Customer Reviews1.24:NY, December 15, 2005
By Jason A. Miller (New York, New York USA)
"Declassified: Hell Gate" takes us back in time to before the first season of "24", and tells some early stories about CTU. Make no mistake, Jack Bauer is still Jack. The TV series relies heavily on Kiefer Sutherland, and the books -- at least Tom Clancy alum Marc Cerasini's effort -- captures him believably on paper.
Most of the Season 1 CTU supporting cast, everyone except George Mason, shows up in supporting roles here. The bulk of the story, however, takes place in Brooklyn and Queens, with Jack chasing down a few overlapping terrorist plots prior to 9/11. The NYC settings are well used. You get the sense from Cerasini's writing that, minus a few days of second unit filming with Kiefer Sutherland, this entire story could still be filmed in Burbank. On the other hand, Cerasini captures mid-1990s' New York City well, with several interesting locations off the beaten path, and a large supporting cast of immigrants and ethnic New Yorkers.
The "real-time" format is also retained for the book. There are fewer cheats here than on TV, every character is able to get from Point A to Point B in sprawling Los Angeles in less than 20 minutes, and William Devane can change from orange prisoner garb into a neatly pressed $5,000 suit in 4 minutes and 20 seconds. In the book, fewer things happen, and characters vanish for whole chapters (hours) at a time. Most chapters are between 8 and 12 pages long, and that covers the whole hour. You can believe all this stuff happens in a day.
The potential for a bad TV tie-in novel is really, really high. Walk into any chain bookstore and head to the sci-fi section; you'll usually see two bookcases full of TV tie-ins. Some of those books are innovative and praiseworthy; many others are not worth the low-cost paper they're printed on. The recent tie-in to the TV hit "Lost" is the equivalent of Kim Bauer getting trapped in the woods and menaced by a cougar. So compared to that, at least, this first "24" novel is a good way of passing time in between one season's finale in May and the next season's debut the following January.
2.Bauer's Got Our Backs, December 10, 2005
By Thom W. (Northeast USA)
The pages turn like lightning in this first novel of a new thriller series based on the TV show 24. Federal Agent Jack Bauer faces a group of terrorists who plan to unleash a deadly flu pandemic on New York City.
Each chapter is a new hour in Jack's day. The action starts with a prologue featuring an assault at LAX that yields the first clues to the emerging threat. It is the capture of Dante Arete, an East Coast gang member with ties to Afghani terrorists and the IRA.
Jack travels to NYC for a joint FBI-CTU interrogation of the suspect when he's artfully framed for murder by a corrupt FBI agent. Thousands of miles from his Los Angeles field office, alone and hunted by the authorities and terrorists alike, Jack makes NYC his personal Ground Zero as he chases down clues in a race against the clock in a war against terror, all predating (and deftly foreshadowing) the attacks on 9/11.
Because this is a prequel, readers are treated to the return of characters from the 1st season. Even though Jack is in NYC, he relies heavily on help from Los Angeles and members of his loyal CTU team, who are given points of view throughout the novel. The old CTU gang are helping Jack at every turn: Nina Myers, Jamey, Milo, and Tony Almeida (my favorite character after Jack). Tony is given his own plotline in Los Angeles, which ties into what Jack's investigating in NYC. (Tony's forced to team up with an attractive female Marine captain, a weapons specialist with whom he's got a few beefs, to investigate the origins of a dangerous piece of advanced weapons technology.)
I liked the way the author put you in Jack's head (he's got Jack dead on). The final chapters are explosive. I'm a huge fan of 24, and I loved this book. If they're all as good as this, then I'll look forward to reading more in this new series.
3.Need a "24" Fix Between Episodes?, April 28, 2007
By Bigwheels1971 (Maine)
Jack Bauer and the rest of the Counter-Terrorism Unit have 24 hours to stop a plot that would devastate the citizens of Los Angeles and the entire nation. However, no one is entirely sure what kind of threat is forthcoming. Is it a plan to shoot down dozens of domestic airliners...or something even more terrifying? The hunt for answers will take Jack Bauer to New York City where as Jack scours the city for leads, each hour has the potential of leading him and an entire city closer to death...
As a fan of the TV show, I had fun reading about characters that are not on the show presently for various reasons. I would definitely recommend this book for someone who is a fan of the show or has never seen it. The story has plenty of action, drama, and suspense to go around. However, if you have never seen the show, I would also recommend renting the first season DVD. Between the books and the TV show, you will be a 24 convert in no time.
Marc Cerasini and Alice Alfonsi, a popular husband-and-wife writing team, were born and raised in Pittsburgh, met in New York City, and married in Las Vegas. Together they've authored a number of bestselling books. As Cleo Coyle, they write The Coffeehouse Mysteries, including the number-one and number-two Independent Mystery Booksellers Association bestsellers On What Grounds and Through the Grinder. As Alice Kimberly, they write The Haunted Bookshop Mysteries, including The Ghost and the Dead Deb and the IMBA bestseller The Ghost and Mrs. McClure. Under their own names they authored 24: The House Special Subcommittee Investigation of CTU, based on the Emmy Award-winning Fox television show 24. Separately, Mr. Cerasini, who has ghostwritten for Tom Clancy, has authored over thirty books for adults and children, including the New York Times bestseller O.J. Simpson: American Hero, American Tragedy, the original novel Wolverine: Weapon X for Marvel Press, and novelizations based on the films Cinderella Man and AVP: Alien Vs. Predator. Ms. Alfonsi, a book editor and former newspaper reporter, has written a number of original and media tie-in novels, including the New York Times bestseller Hidden Passions: Secrets from the Diaries of Tabitha Lenox, an original novel based on the offbeat daytime drama Passions.
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