The Two Minute Rule

November 25, 2007 in Crime, Fiction, Mystery, Uncategorized by admin | No comments

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Author: Robert Crais

Genre: Mystery

Rating: ***** (5 Stars)

Summary:

Max Holman has just completed a ten year prison sentence for bank robbery. Upon being released, he learns that his son, Richie, a Los Angeles police officer, was one of four officers killed in a shooting. The police close the case as a revenge killing, but Holman, feeling that the facts don’t add up, starts looking for more information.

While seeking the truth about his son, Holman attempts to re-establish contact with Richie’s mother, Donna Banik, only to learn that she has died. His only remaining connection to Richie is Liz Holman, Richie’s widow. From Liz, he learns that Richie and the other three murdered officers were investigating a pair of serial bank robbers named Marchenko and Parsons, who were killed in a shootout with police. Curious as to why uniformed officers were conducting an investigation that was officially closed, and that would normally be assigned to detectives, Holman enlists the help of Katherine Pollard, a retired FBI agent. Together, they learn that over $16 million from the Marchenko and Parsons robberies was never recovered, and that the four murdered officers were looking for it.

As Holman and Pollard dig deeper, the detectives running the murder investigation begin to harass Holman in an attempt to scare him off. They also apply pressure through Pollard’s former boss at the FBI. The story concludes with a harrowing series of plot twists and narrow escapes.

The Two Minute Rule is a multi-faceted book. On the one hand, it is an action/adventure mystery story. One the other hand, it confronts the emotional challenges faced by a criminal who has decided to straighten out his life, but is haunted by regrets about his past. He is particularly distraught over his destroyed relationships with Donna and Richie, and the fact that they both died before he could make amends. The book is full of poignant moments as Max faces the consequences of his choices, works through his grief, and moves on with his life.

My Thoughts:

The Two Minute Rule is quite a ride. The story is gripping, and like any good book, became harder to put down the further I read. More importantly, it reminded me that my family is the most precious thing I have.

It is easy to become cynical about career criminals who are released from prison, only to commit another crime and end up reincarcerated. On the other hand, we rarely hear about offenders who learn from their mistakes and go on to live productive lives. The Two Minute Rule puts a human face on people like Max Holman, who put their pasts behind them and contribute to society.