That quarterback is a blowhard who would never admit it was their defense that got them to the Super Bowl. He thinks it's all his doing. Larson is of course thrilled that his career will end this way; he has promised his wife that he will retire after the game. His six-year-old son Jake will finally have his dad home.
Dad can watch him play the game he loves - soccer. Then Jake is kidnapped on his way to the school bus and Larson is told that unless he loses the game, Jake will be killed. He is warned not to tell the police, etc. Will Jake be treated well or killed? Can Larson save his son? Will he throw the biggest game in his career? Cal Murphy, sportswriter for the The Times in Seattle knows Larson well enough to see something is very wrong. Murphy's former college roommate, an FBI agent, gets in touch with him, and suddenly Murphy is right in the middle of this dangerous hostage situation.
I really like Cal Murphy and I will certainly find the first in the series, Cross Hairs, and then settle in to wait for the third book. It helps if you're a football fan like me, but if you aren't, no worries. It's just a heck of a good thriller that just happens to be about football's biggest game. There are also issues that will be very interesting to journalists. Ethical issues that will give a journalist pause.
Author through Partners in Crime Tours When I received this book, I was surprised by how thin it is. If so, it was completely subconscious, as I actually was excited to read it. I thought the premise sounded promising — plus, I love football. So, it seemed like a good combination. And I was right! Cross the Line by Jack Patterson is a fast-paced thriller that keeps you guessing. Cal Murphy is a decent protagonist. I think perhaps the absence of much action with her could help explain the thinness of the book.
Frequently bought together
I was actually relieved to finally have a bit of a shorter book to read. I really enjoyed Cross the Line, and hope to get my hands on a copy of Cross Hairs so I can complete this series to date, anyway and satisfy my curiosity regarding the previous book. If you enjoy past-paced whodunnit thrillers, then I encourage you to give Jack Patterson a try.
I very rarely read thrillers, but I am a big football fan and I had to check this one out when I saw it revolved around the Super Bowl. Football actually turned out to be not all that integral to the story, and I'm on the fence about my feelings for the rest of the book.
- Through These Wicked Nights (Guardians of the Night Book 2).
- Jack Patterson.
- The Cal Murphy Thriller Series in Order - Jack Patterson - FictionDB.
The story is told in third person, and alternates chapters from several different characters although there were a couple I wish I would have heard from that I didn't. Noah Larson is the stoic, veteran quarterback whose son Jac I very rarely read thrillers, but I am a big football fan and I had to check this one out when I saw it revolved around the Super Bowl. Noah Larson is the stoic, veteran quarterback whose son Jack is kidnapped the week before the Super Bowl.
Although we don't hear that much from him after the first few chapters, I found him to be kind of boring. His only child was taken from him, but the level of emotion seen doesn't seem to match what's going on. Cal Murphy is a sports journalist who coaxes the news of the kidnapping out of Cal, and is able to report it to a friend of his in the FBI, who quickly gets involved. Their plan includes sending Cal to Mexico, and along with him is his longtime friend and fellow journalist, Kelly.
Once in Mexico the story starts moving very quickly, and I found myself reading quickly too. Needless to say, Cal and Kelly become a part of Jack's rescue, and find themselves in the hands of a vicious cartel with a bad reputation. Though things take a turn for the worse, Cal and Kelly find help where they least expect it, and must pull every ounce of strength to try to save Jack and themselves. About the last quarter of the book some kind of unbelievable things happen, although they seem to be construed as lucky breaks for Cal.
There were a few things that seemed to come out of nowhere and weren't explained at all, and I was left confused. Also, things were mentioned and then never came up again later in the book. I liked Cal alright, but there was a point where he kind of went off on a tangent in his own head and I found it rather irrelevant to the rest of the story. Even though sometimes things were coming across as a wee bit too convenient for me, I thought the book was a nice break from the type I usually read, and would probably be enjoyed by football fans and thriller fans alike.
The Seattle Seahawks are going to the Super Bowl. For quarterback Noah Larson it is dream come true. The perfect way to end his NFL career would be with a Super Bowl win and all the glory that goes with it. Then he gets the call that stops his heart — his 6 year old son has been kidnapped. If he wants to get his son back alive all he has to do is throw the game and let the Miami Dolphins win. He knows how the quarterback prepares for games and he is not following his normal routine at all. This is the biggest game of his life, why would he change his prep now?
He has an interview scheduled with Larson and is going to find out what is going on. Putting that aside it was the perfect time of year to read this book and I am a huge football fan. The premise of the story was very interesting although you need to suspend reality a bit to think Cal and Kelly could do what they did. Jack Patterson makes this easy to do as the reader is drawn right into the drama especially in Mexico along the desolate roads and to the scary cartel compound. There is also a very surprising twist or two as the story plays out. The book is a very fast read. Like another author with the same last name the short chapters just keep those pages turning.
You still have a couple of days to pick up your copy to enjoy before the Super Bowl. It may change the way you watch the game. This is the second book in the Cal Murphy series by Jake Patterson. Not having read the first book, we were pleased to find the book stands on its own. We also found it fitting that the Seahawks were in the Super Bowl as they were possible contenders in the first week of January The chapters were short and fast paced which made for an enjoyable read.
While the book centers on the Super Bowl, you do not have to be a sports fan to follow along with the story line. This book is about a veteran Seahawks NFL Quarterback, Noah Larson, who finally makes it to the Super Bowl in his 10th and final season, only to find his son, Jake, has been kidnapped and is being held for ransom in Mexico.
Noah must lose the game of his life!
- Paperback Editions;
- Betrayals Allure.
- Customers who bought this item also bought;
- Chase City (Images of America).
- Common Sense for Living: Wise Sayings in Other Words(Expanded Edition).
- The Poverty Cookbook Volume 1 (The Poverty Cookbook Collection);
You can feel the pain Noah and his wife are going through when they learn their only child has been abducted. They however realize the show must go on in order to save his life.
Follow the Author
Cal Murphy is a sports writer for the Seattle Times. He has been awarded the honor of covering the Super Bowl between the Seahawks and the Dolphins. The Seahawks are the favorite to win. After stumbling on the abduction plot, Cal and his photographer friend Kelly Mendoza are persuaded by the FBI to help rescue Jake only to find themselves and Jake in need of rescue. Although we realized that it was stolen shortly after they arrived in Mexico, we hoped we would see it action. A few situations were not entirely plausible.
These did not overly distract from the plot. Even with those aspects, the book was an entertaining thriller and a fast read. This would be a great short book page e-book to read while stuck in an airport or just to liven up a Saturday afternoon reading in the park. Super Bowl Sunday is approaching and as quarterback for one of the teams in the game, Noah Larson is extremely excited. He has achieved his dream One last game, he promises his wife and then he'll retire on a high. But those dreams are shattered when he gets a call that his son, Jake, has been kidnapped.
Throw the game or his son dies. Sportswriter, Cal Murphy, stumbles upon the story and knows he's got to do what he can to rescue Jake. He asks his ph Super Bowl Sunday is approaching and as quarterback for one of the teams in the game, Noah Larson is extremely excited. He asks his photographer friend, Kelly Mendoza, to go undercover with him to head to Mexico to do a bogus story about a coffee maker who they suspect has kidnapped Jake.
It should be a piece of cake since they have FBI protection, right? Well, things don't go as planned and it turns deadly. This is the first book I've read by this author and I really enjoyed it. I liked the writing style. It was well-paced and kept me wanting to read more. The chapters were short snappy, which I like. I liked the characters and think the author did a good job with them I could feel Noah's pain that his son has been kidnapped and that he's going to have to let his team down.
Jack Patterson · OverDrive (Rakuten OverDrive): eBooks, audiobooks and videos for libraries
But his son means everything to him. I'm not a football fan and this book would appeal to fans and non-fans. There were football references but not too detailed The main focus of this book is the mystery. This is the second in the Cal Murphy series but you don't need to read the first one to jump right into this one I would like to go back and read the first one because I enjoyed this one so much. He thought he would go to the big city and make a name chasing big stories, revealing national scandals and ultimately earning himself a Pulitzer Prize.
However, none of that has happened and he has had to settle for a less than stellar life. His attempts at probing the situation bring Cal Murphy face to face with a whole host of trouble, and he has little choice but to follow the trail of the murder case to its destined end if he wants to escape with his life. The Cal Murphy series is essentially a rollercoaster ride of mysteries and murders that Cal Murphy keeps stumbling into.
Because Cal is primarily a sports reporter, most of the cases in this series revolve around sports. Cal is normally sent to cover a sporting event or interview an athlete. It is there that he stumbles into trouble. Sometimes as sporting personality ends up dead and Cal determines that it is his purview as a sportswriter to get to the truth. Other times he overhears something, or someone comes to him looking for help. The more investigating Cal Murphy does, the more trouble he keeps encountering.
Cal is joined on his crusade to find great stories and catch killers by Kelly Mendoza. Cal and Kelly are colleagues at the start. Their relationship develops over the run of the Cal Murphy series. Kelly is typically just as involved in the mysteries and murders at play as Cal.
The Cal Murphy books are often praised for their simple but entertaining storytelling. Jack Patterson, the author, has said on numerous occasions that he is not out to produce life-changing crime dramas. Rather, Patterson writes the Cal Murphy series with the intention of simply telling a good story. And many of his fans seem to believe that he succeeds. The few detractors he has garnered have complained that many of the scenarios the author presents are a little too ridiculous to be believable.
These detractors often cite the times that the FBI calls upon Cal Murphy for help as one of the more ridiculous aspects of the story. Even though the Cal Murphy books follow the exploits of a sportswriter who investigates sports-related crimes, an understanding of the field of sports is not required to enjoy the stories Jack Patterson tells. Would you like to tell us about a lower price? Would you sacrifice a lifelong dream—and your integrity and career—to acquiesce to the demands of terrorists? When veteran pro quarterback Noah Larson finally guides his team to the Super Bowl, his dreams—and life—are dashed when his six-year-old son is kidnapped for a unique ransom: But when everything falls apart, Cal and Kelly are left to save themselves, save Noah's son, and save the Super Bowl.
Read more Read less. Audible book Switch back and forth between reading the Kindle book and listening to the Audible book with Whispersync for Voice. Thousands of books are eligible, including current and former best sellers. Look for the Kindle MatchBook icon on print and Kindle book detail pages of qualifying books. Print edition must be purchased new and sold by Amazon. Gifting of the Kindle edition at the Kindle MatchBook price is not available. Learn more about Kindle MatchBook. Books In This Series 12 Books. Page 1 of 1 Start Over Page 1 of 1. Kindle Cloud Reader Read instantly in your browser.
Customers who bought this item also bought. Page 1 of 1 Start over Page 1 of 1. Editorial Reviews About the Author. Jack Patterson is a thriller author living in the PacificNorthwest. While growing up in a military family, he spent some of hisformative years living with his family on the estate of an English baron and baroness. It was there that he developed his passion for goodliterature and an appreciation for soccer.
Upon returning tothe United States, Jack finished school and entered the field of sports journalism where he wonnumerous writing awards and has written articles for many prestigiousU. He later left journalismfull-time to pursue writing books and now resides in the PacificNorthwest with his wife and three children. Product details File Size: June 29, Sold by: Share your thoughts with other customers. Write a customer review. Read reviews that mention super bowl cal murphy jack patterson cross the line dead line well written noah larson kelly mendoza looking forward drug cartel seattle seahawks year old edge of your seat fast paced twists and turns son is kidnapped good read highly recommend turning pages cross hairs.
Showing of reviews. Top Reviews Most recent Top Reviews. There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later. Kindle Edition Verified Purchase. My first and last Cal Murphy novel and likely anything written by Jack "the hack" Patterson. Characters so thin as to be anorexic. Dialogue limping on dual crutches. Completely sophomoric and so riddled with cliches that it was more porous than a thin slice of baby Swiss. I was driven to finish to see if it could get any more trivial and it did not disappoint. This "book" proves that anyone with a third grade grasp of literature can write a "thriller.
This was a fast read. I'm not too sure Cal Murphy would be my type of protagonist. I understand spilling what he knows to the FBI in the hopes that they could help but then to his editor and then to his friend, Kelly.
See a Problem?
I wouldn't want to tell him any secrets. I also felt Cal and Kelly were really connected, at least on the surface. Despite his feelings for her even after Kelly confessing at the end of the book she cared about him - the relationship didn't feel true.