The Tower by Gregg Andrew Hurwitz

I didn't like this book. I did like Orphan X but this book did not hold my interest. There is much that is out of the ordinary. Hurwitz seems to have had an education. He probably has read Foucault. However, I couldn't find a way to emphasize with the hero nor with the villain. They seemed like cardboard figures moving against a chaotic backdrop. I'm not inclined to read his other works at this point. I will see if he does follow up on the Orphan theme with another book. He did make that hero more sympathetic.

It may sound like a strange title for me to pick for this review since it is his first book, but I have read all of Hurwitz' other novels and this was my last one. I do think he is consistently excellent, although I have to say that his books continue to improve. I loved that way he went back and forth between Allendar, the escaped convict, and Jade, his tracker. I also loved the interplay between Jade and the female FBI agent and how their relationship sort of developed. Hurwitz' writing is always wonderful, as is his plot development. The psychological insight into Allendar is very thorough and it's chilling as Jade gets further and further into his head. Jade, who is very tough and can seem unfeeling, develops a very sensitive relationship with Allendar's mother, bringing a softer dimension into his character. Flashbacks to his mentally challenged brother do as well. The story is very violent. but these are violent men. It is truly a multifaceted story and it is astounding that it is a first novel. I think his later novels are more subtle in their violence and stronger on suspense instead, but I am also amazed at his versatility as a writer. I would wholeheartedly recommend this and any other book written by Gregg Hurwitz.

The Tower
It is inevitable that, as the serial killer genre proliferates, certain plot devices begin to become commonplace. When this happens it puts increased pressure on an author to bring off a story where, for the most part, the reader can guess seventy percent of the plot after the first 20 pages. 'The Tower' is a 'killer breaks out of jail and seeks revenge' story, and never really deviates from that basic format. The tower of the story is a very maximum security prison where only the very worst of criminals are sent. Located off the San Francisco coast, most of its height is actually under water, access being carefully controlled. Its guests are few, less than a dozen, plus a small number of guards.
New to this prison is Allander Atlasia, a severe psychotic lacking any sympathetic traits (unless you want to count killing his lawyer). Unsurprisingly, within a fortnight of being put into his cell, Atlasia manages to do the impossible and breaks back out. Making sure to kill almost everyone in the prison as he heads for freedom. Thus, right off the bat, you will realize that Allander is not the one at a time type of killer. He likes family units and groups. Allander has a specific purpose in mind on this killing spree and the FBI is desperate to get to him before he descends on humanity like Jack the Ripper.
Jade Marlowe is a tracker or 'bounty hunter' who has proven himself relentless, with a kill rate that rivals most serial killers. As an ex-FBI profiler Marlowe has developed that rare skill, getting into the head of stoned murderer. However, in Marlowe's case the problem is getting himself back out again. His compulsive behavior threatens to overwhelm his life, and civilians do only slightly better than criminals around Jade. For the most part he is best left alone, although he has a ruinous effect on public relations. Trying to rein in Marlowe's leash is Special Agent Jennifer Travers job, and one she doesn't like at all.
The story is what one would expect from this kind of cast - explosively violent. Allander starts his theme killings with Marlowe right behind. The tracker seems unable to outmaneuver the killer and the body count mounts with each gruesome slaughter. There's plenty of action, the reader will become increasingly frustrated with Jade's near misses, and.... Well, I'll leave what surprises and twists Hurwitz does come up with as surprises for the reader.
The biggest disappointment is Hurwitz's characters, who are simply never quite believable. Atlasia is cast as the brilliant psychotic - an intellectual ice cube. Perhaps that is what he is billed as, but the reality is that he is far more lucky than smart. He is good at escapes, but he specializes in the kind of suicidal risk taking which is more characteristic of a serial killer at the end of his road rather than one who is completely in control. And Marlowe, the super tracker, has a knack for setting up traps that catch the wrong victims. Even when the reader has a complete picture of the motivations driving the two men, neither becomes any more sympathetic or believable.
I prefer Hurwitz's other effort, 'Minutes to Burn,' which has a more ingenious plot. In the final analysis reading a Hurwitz book is a lot like watching the movie that it no doubt wants to be. There is a lot of action and gore, but the characters are shadows of reality. Much more like superheroes than real people. What saves the book is that Hurwitz actually is a capable writer. He has a knack for portraying action and keeping the reader's interest up through the entire novel. And if you like a lot of action you are probably going to like this book. With a little more attention to character development it would have been a remarkable effort. I will be watching for Hurwitz's next.

This is Hurwitz's first book in his literary career. As a fan reader of the Orphan series, I was compelled to trace back the origins of this amazing author. I was not disappointed! It is raw in action and intensity. Picture a bareback horseride with a wild one vs the elegant thoroughbred of Evan Smoak. I recommend and encourage all fans to read this

This is an excellent book. I would love to see more writing in this vein about the protagonist, Jake.

The antagonist is a complete nut-job with an Oedipus Complex to go with a clown phobia. On top of all of this, he's also off the scale intelligent. He really gives Jake a run for his money.When I read this book the first time, I could SO see it as a movie, even picking out the character cast. I was grabbing Billy Bob Thornton and Zeus. Robert Pattinson and Bruce Willis. The rest were fuzzy, but these were the ones that stood out for me.

This book kept me spellbound durning its entirety. It expresses the human spirit in all its various manifestations very well. Hurwitz is a master story teller. I loved his knowledge of psychology as well.

A very interesting read - and I thoroughly enjoyed it until the end. I thought the ending was anticlimactic (at best) and bizarre, simply didn't fit with the rest of the book.

The writing about the Tower itself and Allender as a sadistic killer-for-joy (whatever his past may have justified) was creative and captivating. But once super man Jade, apparently a blundering guy with unreal resistance to pain, arrives, he dominates the book as a totally uninteresting character.

Too bad. It could have been a great story, instead of just a good one.