From New York Times bestselling author Greg Iles comes his latest tour de force thriller -- an unforgettable plunge into a world of sex, violence, marital betrayal, medical malpractice, and Southern intrigue...all of which takes place in the span of one furious, terrifying day. In Third Degree, Greg Iles takes us to the idyllic town of Athens Point, Mississippi, to probe beneath the surface of the modern American marriage -- where the appearance of perfection conceals a soul-searing conflict of unnerving intensity and violent possibility. Packed with the storytelling brilliance and twisting suspense that mesmerized readers of True Evil, Turning Angel, and Blood Memory, Iles's newest novel delivers a powerful, revelatory reading experience. Laurel Shields, thirty-five and mother of two, awakens to find that her husband, Warren, a prominent local physician, is not in bed with her. Creeping out to the kitchen of their palatial home, she sees him through the doorway of his study, wildly pulling books from the shelves. Two weeks earlier, Warren and his partner were informed by the IRS that their medical practice was being audited; since then the stress on Dr. Shields has steadily ratcheted up.But Laurel has problems of her own. Quickly returning to the bedroom, she locks herself in the master bath, opens a home pregnancy testing kit, and fearfully tests herself. PREGNANT, announces the digital readout. Laurel closes her eyes as though absorbing news of a death, then quickly hides the evidence. She is not sure who the father is. Summoning all her strength, she walks into the kitchen to carry out the acting performance of her life. Later that morning, Laurel returns home and is surprised to find her husband's car still parked in the driveway. The house has a strange stillness to it. In the den, she finds Warren sitting on the sofa in the same clothes he wore the previous day. His face is pale and unshaven, his eyes hollow with fear. Then, in come the children, innocent of it all....So begins the most terrifying day in the history of a marriage, one that in less than five hours will make the Shields house the vortex of a nerve-wracking siege. While a nervous ring of armed men awaits its chance to storm the suburban home, inside the house the clock ticks down on exposure of Laurel's terrible secret. But she is not alone in her lies. Before the siege is through, this terrifying drama will pull in desperate characters from the town and drive Dr. Shields, his wife, and her lover to the very brink of sanity and survival. Rich with Southern atmosphere, and perceptively laced with the tacit deceptions and psychological cracks found in nearly all marriages, Third Degree delivers another knockout, page-turning read from Greg Iles, "the poster boy of southern gothic thrillers" (Kirkus Reviews), and proves again that Iles is today's unparalleled master of the suspense novel.

Customer Rating:
Summary: Good read...
Comment: I love the writing style of Greg Iles. This book did not disappoint. I had a hard time getting into it at first but once I did I lost a lot of sleep trying to get through it. The ending was a little disappointing but other than that it was a nice ride to get there.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Not up to Greg Iles' standards
Comment: My title should just about say it all. Fans of his other works will note that this is a relatively weak offering. For another author this would be a fairly good work, and I did enjoy it, but it is among Iles' worst offerings so far.

I highly recommend his other works, esp. Mortal Fear, Black Cross, Spandau Phoenix, the Quiet Game, Turning Angel, True Evil, Blood Memory, Sleep No More, pretty much anything by him.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Another Iles Favorite
Comment: If Greg Iles wrote the telephone book I would read it cover to cover. He is just that good. This story was suspenseful, tense, somewhat predictable and entertaining as hell. As much as I liked it I had a had time trying to figure out what value the 2 office girls added to the story. The fine line between love and hate makes this kind of scenario all the more captivating. I couldn't put it down.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Fastest book I ever read
Comment: I read some of these reviews and was tempted to not get it, but the description of the book intrigued me. I read this book faster than any book I've ever read. I guess you can call that a page turner. I found it very entertaining

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Customer Rating:
Summary: So, So Good
Comment: I've been surprised over the negative comments about THIRD DEGREE, mostly because I enjoyed it so much. As far as thrillers go, it's not amazingly original, but the writing is great and it moves along at a really good clip.

This isn't about crazy terrorists, gun-toting assassins, or super spies. It's simply about a marriage that has fallen apart, a husband who has literally gone over the deep end, and a wife trying her best to both apologize for her betrayal and keep safe everyone she loves the most.

I read THIRD DEGREE in a day, because I didn't want to put it down once I started. For me, a really enjoyable read!

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