From Publishers Weekly
Lindsey is an efficient thriller author who sometimes (as in Mercy) reaches considerable heights of suspense and terror. The present book, however, is no more than just efficient, despite its smooth prose, a Lindsey trademark. It has a workable plot-Titus Cain, a self-made Texas millionaire software developer, is being bled financially by a Latino thug who threatens to kill Cain's nearest and dearest if he fails to pay large sums into a series of front companies-but it soon becomes clear that the plot is all there is to the book. Titus; his wife, Rita; and the outlaw techno-whiz they hire to get them out of their horrible situation are not brought to life for an instant, but remain the ciphers of a mindless action movie. It soon becomes clear that the Cains' would-be savior, Garcia Burden, has his own dark agenda, and that their nemesis is not stockpiling money just for himself but perhaps for a sinister Arab group that could be planning a new terrorist attack. There's a great deal of planting bugs, scrutinizing laptops, dashing around in SUVs and the occasional burst of mayhem, but it's basically an unengaging and mechanical exercise. Lindsey can do much better.Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From AudioFile
Titus Cain has been targeted by a Latino thug in a sophisticated extortion scheme that results in the horrific deaths of friends close to Titus. Cain enlists the help of former CIA agents in an effort to thwart the villains. Christopher Price successfully conveys the brutality of the criminals with voices that are frighteningly realistic. His accents, Spanish and others, are excellent, and his characterizations of Cain, his wife, and others are totally convincing. The tension is palpable in Price's taut and dramatic reading, and the excitement is heightened by excellent timing. S.S.R. © AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine


From Booklist
Multimillionaire Titus Cain is approached with a strange proposition: if he doesn't give a certain man $64 million, this same man will kill off some (or perhaps all) of Cain's friends and loved ones. The money has to be given to the extortionist in such a way that no one suspects anything is going on (primarily through deliberately bad investments), and if Cain even tries to seek help, the killings will start instantly. Lindsey's latest novel is thoroughly exhilarating, even if the premise isn't completely fresh: Jon Katzenbach's The Analyst (2001) was also about a man who had to do a specific thing if he didn't want the villain to kill his loved ones. Titus Cain is a sympathetic protagonist, a man forced to make tough decisions in the face of enormous danger; Cayetano Luquin, the powerful extortionist, who apparently does this sort of thing for a living, is vastly evil without being cartoonish; and Garcia Burden, the ex-CIA counterterrorism expert to whom Titus turns for help, is resourceful and inscrutable. Lindsey's novels sometimes suffer from lethargy, as though he's just sort of wandering through his story, but this one moves swiftly to its rousing finale. It's a definite winner. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"Titus Cain is living an idyllic life most can only dream about. He's a self-made multimillionaire and founder of a successful software company. His employees adore him. He has a warm and loving wife. His home is a large but unpretentious country house atop ten acres of beautiful Texas Hill Country. And Titus is the kind of man who knows he has a lot to be thankful for." "Then Cayetano "Tano" Luquin walks into his life one summer evening escorted by three armed assassins. They've come for Titus, but this is no ordinary kidnapping. There are rules. Strict rules. Simple rules. And they must be followed. Or there will be consequences." "Titus is free to go on living as he pleases - but he must make a series of "bad business investments" totaling $64 million over the next four days. If he misses a single payment, people close to Titus die. If he tries to negotiate the ransom, people die. If he contacts the authorities or warns his friends and family of the danger, people die. Silence is his only option." "He complies with Tano's demands, frantically scrambling to liquidate millions of his company's assets in time to meet the first deadline. Payment is made with just moments to spare, and Titus can breathe a sigh of relief. Or so he thinks." He's about to discover that Tano is driven by stakes higher than he had revealed, and that he's willing to be more vicious and merciless than Titus had ever imagined. Trapped in a criminal enterprise with uniquely terrifying rules, and realizing that every decision he makes, every word he speaks, and every move he makes could cost the life of someone he loves, Titus decides to fight back. His only hope is to find an ally as cold-blooded and determined as his enemy.

FROM THE CRITICS

Nelson DeMille

David Lindsey's fast-paced novels of suspense never disappoint...this is his best yet...an expertly written story...that will keep you engrossed and awake long into the night.

Publishers Weekly

Lindsey is an efficient thriller author who sometimes (as in Mercy) reaches considerable heights of suspense and terror. The present book, however, is no more than just efficient, despite its smooth prose, a Lindsey trademark. It has a workable plot-Titus Cain, a self-made Texas millionaire software developer, is being bled financially by a Latino thug who threatens to kill Cain's nearest and dearest if he fails to pay large sums into a series of front companies-but it soon becomes clear that the plot is all there is to the book. Titus; his wife, Rita; and the outlaw techno-whiz they hire to get them out of their horrible situation are not brought to life for an instant, but remain the ciphers of a mindless action movie. It soon becomes clear that the Cains' would-be savior, Garcia Burden, has his own dark agenda, and that their nemesis is not stockpiling money just for himself but perhaps for a sinister Arab group that could be planning a new terrorist attack. There's a great deal of planting bugs, scrutinizing laptops, dashing around in SUVs and the occasional burst of mayhem, but it's basically an unengaging and mechanical exercise. Lindsey can do much better. (April 2) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

AudioFile

Titus Cain has been targeted by a Latino thug in a sophisticated extortion scheme that results in the horrific deaths of friends close to Titus. Cain enlists the help of former CIA agents in an effort to thwart the villains. Christopher Price successfully conveys the brutality of the criminals with voices that are frighteningly realistic. His accents, Spanish and others, are excellent, and his characterizations of Cain, his wife, and others are totally convincing. The tension is palpable in Price's taut and dramatic reading, and the excitement is heightened by excellent timing. S.S.R. © AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews