a consideration I can only hope Robert Wilson follows through on. Jan 12, Vivienne rated it it was ok. This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

Robert Wilson writes intricate, dense crime plots that combine psychologically-interesting characters with intriguing political machinations. I love his work, and marvel at how he manages to keep such intricate plots together. Capital Punishment is an example of how dense plotting can go horribly wrong.


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The beginning of the book sets up a fascinating premise - the daughter of a Indian businessman with mob and Bollywood connections is kidnapped in London, and interrogated until she reveals her da Robert Wilson writes intricate, dense crime plots that combine psychologically-interesting characters with intriguing political machinations. The beginning of the book sets up a fascinating premise - the daughter of a Indian businessman with mob and Bollywood connections is kidnapped in London, and interrogated until she reveals her darkest secret. Then two East End gangsters decide to kill her captors and take the ransom money for themselves.

Then it goes horribly wrong in the latter half of the book. I ended up clueless over who was chasing who, who they all were, and who was responsible for the original kidnapping.

The East End gangsters are by-far the most interesting and human characters in the novel, far more than fascinating than protagonist Charles Boxer. Wilson can write wonderful protagonists ranging from Javier Falcon, the tortured Seville detective, to murderous Nazi collaborator Klaus Felson. Charles Boxer is your common 'professional contract killer with a conscience'. It's no surprise that he ends up being sidelined in favour of a lengthy chase sequence in involving the hapless spider-tattooed cockney gangster and his disgraced-nurse mate.

Dec 21, Carl rated it it was amazing Shelves: Wilson is a great writer.

Robert Wilson

The story of a rich girls kidnap has been done before many times. But it is the backdrop of London and the Indian gangsters that make this story stand out. The heroBoxer is a well fleshed character but even he takes second place to the detailed wring that is able to set the scenes with ease. The art of story telling is in the details and the author has a fine eye for detail and a writing style that incorporates this.

The secondary characters are well fleshed also making Wilson is a great writer. The secondary characters are well fleshed also making the story flow easily. Well written and exciting with plot twists, a race against the clock to save a an Indian Billionares daughter not only from her kidnappers but from her fathers business deals and all those he had wronged on his way to the top.

This will test your mettle and sophisticate your reading. Only the ending left something to be desired, but that's the nature of the beast May 22, Ned Frederick rated it really liked it. Gulped this one down. But still managed to savor the occasional taste of Wilson's writing prowess. His precise and unique phrasing like his description of London traffic as "peristaltic" ; his wonderful, varied and amusing, when not engaging, characters; and, his master puppeteer's plotting skills.


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Next time I'll try to slow down and chew more, but no promises. Feb 10, Eastendleo rated it it was amazing. Love this man's work! One of the most common complaints about Wilson's books is their complexity. And it's one I have very limited sympathy with, as I struggle with the multiple and multiplying historical, geographic and character threads.

Some don't think it worth the effort. Why I like his books are for their approximation to reality: The wonder and joy of this and his other stories is the solid Love this man's work! The wonder and joy of this and his other stories is the solid 'thunk' of all the tumblers lining up at the end. Along with that satisfaction relief? But do yourself a favour and start this book on a Friday night so you can read all night or all weekend - depending on your reading speed: Trotzdem fange ich gleich den zweiten Band an.

I wish there had been more from the kidnap victim's perspective - we end up hearing her worst memory recounted by someone else. First the army, then the police, then high-stakes kidnap and recovery, his ex-wife and daughter learnt to live without him The Hidden Assassins By: Robert Wilson Narrated by: Javier Falcon , Book 3 Length: Add to Cart failed.

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If Apple Books doesn't open, click the Books app in your Dock. Do you already have iTunes? Click I Have iTunes to open it now. View More by This Author. Description A crime thriller to take you on a terrifying journey into London's dark side. When year-old Alyshia D Cruz, the daughter of a self-made Indian billionaire, is kidnapped after an evening out with her co-workers, Boxer is charged with getting Alyshia back alive.