Eleventh Hour

FBI Thriller #7

by Catherine Coulter

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author comes Eleventh Hour. The murder of a priest leads FBI agents Sherlock and Savich to their most baffling case yet, in this riveting novel of suspense.

When Father Michael Joseph is viciously murdered in his San Francisco church, his identical twin brother, FBI agent Dane Carver, along with husband-and-wife team, Savich and Sherlock, is determined to find the monster responsible. There is a witness, a homeless woman whose identity is a mystery. When "Nick" Jones comes forward, Dane finds himself in the unlikely role of bodyguard; she just might be next on the killer's list.

But which killer's list?

It seems Nick Jones is running from her own nightmare. In a cat-and-mouse chase that runs from the streets of San Francisco to the television studios of Los Angeles, where a brand-new show is found to have a curious connection to the murders, Dane Carver, Savich and Sherlock are in a race against time to find the madman responsible--but it's already the eleventh hour.

Genres: Mystery, Romance, Thriller, Suspense, Fiction, Romantic Suspense, Crime

347 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published July 22, 2002

Reviews

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Special Agent Dane Carver is called to San Francisco when his brother, a priest, is murdered. As he and agents Savich and Sherlock dig deeper into the case, and as bodies pile up, they discover the killer may be a copycat trying to mimic a television show—or someone potentially connected with it. But with hundreds of potential suspects, can they narrow the killer down in time? The only witness to the murder is Nicola Jones, a woman on the run from terrors in her own past, who is being hunted as well.

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fabulous re-read. Oh yes, this is the book where Savich discovers his "fascination" with large hair rollers, much to Sherlock's delight. LOL! A terrific mystery with lots of twists and turns. Yep, another goodie.

[Rachel · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was 2.5 to 3 stars until the hero and heroine decided to eat dinner at the home of the person suspected of poisoning the heroine. If you were almost killed by your fiance serving tainted salad dressing then why would you let the same person serve you salad? Come on.

[Asghar Abbas · Rating 2 out of 5]

October Feast and the stupidest fun I had in 2004.

These types of corny contemporary books do serve a purpose, I'll admit.

[Lianne Burwell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book (and the rest of the series), but I really have trouble figuring out why. The romance was a little forced, the initial mystery was cheesy (tv show inspires murders), and the solution not well set up, and the secondary mystery was just a WTF, with no real explanation of motive, and dropping in a crucial character with no setup.

And yet, I still enjoyed the heck out of it, because Ms. Coulter is an engaging writer, even when the plots are paper-thin.

[Vera M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay so there is something about this author and series that keeps me picking up the books even though I continue to give the books just 3 stars.
In this one the mystery started out good, but it got I don't know how to describe it, cheesy and weird? The romance felt a bit forced. The dialogue, well I'm either just getting used to how it is in the series at this point or it's getting slightly better. Sometimes forced, cheesy, and awkward.
I usually have to suspend belief when reading these at how involved some of the characters get in the policing side of the stories. This one though just was a little too unbelievable and characters were to readily accepting.
All that being said, I didn't hate it and I will continue this series. Even with the flaws I still get pulled into the story and enjoy it. Some of the cheesiness even can make it fun.

[Lea Kane · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was an okay read. The two main characters were not bad, although the dialogue was a bit corny and at times strange. (a.k.a. the biting incident). The death of Dane's twin brother was a sad start but the mystery of Nick's identity kept me intrigued. Unfortunately the reveal of those mysteries fell flat, especially when the abrupt ending left so many things open. I wanted to know (spoiler alert) John's reaction to his sister being the culprit. Was he in on it or expect his sister? Was that why his mother's death was such a tense subject? And where was he in the final 20 minutes and why did he never reveal the secret passageway to Nick, her being his fiancée and all? Lastly, who was Dwight? Elliott was obviously cast as the vicious and jealous friend of John's, so why throw in a new character at the end? There's nothing more frustrating than being left hanging at the end of a book.

[Korin: A Crone Running Amok · Rating 5 out of 5]

When a FBI Special Agent's priest brother is murdered Savich & Sherlock help track the killer & find another mystery that is even more disturbing. Another get read in the FIB Thriller Series.

[Tyler DiPetrillo · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I’m depth, drags you along until you arrive at the unexpected twists. One part I don’t fully understand but I’m not sure if you’re supposed to 🤔

[Dawn · Rating 1 out of 5]

The dialogue in this book is awful. Just unbelievably awful. It's clear the author is trying for quirky bantering, especially with her side characters, Sherlock (really?) and Savich, who are married FBI partners and the anchors of the series (protagonists come and go, but Sherlock and Savich and their awkward flirtations remain for each book). She fails. Obviously, she adores her little anchors, but when they talk sexy talk, they sound like Aspies talking about trains, but not as hot.

And then there's the problem of the Sookie Stackhouse-like heroine, who is supposed to be a Ph.D and all kinds of brilliant, but her idea of solving her problems is to live in homeless shelters for a few weeks until she figures things out.

And the plot is too stupid for words, so we'll just quit here.

[Brenda Whiteside · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has a lot going for it with twists and turns and characters to like. I had a little trouble with the homeless woman. Her reasons for being homeless didn’t quite rope me in since I thought there might be other ways to achieve her goal. But that aside, I liked the relationship that grows between FBI agent Dane Carver and Nick. Their play off each other was fun. Good characters all the way through.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a fan of Catherine Coulter and have most of her FBI thrillers. I enjoyed the story line and the inter-twining of the two murder plots and felt they were fairly well thought out. Sometimes the dialog got a bit stilted. I enjoy the characters that Coulter carries over from book to book.

It was an enjoyable read, with humor, mystery and a little romance thrown in.

[Terrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another in the Savitch/Sherlock FBI series, this time focusing on the death of a co-worker's twin brother. The twists and turns are enough to satisfy any mystery reader and there's a satisfying conclusion. Good read.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This edition of course features the frivolity of FBI agents Savich and Sherlock....you know, the miracle FBI married couple and partners. What would we do without them? A Catholic priest is murdered in the confessional by a deranged psycho and the hunt is on, then, several more seemingly unrelated people either go missing or are dead.
It's up to the dynamic duo (with a little help from a 'homeless' woman) to unravel the mystery and find the killer(s). Not the best I've read in the series but still an interesting read......

[Sophia · Rating 4 out of 5]

True to the author, the book was well written with curves and detours along way tripping the reader just when one thinks they have solved the crime. While I found some of the parts predictable, other parts especially about the suspects intriguing. It’s certainly not a page turner, but it’s interesting enough to keep one wanting to pick it up and read some more.

[Tammy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 stars
An entertaining read but just too light for me. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy reading The Eleventh Hour and kinda like Sherlock. But while the story was entertaining the investigation and all other elements were pretty tame and not so gripping. Anyway, not a bad plot, though.

[Margaret Yelton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't really enjoy this book as much as I have others in the series.

[Evelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I do so enjoy reading about Dane and Nick. With Savich & Sherlock thrown in to book! Senator's family!

[Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two-haiku review:

She's murder witness
Homeless in San Francisco
Who's she hiding from?

Well done characters
Not one but two mysteries
Three-and-a-half stars

[Marty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captivating!! It held my undivided attention from cover to cover!!

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and entertaining Savich and Sherlock novel.

[Marguerite (Margot) Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining, action packed but mostly implausible, as these pot boilers usually are. Nonetheless, it was a fun read.

[Tracy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I always think of a mystery novel as a chance to match wits with the author. Can I easily discern the culprit? I usually judge the quality of the story by how close I get to the end of the book before I solve the mystery. There was no chance of that in this story. Turn off your deductive reasoning; there is no well placed path of clues here. Even if you hazard a guess, it would be just that, a guess and you're just as likely to be wrong as you are right.

This seems to be the trend in mystery writing lately. Agatha Christie is dead and so is her brand of mystery. Realism is what it's all about now, chasing down criminals, interviewing suspects and witnesses, and feeling like a cop from the safety of your home. The way these authors entice a fan base is through suspense and the clever trap they contrive to expose the true murderer.

The storyline is pretty good, although I think I'm getting tired of characters in novels always being superheroes. Why can't a normal person be thrown into the wake of injustice, make mistakes, atone, and still come out on top? I mean really, never eating sugar, working out until you collapse to solve the crime, do real people do this?

There are two short sexual sentences in this book, and that is the whole of the sexual encounters we graphically read about. Even then, it's not decisively explicit. That being said, sex is a major theme in this novel. Innuendo is always there, above and beyond the necessary plot component. It's amazing that placing arousing commentary in every chapter can actually amount to a powerful theme in a novel, but it really does.

There is one sexual component that I didn't find believable. Our heroine is portrayed as virginal, having a three year relationship without any sex, not even after they're engaged. Then, after a whirlwind week, she's ready to jump into bed with a man and then some? It was completely inconsistent in her character, and it was not explained by her inner monologue even in part.

In the last few years, there have been some immensely popular novels that have come out preaching abstinence. The shock to the literary world was that they were number one on the best-sellers list. This novel really felt like a partial reform. The author saw the monetary basis for leaving sexual content out, but just really couldn't leave it out.

[Gina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not particularly impressed. Sure, Coulter does great when casting the scenery, but I wasn't intrigued like I was with the first three novels. Savich and Sherlock are just as great as always, but the other characters aren't the greatest. Sure, Dane and Nick were better than the other books I found lacking, but not by much. I didn't feel the static between the two that should have been there. It's almost as if the 'bad guys' are the best parts of the book! And for me, that's just not right! It's the main characters, Dane and Nick, that are supposed to be the best part, and I found it lacking. I felt something, but I couldn't place that something - it wasn't enough! So, I think I may just lay off the series for a little bit and come back to it.

[Beverly · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was my first Catherine Coulter book and I was not impressed. The first chapter is really good and gets you hooked, but it is all downhill from there. The characters seem downright silly to me and the conversation is often ridiculous. Really, what educated PHD college professor would ever say "Bite me"? The plot is a good one, but not well developed and it is extremely easy to figure out who the bad guys are. The romance in the book is not believable and there is one sex scene that is really stupid and should have been left out of the book entirely.

From other reviews I've read, this particular author has done a better job on earlier books, but I'm not sure I want to take the chance on another one of her novels after reading this one.

[Susan (the other Susan) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Was it really only eleven hours? This book is the one that finally convinced me of something I'd been reluctant to consider: Catherine Coulter is not writing satire, she's SERIOUS about this crap. She wrote some entertaining period bodice-rippers back in the day, but the stilted dialog and over-the-top plot-like developments that played well in the Middle Ages are laughably bad in her contemporary "thrillers." This book in particular seems like an undercooked casserole made from several unrelated story ideas. It pains me to think of struggling authors who see this kind of nonsense flying off the shelves. Why? Why?

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eleventh Hour is by Catherine Coulter. It is an FBI story.
Agent Dane Carver heads to San Francisco when his twin brother, Father Michael is murdered. Dane does not intend in interfere with the investigation by the police there; but he offers his help. When they find an eyewitness, Nick Jones, Dane is given the job of protecting her. However, she proves hard to protect as she has her own secrets to hide. She doesn’t want publicity but is willing to help find the murderer.
Can they find the murderer and still protect Nick? What is her secret and will it have an adverse effect on the investigation?
Coulter does it again in creating a magnificent story involving the FBI.

[Theresa Leone Davidson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hate to give a book a low rating and this probably deserves closer to two stars - mostly because of all of the totally improbable events that take place. But there are two mysteries here - one in which a priest is murdered and it is tied in to a couple of other murders, and the second, more interesting and less convoluted mystery is the one that connects to the female protagonist in the story, Nick (and it took me around 100 pages before I had to stop reminding myself that 'Nick' was a woman - and there's another female character named Sherlock - what's up with that?). Anyway, a moderately interesting read.

[Kathleen Quinlan · Rating 1 out of 5]

That one star is really saying a lot. I hardly ever give a book a measly one star. I have to really hate it to rank it so low. And this book was definitely deserving of the one star rating. How this woman has managed to publish and have people actually read over 20 books is beyond me. This is the seventh in the series, which I did not know before picking it up, and I'm shocked she got to seven, let alone over 20. The writing is horrible, dialogue is a complete joke, plot line is idiotic, characters are stupid, romance is unbelievably forced...it was one of the LAMEST books I have ever read in my entire life.

[Frank · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read an actual ink on paper book. I have to give it a 2 even though I read it to the end sitting by a pool. Actually, maybe for the second time, because I was at a friends house, and I likely read all or part several years ago and had forgotten the plot points.

While the writing moved along, little of the book made sense, and at the two bad guys pop out of nowhere at the end.

Maybe I will read another Coulter, maybe not.