No Man's Land

Frank Corso #5

by G.M. Ford

The accolades keep rolling in for G.M. Ford, whose gritty, explosive, lightning-fast brand of thriller has placed him in the upper ranks of contemporary crime fiction authors. Now, in his most relentlessly exciting novel to date, Ford's dark and complex protagonist, Frank Corso, finds himself drawn into a bizarre carnival of blood and death in the last place any sane person would willingly go ...

No Man's Land

Arizona's Meza Azul penitentiary is the pride of the state's newly privatized penal system -- a modern technological wonder, unassailable and inescapable, built to hold the worst of the worst. Yet, inconceivably, one prisoner has managed to breach the foolproof security, set loose the other inmates, and take control of the facility -- holding more than one hundred guards and workers hostage. And one hostage will die every six hours until Timothy Driver gets what he wants: Frank Corso.

A rogue journalist and confirmed lone wolf, Corso wrote a bestselling book about the former U.S. Navy submarine commander who was convicted of slaughtering his wife and her lover in a jealous fury. Now, unwilling to be responsible for the death of innocents, Corso allows himself to be delivered into the bowels of Meza Azul -- and into the hands of a crazed hero turned criminal.

But Captain Driver wants more than the ear of a once-sympathetic writer who will tell his final story tough and truthfully. Accompanied by a cold-blooded hayseed murder machine named "Cutter" Kehoe, and with Corso in tow, Driver pulls off a brilliant and undetected escape, right under the noses of armed government troops as they storm the captured prison. Suddenly a helpless spectator along for the ride on a maniacal cross-country killing spree -- with a tragic and beautiful TV journalist doggedly pursuing the story, heading inexorably into harm's way -- Corso finds himself in no man's land.

If he's lucky, Frank Corso may get one slim chance to escape the clutches of a psychopathic duo determined to go out in a blaze of blood and terror. But if he's not, his own story -- and too many others -- will end abruptly and brutally.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Suspense, Mystery Thriller

310 pages, Hardcover

First published June 28, 2005

About the author

Gerald M. Ford was the author of the widely praised Frank Corso novels, Fury, Black River, A Blind Eye, Red Tide, No Man's Land, and Blown Away; six highly acclaimed mysteries, featuring Seattle private investigator Leo Waterman; and the stand-alone thriller Nameless Night. A former creative writing teacher in western Washington, Ford lived in San Diego.

Reviews

[Venky · Rating 2 out of 5]

I guess the lockdown has really got to me! My most recent choice of books seems to be veering from the intolerable to the indigestible. The most recent example being G.M. Ford’ s “No Man’s Land.” 388 pages of illogical derring-do, irrational heists and infuriating punch lines. Timothy Driver an ex US Navy veteran with advanced degrees in all things aquatic and many things digital is languishing in the high security prison facility of Mesa Azul in Arizona. Conjured by a vicious imagination and fueled by the lure of capitalism, Mesa Azul is the brainchild of Randall Corporation. Unhinged by an existence that necessitates not just solitude but also demands tolerance to lights that are never turned off, Driver – convicted of murdering his wife as well as her paramour, both while having a romp in Driver’s bed – decides he needs some fresh air. Pulling off an incredible heist that involves a multitude of machine gun wielding reprobates and lifers, Driver holds the prison security hostage and threatens to lop off one hostage every six hours until such time a man named Frank Corso is delivered to him.

Making good on his promise, Driver and his lieutenant Cutter Kehoe, a gigantic man with an even more gigantic streak of sadism to boot, go on to facilitate a few good men to meet their maker. There is a scramble to locate the reclusive Corso before Driver succeeds in liberating 163 men from their human bondage. Convincing Corso that eating crabs for lunch, breakfast and dinner and idling away in his own boat is less of a priority than saving lives, law enforcement agencies finally coax Corso away from his personal diversion to the correctional facility at Mesa Azul.

Lest the reader tear his hair away wondering what connects Corso with Driver, Mr. Ford displays his benevolent side by revealing that Corso had written a book chronicling the former escapades of Corso. The author and the protagonist meet, greet, exchange pleasantries, punch lines and prospects before the unpredictable Driver and his crony Cutter whisk Corso away in an oil tanker. Yes, in a giant oil tanker full of diesel. Mode of protection against noxious fumes and flames – hazmat suits. Now that we are living in Dystopian times tormented by a virus, I am used to now accepting the fact that Hazmat suits are off the shelf commodities akin to Heinz Ketchup and Pringles crisps.

Bring into the fray the opportunistic Melanie Harris, the anchor of a bestselling show titled American Manhunt whose only objective is to aid and abet the hunting down of incorrigibles such as Cutter and Driver – the combination of names itself sounds eerily reprehensible – and her producer Marty (I even forgot what this character’s full name is), the reader is left nursing a headache which no amount of Aspirins can alleviate!

What the psychotic Driver and the demented Cutter do with the world in general and Corso in particular and whether their ambitions are put paid to by whoever dares to accost them forms the bulk of the plot. Murders. mayhem and melee are the expected collateral damages.

At the end of the book, I gave myself a pep talk to change my reading habits with utmost urgency, stringency and commitment. Lest I find myself stranded in a metaphorical “No Man’s Land!”

[Joe · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the 5th Frank Corso book. Frank is a disgraced journalist who somehow over the series has become rich - writing crime novels and/or true crime books - and I believe has grown, (He's 6'4" and 200+ lbs in this book). He's a tough guy with a penchant for violence and a reluctant hero; law enforcement authorities dragging him into tracking and catching the worst of the worst of the criminal element. (There's usually some quirky coincidence that makes Frank's presence in the hunt mandatory).

No Man's Land follows this formula exactly. A maximum security Arizona prison - full of the worst of the worst - is taken over by one of its inmates, an ex-Navy submarine captain, who frees his fellow prisoners within the compound and takes the prison staff hostage. Now for the quirky coincidence - Said convict/captain demands that our hero be located and brought to the prison. If not, hostages will be executed. It seems Frank has authored a book on said villain. So while on his houseboat fishing for crabs Frank is helicoptered to the stand-off at the penitentiary and the story begins.

The first 100 pages of this book - although not intellectually challenging - are exciting, as the reader is introduced to all the characters - the good guys, including FBI agents and the army, the bad guys inside the prison, and an overly ambitious, but drop dead gorgeous female TV news reporter. Hence the proverbial stage is set with Frank right in the middle of this grisly situation.

Unfortunately, after this opening the story-line grinds to a standstill for the next 200+ pages, including a patently predictable climax drawn out over the last 50+ pages. Characters, dialogue and even the "twists and turns" are all vanilla thriller. This is unfortunate because although No Man's Land is better than its predecessor in the series - not saying much - this book is nowhere near as engaging as the author's previous Leo Waterman series, which is full of quirky characters and humor and are good mysteries to boot.

It's difficult even to recommend No Man's Land as a mindless thriller, i.e. beach or crowded airport reading, not only does it lack plausibility - the book is tiresome.

Pass on this one.

[Meaghan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh. Some interesting characters, a few interesting twists but too much cliche and pacing issues. Good enough but my interest in the series is almost extinguished.

[Garth Pettersen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Satisfactory but forgettable.

[Mike Tumy · Rating 5 out of 5]

"No Man's Land" a great read.

I enjoy G M Ford's writing, his style and topics. Being from Washington State, I first notice his story "Who In Hell Is Wanda Fuca" and was hooked for good.

[Lisa Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite Frank Corso novel.

[rebecca O. webber · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don’t like prison stories so that put me off. I have not liked this series since Meg was written out of the series. And, the gratuitous violence was a real turn off for me.

[Jennie]

I'm not going to rate this one because I stopped reading before we even met up with Corso. I think I might have already read this - either that, or "inmates take over the prison" is such a familiar plot that it just feels that way. To be honest, I'm also really not feeling these dark, violent stories, and check-the-boxes prison violence isn't my idea of a rainy Saturday afternoon.

[Sarah (Pergamentfalter) · Rating 3 out of 5]

[Achtung, Spoiler!]

Rasant. Blutig. Gewalttätig. Das ist wohl das erste, was ich zu diesem Thriller sagen kann und es ist das, was ich gern und häufig lese. Dennoch muss ich von Anfang an sagen: Es gibt weitaus bessere und man hätte auch aus dieser Idee mehr machen können.

Zu Anfang wird man bereits mit sehr vielen Namen bombardiert. Die Handlung springt immer wieder zwischen den unterschiedlichsten Personen hin und her und man muss wirklich ständig gucken, wer nun eigentlich wer ist und wie er zu den anderen Personen steht. Dieses Durcheinander und die teils verworrenen Beziehungen lösen sich erst nach einer Weile auf und es dauert seine Zeit, damit zurecht zu kommen.

Immer wieder wird man mit abgehackten, seltsam klingenden Sätzen konfrontiert, bei denen man sich das eine oder andere Mal fragt, ob das von Autor so gewollt ist oder ob der Übersetzer hier einfach eine schlechte Arbeit geleistet hat. Hinzu kommt, dass vor allem am Beginn des Buchs die Handlung immer wieder zwischen der eigentlichen Storyline und diversen Rückblicken springt. Es ist teilweise ernsthaft kompliziert zu verfolgen, inwieweit man nun die Vergangenheit liest und was jetzt zur eigentlichen Handlung gehört.

Zudem ist mir aufgefallen, dass das Buch immer wieder Fachbegriffe enthält. In Bezug auf die genutzten Waffen ist das ja verständlich, aber wenn es um Personengruppen geht, die da mit irgendeinem Spezialbegriff betitelt werden, muss man wirklich gucken, was damit nun gemeint ist. Teilweise hätte ich mir wirklich ganz gerne einen Begriffskatalog gewünscht, da ich mit einigen der Begriffe nun wirklich nichts anfangen konnte und ich daher mein Lesen unterbrechen und erst mal nachschlagen musste, was dieses oder jenes nun bedeutet. Das fördert das ruhige Lesen nun wirklich nicht.

Stellenweise war auch der Inhalt recht verwirrend. Beispielsweise die Szene im Kasino. Driver bedroht Corso mit einer Waffe, damit er keinen Ärger macht, und trotzdem lässt Driver ihn kurz darauf laufen, nachdem Corso zu ihm meinte, er würde ihnen (Driver und Kehoe) etwas Zeit geben. Ich habe die Stelle mehrfach gelesen und sie nicht wirklich verstanden. Vielleicht stand ich an der Stelle einfach auf dem Schlauch. Wäre möglich. Aber selbst als ich nochmal zu der Szene zurück geblättert und sie wieder gelesen habe, hat sich für mich daraus kein Sinn ergeben.

Zusammenfassend kann man sagen, dass G.M. Ford wirklich mehr aus dieser Idee hätte machen können, was man wohl auch an meiner bisherigen Rezension ablesen kann.

Dennoch war das Buch recht spannend, wenn man über die Mängel hinweg sieht, und ich war recht überrascht, wie schnell sich das Buch gelesen hat. Das könnte jedoch auch wieder daran liegen, dass die Kapitel - immerhin 58 an der Zahl - sehr kurz sind und ich mir jedes Mal dachte: "Ach, komm schon, das Kapitel ist so kurz, das kannst du auch noch schnell lesen."

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 4 out of 5]

At Meza Azul, the privately owned prison touted to have the most advanced security system ever invented, things have gone from bad to worse. This prison isn't just top-notch---it's so sophisticated that the only prisoners it holds are the worst of the worst from around the United States . Which sounds like the perfect solution--hold the ruthless bad guys in an inescapable prison, subject them to "treatments" that include 23 hours a day in a cell where the lights never go out and they're under constant electronic surveillance, and don't let them mingle. Which very well might have worked, if it weren't for one Timothy Driver, a former Navy submarine commander who somehow manages to take over the control pod of the prison.

What ensues is death, mayhem, and murder--death of the guards that keep the prisoners in line, and death among the inmates themselves. Driver promises to kill one hostage every six hours until one man is brought to him--Frank Corso, a multi-millionaire author who wrote a book about Driver a few years ago.

Corso arrives, not sure why he's wanted or even why he agreed to come, but almost immediately he realizes that Driver, along with a fellow inmate known as "Cutter" Kehoe, have no plans to go down in a blaze of glory when the prison riot is subdued--and subdued it will be, due to the hundreds of National Guardsmen who have been called in to take back control of the prison.

What follows is a daring prison escape that no one sees coming, not even Corso himself. And what comes after that is a bloody spree that leaves several dead. Hot on their heels but always a day late and a dollar short are Melanie Harris, an investigative reporter who anchors a show named American Manhunt, and FBI Special Agents Rosen and Westerman.

Overall, NO MAN'S LAND is an entertaining thriller that focuses not only on one man's need to have his story told, but about how prisons around the country--like every other enterprise in the USA --are all about the bottom line.

**There were only two things that irritated me with the story. First, Melanie Harris is simply a female version of John Walsh, and American Manhunt a rip-off of America's Most Wanted. I'm sure G.M. Ford did this on purpose to make a point, but having Melanie's daughter be killed years ago in the exact same way as John Walsh's son Adam was a bit of overkill. Secondly, either Ford or his editor are way too fond of commas. Which on its own wouldn't be so bad, if they were in the right place. As it reads, though, if you're like me and use the placement of commas in normal reading to figure out when to pause in a sentence, you're sure to misread a bunch of them, as I did!**

[Marlowe · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s impossible to escape from Mesa Azul. But, like the majority of stories that open in an impossible-to-escape prison, this is the story of the one person who escaped from it. Well, the three people, actually. Timothy Driver takes fellow inmate Kehoe and author Frank Corso along with him.

I read this last year and had to hurry through it so I could return it before boarding a plane, so my memory is woefully spotty. I do remember enjoying it, as I do most detective novels, although the fact that I remember very little is perhaps an indication that this one didn’t have have that special humph to convince my brain that it was worth remembering.

The story is filled with quirky characters with backstories. I was particularly interested in the journalist who helped create an alternate world Amber Alert after her daughter was killed. The idea of grief mixed in with her desire for public attention was messy and interesting.

I’d say that this is a perfectly good mystery story for fans of that sort of thing.

[LJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

NO MAN'S LAND (Suspense-Arizona-Cont) - G+
Ford, G.M. – 5th in series
William Morrow, 2005-Hardcover
The inmates have taken over the prison, and the leader, Timothy Driver, starts killing one hostage every six hours unless Frank Corso comes to the prison. Thus begins a brutal trip of Corso, Driver and a fellow inmate and killer, Kehoe, with the Feds and television reporter Melanie Harris in pursuit.
*** While not a great work of literature, Ford has written another very exciting, suspenseful story. However, I wish there had more character development building of Frank, who seemed almost secondary in this book, and was put off by a credential attributed to the reporter. There were some relevant social statements made but, overall, it was a story high action and a real page-turner, but without much to stay with you at the end of the story.

[Donna Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started reading Ford's books when he began, with the Leo Waterman series. In my view, it was his funniest, most interesting, most compelling writer.

In the Corso series (and consider this a generic review for the series, except for the last one, to which I give five stars), he develops his writing skills to a fine point, but writes more of a pure thriller. The humor is gone. I know this had to be intentional; the two styles are too different for it not to be. But to be honest, I liked the first series the best. That being said, if you want a thriller that will make the pages turn and your heart pound and your usual bedtime slide right on by, this book is your book.

[George · Rating 3 out of 5]

#5 in the Frank Corso series. Corso is a writer who likes living out of the main stream so resides on a boat in Puget Sound. Corso finds himself involved with a former Navy captain who has engineered a major prison riot to escape and asks for Corso who wrote a book about him when he was first sent to prison. The story takes Corso across several states as he first travels with and then tracking down the escaped convict.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

#5 in the Frank Corso series. Frank Corso disgraced ex-reporter is now a best selling author and columnist for the Seattle Sun.

Frank Corso is required to appear at a prison riot in AZ or Timothy Driver, the ex-submarine commander subject of a Corso book, will kill a hostage every six hours. Driver and psychopath Cutter Kehoe escape the prison with Corso in tow. Much violence later, Corso escapes and with the hostess of a crime reality series attempts to find Driver.

[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the nitty gritty feel to GM Ford's books. (And I noticed he appears to have a massive tattoo from his picture on the back of the book!) There always is a lot happening with Corso and whomever he picks up along the way. In this book, the villain(s) is scary, insane and is very much a typical maximum security lockdown bad guy.

[Dora Okeyo · Rating 3 out of 5]

A prisoner breaks out of Meza Azul, a state of the art facility, and his plans or where he's headed to is unknown.
Ford has written a thriller that will keep you reading for each chapter is full of mysteries. I loved reading this book, and it took me a while to finish it because I was keen on unraveling Driver's plan.

[Richard Brucker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would give this book a strong three & a half. This guy is a good author. I've read lots of books by Patterson,Woods, and other very good writers and this guy is as good as any of them. When I pick up one of his books I'm usually done in a day and a half, because I can't put it down. Its way past bedtime and I keep turning the pages. If that does not say it all nothing will.

[Deb Mj · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a wild and crazy one, from start to finish. Tons of action with very little opportunity to take a deep breath. The ending was much too tidy for me, so it loses a star, but otherwise it was an extremely entertaining read.

[Greg Tymn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent thriller. Good plot, great characters, very suspenseful. The scenes and action were very easy to visualize.

Gun tech is inaccurate....(but what's new in that regard?) Also, one small continuity error (key placement).

[Poppy · Rating 5 out of 5]

good read

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun and twisted tail of murder, mayhem, and prison break.

[Ike · Rating 4 out of 5]

One word = psycho

[Herzog · Rating 3 out of 5]

The further adventures of Frank Corso in which he is captured by prison escapees and the events that follow including a romantic interlude with a TV reporter. Rather predictable and gruesome.

[Chris Bridson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is a decent, fast read until the end. The climax takes too long to come to a... well, climax.

[Donna Fitzpatrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this author! Starting the next book now!

[Alan Hitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

3rd Corso book I've read, best yet

Didn't read #3 of the four yet,but I was very pleased with the plot. I typically read Thor, Baldacci, Cussler. Real glad I found Mr.Ford

[Sarah Alawami · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well written, fast paste story about a psychopath who wants to go out with a bang. This book will kee you up all night as you try and find out what will happen until the very end.

[Kaijsa · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 really