Pressure Points

by Larry Brooks

The game is a weeklong retreat. It’s located in a remote region of northern California. It’s designed to build teamwork, establish trust, and increase awareness.

The players are three ambitious executives—one woman and two men, each prepared to put his physical, mental, and moral limits to the test. They never dreamed how far they could go.

The rules are simple. First you run. Then you hide. Don’t appear weak, don’t admit to the fear, and don’t react to the pain.

The prize is staying alive. Let the game begin.

Genres: Fiction, Suspense

492 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2001

Reviews

[Sue Coletta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pressure Points is about three executives forced to go to a week-long seminar by their CEO. The game was simple. Play along, follow the rules, and one of them will be made CEO at the end of the week. But, nothing in this seminar was as it seemed. A week-long twisting of minds... illusions -- real or unreal -- created to mess with their psyches. And none of the three execs, or the reader for that matter, knew whether or not this was really happening or if it was just another teaching lesson, sadistic though it may be.

This was one of my favorite books EVER. Because just when I thought I had it figured out... it changed, just when I thought I knew who the bad guys were... I was wrong, just when I thought I knew the outcome... everything exploded into something bigger and more bizarre. A psychological mindbender executed flawlessly. I am left in awe of the storytelling power presented here. Un-freakin'-believable! I'm still scratching my head. This book, without a doubt, will stay with me for a very long time, if not forever, with one haunting question: What happens next?

[kenzimone · Rating 2 out of 5]

All things considered, I didn't enjoy Pressure Points. It's not a very good book. It should be, because it's got all the tools and the potential it would need to be a really good thriller -- kidnapping, intrigue, murder, fight for survival -- but it just... isn't.

I'm having a difficult time trying to pinpoint exactly what I disliked about it, because the whole thing feels like a big jumbled mess of dislike wrapped in a blanket of apathy.

So, let's just start from the beginning:

The first hundred pages are all build up, which would have been alright had it not been mind numbingly boring. It's corporate intrigue without the excitement. Had the characters been even remotely interesting, Brooks might have been able to pull it off, but they aren't and so he doesn't.

Brad, the main character, is a study in the art of the self insertion. He's annoyingly, blindingly, perfect -- tall, handsome, intelligent, charismatic, the man men want to be and women want to sleep with -- and his so called character flaws serve only to hammer home the point that he's a sensitive and under appreciated special snowflake. As is usually the case the secondary characters, with actual flaws and issues, stand in stark contrast to the MC and come off as far more engaging, something Brooks perhaps grew to realize as he was writing the book; by the end of it the SCs are all but unrecognizable, twisted into neurotic crack pots (and/or dead), which I can only assume is some kind of example of ill placed author revenge.

After the hundred page build up the novel picks up the pace a bit, focusing on the seminar and the various trust exercises the participants have to go through. By this point the previously mentioned corporate non-intrigue has put me half to sleep, so the change of pace -- from slug slow to the slightly speedier turtle slow -- is very welcome. Fifty pages of this is enough to make me attempt to conjure up some sympathy for the weeping men and women on the pages, these brave souls who are sharing their feelings and dreams and hugs and body fluids with each other, and decide that I'd be quite content should they all just breeze through the seminar, gain a new insight into their selves, and go home happy and wise and live long, fulfilling lives. What a twist ending that would be! But alas, it was too much to hope.

Oh, and it is also during this time period that we are treated to excerpts from Brad's journal entries, each one more cringe worthy than the next. I begin to suspect that I might want to punch him in the face.

By page two hundred and thirty my compassion has run dry and evaporated, as has Pamela's sanity. I'd been quite intrigued by her at first, seeing glimpses of a strong female character in the making, but apparently this was too much for Brooks to handle, so with the flick of a switch Pamela is turned into a weepy and frail little shell of a woman, clinging to the first man in sight who showed her the smallest hint of even an inkling of kindness. Mark, another secondary character who at first showed similar promise, is also disposed of, though by far kinder means because one can't be a one trick pony, now can one?

By the time we near the home stretch I have managed to nurture a healthy feeling of apathy towards everything and everyone in the novel. There are guns: I should really care more about what's going on, but I fear that it would be impossible to gather up even the smallest silver of interest in the fate of Brad and his companions.

I skim the last hundred pages. I kind of want to know how the book ends, but not really. I definitely don't want to have to read the rest of it to find out. Brad's wife, Beth, is running around extorting money from her old lover, consorting with the FBI, and being a general bore. I'm certain that this subplot is in some way important, but I cannot bring myself to care.

There are enough twists in the last few sections to tie a really solid knot, most courtesy of Beth, who (as tradition has it) seemed like a sensible character at first but has now spiraled downwards into a deep puddle of Serial Killer. The character development is out of the blue and completely absurd, but it serves Brooks' apparent purpose of killing off any secondary character that might be even remotely interesting. I imagine him sitting in his office, gently cradling Brad to his chest and rocking back and forth, crying softly as he throws Beth at anyone and anything that might threaten Brad's crown of Most Interesting And Super-Awesomest Character Ever.

I finish the book with something like relief. I now seem to recall vague memories of having read it nigh on eleven years ago, and flashes of the similar feeling of disgust I felt at the novel's mediocrity even back then. Sadly, at the time I wrote no review to warn my future self (that is, my current present self), of the book's content, but I hope this wall of text will now serve that purpose. You have been warned, Future Self. Don't read this book.

As I spend a few last moments to reflect on the novel before I banish it to the bookshelf and the deep darkness at the very back of my mind, I wonder briefly if I would have liked it more had the characters been better written. I like murder and mayhem, and plot twists are my favorite thing in the world. Would a different writer have managed to capture my attention? Was it bad execution, or bad plot that was this book's downfall?

Giving the book an extra star simply for providing amusement in the form of raging dislike, I'm not surprised to realize that I don't even care.

[Anita · Rating 4 out of 5]

This compelling little paperback has more twists and turns than a cow in a tornado! My only complaint is that the characters were so incredibly unlikeable that I didn't care what happened to any of them. Nevertheless, it kept my attention and I liked the way the author kept the plot churning despite some over-the-top contrivances. For instance, I couldn't begin to buy the idea that being completely terrorized is somehow instantly therapeutic, (after a few hugs, tears & some coffee); but then again, I suppose a lot of those cult-seminars operate on a similar mind-f*.

[Kristin · Rating 2 out of 5]

The ending really lost me. Not that I didn't understand but it completely undermined everything good about the novel. Very disappointed.

[Mcf1nder_sk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trying to remove some older books from my TBR list, this time I chose Pressure Points but Larry Brooks. The cover had me curious, but it didn't really jump out and yell "READ ME!". But then I started out, and Bam!
In the 80's and 90's, there was a plethora of Personal Growth seminars around (Tony Robbins, EST, etc), but this novel takes place at the seminar to end all seminars. The things they put their clients through would be illegal in any other context. The action in this novel is gripping, without taking away from the character development. Brooks did a wonderful job creating a storyline that is plausible and yet takes the reader to places they weren't expecting. I do not post spoilers, but this novel has more twists than a roller coaster, and the newest entry to my list of great anti-heroes.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really 4.5 stars, because I would take half a star off for the very slow start, verging on the boring, to this book. But a couple of weeks before the seminar, things start to get interesting. Then, when the seminar starts, the roller coaster ride begins! The suspense builds, and there are so many twists and turns you (like the seminar participants) are never sure what's real and what's an illusion. This would have made a great TV miniseries.

[Susan Dennis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not sure why I waited so long to read this second of Larry Brooks' books. I liked his first one and ditto for this one. If you've ever been on one of those corporate touchy feely seminars to learn teamwork, etc., then you know how creepy just that situation is. Put really creepy people in the mix and you have a good thriller and that's this one.

[Tom Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although well written, this book has a much too convoluted plot to be rated higher than three stars. I am not sure parts of the story even make sense. The idea was good, but the author missed the mark.

[anonymousreader]

to-read

[Jim Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finished this book this morning, but I still don’t know quite what to think of it. The primary situation of the novel is that three aspiring senior executives in a Seattle advertising and marketing firm, Wright and Wong, are sent by the CEO and cofounder, Ben Wong, to a week-long personal-development seminar at a private camp in a secluded area of northern California. In the first section of the novel, the executives (Brad, Pamela and Mark) anticipate the seminar, which they expect to be a challenging experience and, beginning with the second section, they begin experiencing the first few days. Another major character in the book is Brad’s wife, Beth, a strong individual who takes an intense interest in her husband’s career and in the seminar that he has reluctantly undertaken. Needless to say, complications develop in the process, and the novel has what I would characterize as a grim and unsettling conclusion. It maintains the reader’s interest in the intrigue throughout, but, unless you are ready for an ending that leaves you rather dazed and doubtful, I would not necessarily recommend it.

[Suzie Quint · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my second Larry Brooks novel. While I liked Darkness Bound better, Pressure Point is also a good novel. Without giving away any spoilers, I think I liked this less well simply because no one was safe in this novel. It wasn't just the bad guys who died. Characters I liked also died. That, however, is also one of things that makes this a very tense read. Based on what I've read, Brooks' stories are full of reversals and hairpin turns. You're never going quite where you think you're going. I'm now officially working my way through his backlist. Anyone who likes Harlan Coben will probably also like Brooks.

[Jud Hanson · Rating 3 out of 5]

When three of the executives at an advertising firm agree to try and buy out the owner together, he states but one stipulation: complete a week-long self-improvement seminar in a remote corner of the state. What they don't know is that everything will not be as it seems. What starts out as a routine class takes a turn for the worse when the entire class is taken hostage, yet even that isn't real. While the plot sounds interesting, Brooks takes a bit too long to get to the heart of things, hence 3 stars instead of 4. Otherwise, he does craft an interesting story.

[Sandhya · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book dark...first it took a little longer to establish the interest...then when it was getting a page Turner another climax was waiting around the corner to ruin your read and nothing was making any sense.... later to explain, author had to give a lot of explanations and move things around.. at the end it was lot of cold blood murders

[barbara]

love this guy