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| Author: Simon Kernick
Publisher: Corgi Books
Category: Book
List Price: £6.99
Buy New: £3.86
You Save: £3.13 (45%)
New (32) Used (43) from £0.45
Avg. Customer Rating:  22 reviews
Sales Rank: 939
Media: Mass Market Paperback
Pages: 352
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 7 x 4.2 x 1.5
ISBN: 0552156604
EAN: 9780552156608
ASIN: 0552156604
Publication Date: July 14, 2008
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
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| Customer Reviews:
 Ever heard of editing? September 6, 2008
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
I had heard good things.
But this at nearly 500 pages lost suspense through paper thin dialogue and formulaic relationships occuring.
I am sorry, the ultimate insult this, to say I gave up half way.
An arduous read, characters I couldn't care less about coupled with unimaginative prose and narrative.
To call him 'an English Harlan Coben' is an insult on the evidence of this book.
 Gripping thriller August 30, 2008
I have been a Kernick fan since book one and have been looking forward to reading DEADLINE on my recent holiday. It didn't disappoint.
It's a fast-paced, well-characterised thriller, once again set around the grim streets and suburbs of London.
Right from page one, a Kernick trick I think, I was hooked. I read the book in a couple of days relaxing by the Pacific Ocean.
Twists and turns, a little bit of gut-wrenching violence, and a grandstand finish.
Mark Billingham has some serious competition !
Recommended.
Unrelenting August 29, 2008
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
Having only read one other Kernick novel (Relentess) I was hoping for more of the same. Whilst this followed the same fast paced action, it was ten times better! The pages raced by as I started chapter after chapter, not wanting to put it down. I kept making guesses as to who was involved, thinking I'd sussed it out only to find my theories were completely blown out of the water.
Unlike `Relentless' this feels more realistic. There are still a few aspects of the plot that I don't feel were tied up very well but as with most crime thrillers it's easy to establish the crime rather than draw it to a close at times. Having said that, I felt completely satisfied when I closed the covers. Almost every character has a secret, but is it a secret connected to the disappearance of fourteen year-old Emma?
With only 48 hours to raise the money her mother, Andrea Devern, pulls out all the stops. She contacts the only person she feels she can turn to but at what cost? As revealed on the blurb, Andrea's husband Pat is also missing; at exactly the same time as her daughter. Therefore we have another clever point to consider - could Pat be involved in her daughter's abduction? It really is a nightmare world to be in and Andrea is constantly at the centre of this hell as it unfolds over the course of a few days.
I can't wait to go on and read Kernick's other novels. I already own `Severed' but I'll certainly be acquiring his other novels. His writing is consistent with him being able to maintain the pace he establishes at the outset; for me this is crucial in a novel that takes place over a short space of time. There was no point where I wanted to put this book down.
Kernick back on form August 26, 2008
This is much better than Kernick's last effort - the plot not quite so tortuous, characterisation not quite so thin and the violence not as over-wrought. In fact this is a much more restrained Kernick - not so much thriller, more standard police procedural. The plot is straight-forward but with enough twists to more than maintain interest, although basing one of the main hooks on a lie is a cheap shot - the kidnapped girl is not DI Bolt's long-lost love-child. The kidnapper's voice is one that could have been developed more especially given the identity of the protagonist and the superb opening, which is the only occasion where we see proceedings from this view point. The suspense angle of the title 'Deadline' is one that really doesn't work either- once the ransom is handed over, the kidnappers simply demand another installment - and so it goes on. Still, a great read as ever with Kernick - fortunately all the 'comic-book' elements of 'Severed' have gone and while the pacing is not as exhilarating as 'Relentless' I think overall this story is probably just as satisfying..
The art of writing a fine thriller August 6, 2008
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
Simon Kernick proves to be an excellent thriller writer. The novel "Deadline" is a clear reflection of this. Word of mouth of communication persuaded me to actually read the novel. I am really satisfied with what I have read, as it is a well paced thriller novel that really intrigued me for long periods. The plot to the novel always surprised you, when you think it is all over.
The Deadline comprises an explosive plot, credible characters and a well portrayal of the criminal world of London. The suburban life is the key background of the novel. The story is about an ordinary businesswoman Andrea, who's daughter kidnapped by mysterious attackers and she is imposed an ransom to ensure the safe return of the daughter. What are the main motives for the kidnapping? Who can she trust? How does she cope with the terrible ordeals leading to the kidnapping? The answers will be all revealed in the novel.
Simon Kernick's novel demonstrates the art of writing a fine thriller. Deadline tops the list of fine thrillers I have read in recent times. It is richly entertaining and additive piece of reading.
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