Vertical Run

One minute you're sitting in your big cushy office, getting some work done, and the next you're running for your life, because it seems that everyone from your boss to the janitor wants you dead. And just to drive the point home, there's a team of skilled mercenaries on your tail. And all you have to get you out in one piece is your military training and a voice in your head. Now that, my friends, is a bad day at the office.With light-speed pacing and expert storytelling, Joseph Garber's action-packed thriller is definatley worth a read. The book's office building setting and relentless action scenes draw immediate comparisons to Die Hard, all the while infusing a great mystery story, as protagonist Dave Elliot tries to figure out why everyone seems to want him dead. The character developent and writing are surprisingly good for an action novel, as are the use of subplot and flashbacks. Elliot's recolections of Vietnam are fascinating, and the military background makes him a surprisingly rescourcful character. None of this slows down the plot, however, which barrels along at supersonic speed and never lets up. Things explode, people get shot, and the ending is maddeningly creative. Vertical Run is a great piece of escapist fiction, definatley a ride worth taking.

Hey, a new story. In this category of books, it is getting a tough to find something new but this was. I think I have had a few days like this - at least the part about the boss taking a shot at him. This is a fun book with a new interesting plot. Joe average all of a sudden has the world after him. He then has to run for his life. The book just keeps going and going. I think this will always be this author's best books, I do not know how he will top it. The story is very tight. It had it all, a great story, good characters, wonderful action and a quick pace. This is just a good old exciting book. The author peppers the book with plot twists that keep the reader on his toes. This author writes in a way that is tight and slick that keep you interested through out. Sit back and enjoy this book.

I saw "Vertical Run" 's pre-release ad in 1995; it intrigued me: A normal guy comes to work and suddenly everyone, including his partner and best friend, are trying to kill him! Why? I finally read it this year; I'm sorry I waited. = This book moves like a runaway train and takes you with it, pulling you into the careening action in the first few pages. You have to go along, you don't have a choice. This is one of the five best action-thrillers I have read in my entire life. I will not give away the plot, it's too much fun to read it. Suffice to say, the clues are all there for those that like to puzzle out this kind of thing. Most of the action takes place in a high-rise office building, thus the title. And by God, it's a run alright. It has tension, conflict, fights, explosions (I like explosions), a little romance, and some fascinating nuggets of information on how to set booby-traps using only the materials at hand in a normal office environment (don't try those at work, kids, you'll get arrested). This book is not only worth reading, it's worth owning the hardback edition. You may have mixed feelings about the ending, but I think it's the right way for the plot to conclude.

I've just read the comments by other reviewers, and as my rating indicates, I'm in agreement with the majority of them. To those who nitpicked the book to death I can only say yes, the characterizations are not profound psychological studies; yes, the plot has some holes in it; and no, this isn't literature with a capital L. It's a beach book, a page-turner--and a dandy one at that. Knowing nothing about it but intrigued by some of the cover blurbs, I bought the paperback several years ago and started reading it one afternoon. Amidst various interruptions, I got through three-quarters of it by late evening. If I hadn't had to go to work the next day I'd have finished it. As it was, as soon as I got home from work I barreled through to the end, enjoying every minute of it. I raved enthusiastically about it so much that my girlfriend, who was not much of a fiction reader and completely disinclined to read thrillers, picked it up herself. She too read it in a couple of days and, though not as enthusiastic about it as I was, admitted that she enjoyed it. If you decide to read it, make sure your schedule is clear of obstacles because you won't want to put this one down once you've started it. But for crying out loud, suspend your disbelief and don't pick it apart as though it's a work by Faulkner or Joyce! It's an action/suspense novel, and succeeds supremely well within that context.