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The Two Minute Rule
Two minutes can be a lifetime.
Ask anyone on the wrong side of the law about the two-minute rule and they'll tell you that's as long as you can hope for at a robbery before the cops show up. Break the two-minute rule and it's a lifetime in jail. But not everyone plays by the rules. . .
When ex-con Max Holman finally gets out of jail, freedom doesn't taste too sweet. The only thing on his mind is reconciliation with his estranged son, who is, ironically, a cop. But then he hears the devastating His son and three other uniformed cops were gunned down in cold blood in Los Angeles the night before Holman's release. When the hit is exposed as a revenge killing and the question of police corruption is raised, it becomes a father's last duty to clear his son's name and catch the killer. With all the elements that have made Robert Crais one of the very best crime writers today, The Two Minute Rule is gripping, edgy suspense from the author who sets the standard when it comes to surprising plot twists and powerful characters.
Ask anyone on the wrong side of the law about the two-minute rule and they'll tell you that's as long as you can hope for at a robbery before the cops show up. Break the two-minute rule and it's a lifetime in jail. But not everyone plays by the rules. . .
When ex-con Max Holman finally gets out of jail, freedom doesn't taste too sweet. The only thing on his mind is reconciliation with his estranged son, who is, ironically, a cop. But then he hears the devastating His son and three other uniformed cops were gunned down in cold blood in Los Angeles the night before Holman's release. When the hit is exposed as a revenge killing and the question of police corruption is raised, it becomes a father's last duty to clear his son's name and catch the killer. With all the elements that have made Robert Crais one of the very best crime writers today, The Two Minute Rule is gripping, edgy suspense from the author who sets the standard when it comes to surprising plot twists and powerful characters.
325 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 21, 2006
1664 people are currently reading
3303 people want to read
About the author
Robert Crais
176 books4,524 followers Robert Crais is the author of the best-selling Elvis Cole novels. A native of Louisiana, he grew up on the banks of the Mississippi River in a blue collar family of oil refinery workers and police officers. He purchased a secondhand paperback of Raymond Chandler’s The Little Sister when he was fifteen, which inspired his lifelong love of writing, Los Angeles, and the literature of crime fiction. Other literary influences include Dashiell Hammett, Ernest Hemingway, Robert B. Parker, and John Steinbeck.
After years of amateur film-making and writing short fiction, he journeyed to Hollywood in 1976 where he quickly found work writing scripts for such major television series as Hill Street Blues, Cagney & Lacey, and Miami Vice, as well as numerous series pilots and Movies-of-the-Week for the major networks. He received an Emmy nomination for his work on Hill Street Blues, but is most proud of his 4-hour NBC miniseries, Cross of Fire, which the New York Times declared: "A searing and powerful documentation of the Ku Klux Klan’s rise to national prominence in the 20s."
In the mid-eighties, feeling constrained by the collaborative working requirements of Hollywood, Crais resigned from a lucrative position as a contract writer and television producer in order to pursue his lifelong dream of becoming a novelist. His first efforts proved unsuccessful, but upon the death of his father in 1985, Crais was inspired to create Elvis Cole, using elements of his own life as the basis of the story. The resulting novel, The Monkey’s Raincoat, won the Anthony and Macavity Awards and was nominated for the Edgar Award. It has since been selected as one of the 100 Favorite Mysteries of the Century by the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association.
Crais conceived of the novel as a stand-alone, but realized that—in Elvis Cole—he had created an ideal and powerful character through which to comment upon his life and times. (See the WORKS section for additional titles.) Elvis Cole’s readership and fan base grew with each new book, then skyrocketed in 1999 upon the publication of L. A. Requiem, which was a New York Times and Los Angeles Times bestseller and forever changed the way Crais conceived of and structured his novels. In this new way of telling his stories, Crais combined the classic ‘first person’ narrative of the American detective novel with flashbacks, multiple story lines, multiple points-of-view, and literary elements to better illuminate his themes. Larger and deeper in scope, Publishers Weekly wrote of L. A. Requiem, "Crais has stretched himself the way another Southern California writer—Ross Macdonald—always tried to do, to write a mystery novel with a solid literary base." Booklist added, "This is an extraordinary crime novel that should not be pigeonholed by genre. The best books always land outside preset boundaries. A wonderful experience."
Crais followed with his first non-series novel, Demolition Angel, which was published in 2000 and featured former Los Angeles Police Department Bomb Technician Carol Starkey. Starkey has since become a leading character in the Elvis Cole series. In 2001, Crais published his second non-series novel, Hostage, which was named a Notable Book of the Year by the New York Times and was a world-wide bestseller. Additionally, the editors of Amazon.com selected Hostage as the #1 thriller of the year. A film adaptation of Hostage was released in 2005, starring Bruce Willis as ex-LAPD SWAT negotiator Jeff Talley.
Elvis Cole returned in 2003 with the publication of The Last Detective, followed by the tenth Elvis Cole novel, The Forgotten Man, in 2005. Both novels explore with increasing depth the natures and characters of Elvis Cole and Joe Pike. RC’s third stand-alone novel, The Two Minute Rule, was published in 2006. The eleventh entry in the Elvis Cole series, The Watchman, will be published sometime in 2007.
After years of amateur film-making and writing short fiction, he journeyed to Hollywood in 1976 where he quickly found work writing scripts for such major television series as Hill Street Blues, Cagney & Lacey, and Miami Vice, as well as numerous series pilots and Movies-of-the-Week for the major networks. He received an Emmy nomination for his work on Hill Street Blues, but is most proud of his 4-hour NBC miniseries, Cross of Fire, which the New York Times declared: "A searing and powerful documentation of the Ku Klux Klan’s rise to national prominence in the 20s."
In the mid-eighties, feeling constrained by the collaborative working requirements of Hollywood, Crais resigned from a lucrative position as a contract writer and television producer in order to pursue his lifelong dream of becoming a novelist. His first efforts proved unsuccessful, but upon the death of his father in 1985, Crais was inspired to create Elvis Cole, using elements of his own life as the basis of the story. The resulting novel, The Monkey’s Raincoat, won the Anthony and Macavity Awards and was nominated for the Edgar Award. It has since been selected as one of the 100 Favorite Mysteries of the Century by the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association.
Crais conceived of the novel as a stand-alone, but realized that—in Elvis Cole—he had created an ideal and powerful character through which to comment upon his life and times. (See the WORKS section for additional titles.) Elvis Cole’s readership and fan base grew with each new book, then skyrocketed in 1999 upon the publication of L. A. Requiem, which was a New York Times and Los Angeles Times bestseller and forever changed the way Crais conceived of and structured his novels. In this new way of telling his stories, Crais combined the classic ‘first person’ narrative of the American detective novel with flashbacks, multiple story lines, multiple points-of-view, and literary elements to better illuminate his themes. Larger and deeper in scope, Publishers Weekly wrote of L. A. Requiem, "Crais has stretched himself the way another Southern California writer—Ross Macdonald—always tried to do, to write a mystery novel with a solid literary base." Booklist added, "This is an extraordinary crime novel that should not be pigeonholed by genre. The best books always land outside preset boundaries. A wonderful experience."
Crais followed with his first non-series novel, Demolition Angel, which was published in 2000 and featured former Los Angeles Police Department Bomb Technician Carol Starkey. Starkey has since become a leading character in the Elvis Cole series. In 2001, Crais published his second non-series novel, Hostage, which was named a Notable Book of the Year by the New York Times and was a world-wide bestseller. Additionally, the editors of Amazon.com selected Hostage as the #1 thriller of the year. A film adaptation of Hostage was released in 2005, starring Bruce Willis as ex-LAPD SWAT negotiator Jeff Talley.
Elvis Cole returned in 2003 with the publication of The Last Detective, followed by the tenth Elvis Cole novel, The Forgotten Man, in 2005. Both novels explore with increasing depth the natures and characters of Elvis Cole and Joe Pike. RC’s third stand-alone novel, The Two Minute Rule, was published in 2006. The eleventh entry in the Elvis Cole series, The Watchman, will be published sometime in 2007.
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April 18, 2022
Robert Crais is best known for his series featuring L.A. private-eye Elvis Cole and Cole's partner, the inscrutable Joe Pike. But while I like those books, this stand-alone, originally published in 2006, remains my favorite of Crais's novels.
Two thugs named Marchenko and Parsons are stricly amateur, if brutal, bank robbers. They do not know the Two Minute Rule, which holds that a robber only has a two minute window to be in and out of a bank before the law is almost certainly going to be on the scene. The two get lucky long enough to score almost $17 million in a string of robberies, but their luck runs out when they walk out of their last bank into a hail of police bullets.
Max Holman is, or was, a professional bank robber who knew and scrupulously observed the Two Minute Rule. But in a moment of weakness, he broke the rule and was arrested in the middle of a robbery by a team led by FBI agent, Katherine Pollard. Ten years down the road, Max is finally being released from prison and his dream is to be reconciled with his son, Richie, who in rejecting his father has gone all the way in the other direction to become an L.A. cop.
Just as Max is being processed out, though, he receives the worst possible news imaginable: Richie has been murdered, along with three other police officers. The detectives investigating the killings quickly pin the crime on a gangbanger who then conveniently commits suicide, closing the case--at least as far as the cops are concerned.
A devastated Max, thinks the whole package is all too neat. His cursory inspection of the murder site convinces him that the killings could not have occurred as the police have theorized and he is determined to find the truth. For help, he turns to Katherine Pollard, the agent who arrested him. Pollard has left the Bureau and is now a widow with two small children. Reluctantly, she agrees to assist Max and it quickly becomes apparent that their efforts to discover what really happened the night of the murders is stirring up the proverbial hornets' nest. The cops and the Feebs insist that Max and Pollard step down and accept the police version of the crime. When the two refuse to do so, they suddenly find themselves in very grave danger with no apparent way out.
This is a book with well-developed characters and a fast-paced plot that seems perfectly believable. Readers who have enjoyed Crais's Cole/Pike books will certainly want to look for this one.
Two thugs named Marchenko and Parsons are stricly amateur, if brutal, bank robbers. They do not know the Two Minute Rule, which holds that a robber only has a two minute window to be in and out of a bank before the law is almost certainly going to be on the scene. The two get lucky long enough to score almost $17 million in a string of robberies, but their luck runs out when they walk out of their last bank into a hail of police bullets.
Max Holman is, or was, a professional bank robber who knew and scrupulously observed the Two Minute Rule. But in a moment of weakness, he broke the rule and was arrested in the middle of a robbery by a team led by FBI agent, Katherine Pollard. Ten years down the road, Max is finally being released from prison and his dream is to be reconciled with his son, Richie, who in rejecting his father has gone all the way in the other direction to become an L.A. cop.
Just as Max is being processed out, though, he receives the worst possible news imaginable: Richie has been murdered, along with three other police officers. The detectives investigating the killings quickly pin the crime on a gangbanger who then conveniently commits suicide, closing the case--at least as far as the cops are concerned.
A devastated Max, thinks the whole package is all too neat. His cursory inspection of the murder site convinces him that the killings could not have occurred as the police have theorized and he is determined to find the truth. For help, he turns to Katherine Pollard, the agent who arrested him. Pollard has left the Bureau and is now a widow with two small children. Reluctantly, she agrees to assist Max and it quickly becomes apparent that their efforts to discover what really happened the night of the murders is stirring up the proverbial hornets' nest. The cops and the Feebs insist that Max and Pollard step down and accept the police version of the crime. When the two refuse to do so, they suddenly find themselves in very grave danger with no apparent way out.
This is a book with well-developed characters and a fast-paced plot that seems perfectly believable. Readers who have enjoyed Crais's Cole/Pike books will certainly want to look for this one.
December 4, 2013
Just days before his release from prison, career bank robber Max Holman's life is turned upside down when his son, now a police officer, is gunned down with three other cops under strange circumstances. Max tries to figure out what happened but gets nowhere on his own. The only person he can turn to: the woman who put him away!
Sounds pretty good when I say it like that. Too bad it wasn't. I love Robert Crais. I did not love this book. In fact, I tossed it less than halfway through.
On the surface, the book sounds like a winner. Elmore Leonard or George Pelecanos could have crafted quite a yarn from such a plot. My problem with the book was with the characters. I didn't care about Max Holman, I didn't care about his dead son, and I sure didn't care for the FBI agent that put him away that he was destined to tumble into bed with, Katherine Pollard.
Max Holman didn't have much of a personality outside of his regrets over the past. The book (or the portion I read) reads like Crais was afraid to make Holman too much of a criminal or something. Instead, he made him a loser with no personality. 200 pages with Holman was more than enough. Since I'm a 50-75 page an hour guy, I couldn't see spending another three or four hours on this.
Maybe it was just the wrong time but I kept thinking over other books I'd rather be reading or other household tasks I could be doing instead of pushing through The Two-Minute Rule. While I liked Hostage and Demolition Angel, Crais should probably stick to Cole and Pike. Crais should have definitely wrote another Elvis Cole when he was working on this.
Two stars. This book is getting converted to store credit at my earliest convenience.
Sounds pretty good when I say it like that. Too bad it wasn't. I love Robert Crais. I did not love this book. In fact, I tossed it less than halfway through.
On the surface, the book sounds like a winner. Elmore Leonard or George Pelecanos could have crafted quite a yarn from such a plot. My problem with the book was with the characters. I didn't care about Max Holman, I didn't care about his dead son, and I sure didn't care for the FBI agent that put him away that he was destined to tumble into bed with, Katherine Pollard.
Max Holman didn't have much of a personality outside of his regrets over the past. The book (or the portion I read) reads like Crais was afraid to make Holman too much of a criminal or something. Instead, he made him a loser with no personality. 200 pages with Holman was more than enough. Since I'm a 50-75 page an hour guy, I couldn't see spending another three or four hours on this.
Maybe it was just the wrong time but I kept thinking over other books I'd rather be reading or other household tasks I could be doing instead of pushing through The Two-Minute Rule. While I liked Hostage and Demolition Angel, Crais should probably stick to Cole and Pike. Crais should have definitely wrote another Elvis Cole when he was working on this.
Two stars. This book is getting converted to store credit at my earliest convenience.
August 6, 2013
Max Holman used to rob banks, but he was nice about it.
In fact, Max was too nice because he got arrested when he played Good Samaritan during a robbery and violated the rule of getting in and out in less than two minutes. Ten years in federal prison have reformed Max and he’s worked through the release process which involves living in halfway houses and working a regular job. Max hopes that he can make amends to his son Richie that he hasn’t seen since he was a kid, but he’s proud that Richie went on to became a police officer instead of a criminal like him. On the day that he’s officially a free man, Max is told that Richie was killed with three other LAPD officers in an ambush.
Max isn’t satisfied with the official explanation, and wonders why Richie had been doing his own digging into the case of two bank robbers who had been killed by the police months before. Since the LAPD has little interest in answering questions from an ex-con whose son wanted nothing to do with him, Max decides he needs professional help and turns to an unlikely person. Kathryn Pollard was the FBI agent who arrested him, but she left the Bureau year earlier after she got married and pregnant. Her husband died, and now she’s a single mother struggling to make ends meet as she raises her two sons. She’s also bored enough to help out a guy she once sent to jail.
This works well enough as a thriller with an interesting hook of an ex-con working with the woman who arrested him, and Crais’ plotting will keep most readers turning the pages. However, there were a couple of things that I had a hard time buying.
First, is that Max is just too good a guy. Crais’ heroes are generally cops or detectives of some kind, and they’re earnest people who want to make a difference. One of the appeals of Elvis Cole and Joe Pike is that they always are trying to help others in need. Max is supposed to be a criminal, a former drug addict and drunk who stole cars and robbed banks, and Richie’s mother kept him away after he was sent to prison so that he wouldn’t be a bad influence on him.
But we’re just told all this and don’t see any of it. The only flashback scene to Max’s criminal days involves his last bank robbery, but he got caught because he did something selfless that got him tagged as a hero bandit in newspapers. Max repeatedly thinks that he was never around for Richie and feels guilty about his criminal days, but he never does anything so awful that you think he doesn’t deserve a second chance. Plus, we’re told nothing about his prison time so there’s no sense of how that changed him. Essentially he just robs banks and ten years later he feels really bad about it.
I kept thinking about Elmore Leonard’s Jack Foley character from Out of Sight, and Max feels really contrived by comparison. Jack was a bank robber who doesn’t want to hurt anyone and made for a likeable character, but he still felt like a criminal who didn’t walk around feeling bad about it even though he has regrets. It seems like Crais couldn’t stand to make Max be enough of a dirt bag to actually need the redemption he tries to earn by avenging his son.
Another sticking point. .
This is a solid thriller with an original plot, but it’s not the best I’ve read from Crais.
In fact, Max was too nice because he got arrested when he played Good Samaritan during a robbery and violated the rule of getting in and out in less than two minutes. Ten years in federal prison have reformed Max and he’s worked through the release process which involves living in halfway houses and working a regular job. Max hopes that he can make amends to his son Richie that he hasn’t seen since he was a kid, but he’s proud that Richie went on to became a police officer instead of a criminal like him. On the day that he’s officially a free man, Max is told that Richie was killed with three other LAPD officers in an ambush.
Max isn’t satisfied with the official explanation, and wonders why Richie had been doing his own digging into the case of two bank robbers who had been killed by the police months before. Since the LAPD has little interest in answering questions from an ex-con whose son wanted nothing to do with him, Max decides he needs professional help and turns to an unlikely person. Kathryn Pollard was the FBI agent who arrested him, but she left the Bureau year earlier after she got married and pregnant. Her husband died, and now she’s a single mother struggling to make ends meet as she raises her two sons. She’s also bored enough to help out a guy she once sent to jail.
This works well enough as a thriller with an interesting hook of an ex-con working with the woman who arrested him, and Crais’ plotting will keep most readers turning the pages. However, there were a couple of things that I had a hard time buying.
First, is that Max is just too good a guy. Crais’ heroes are generally cops or detectives of some kind, and they’re earnest people who want to make a difference. One of the appeals of Elvis Cole and Joe Pike is that they always are trying to help others in need. Max is supposed to be a criminal, a former drug addict and drunk who stole cars and robbed banks, and Richie’s mother kept him away after he was sent to prison so that he wouldn’t be a bad influence on him.
But we’re just told all this and don’t see any of it. The only flashback scene to Max’s criminal days involves his last bank robbery, but he got caught because he did something selfless that got him tagged as a hero bandit in newspapers. Max repeatedly thinks that he was never around for Richie and feels guilty about his criminal days, but he never does anything so awful that you think he doesn’t deserve a second chance. Plus, we’re told nothing about his prison time so there’s no sense of how that changed him. Essentially he just robs banks and ten years later he feels really bad about it.
I kept thinking about Elmore Leonard’s Jack Foley character from Out of Sight, and Max feels really contrived by comparison. Jack was a bank robber who doesn’t want to hurt anyone and made for a likeable character, but he still felt like a criminal who didn’t walk around feeling bad about it even though he has regrets. It seems like Crais couldn’t stand to make Max be enough of a dirt bag to actually need the redemption he tries to earn by avenging his son.
Another sticking point. .
This is a solid thriller with an original plot, but it’s not the best I’ve read from Crais.
July 28, 2019
A good bad guy with a noble nature is my weak spot and the main character, ex-con Max Holman, meets all my expectations. A nicely twisted plot that brings a lot of unexpected turns - don't be sure to guess the bad guy at the first half of the book, mostlikely you will be wrong😛😎.
A well done audio book.
My second Robert Crais and you can count me among his fans.
January 2, 2009
This was first Robert Crais book I've read. From the first pages on, I was very much gripped by the story and drawn to the very empathic character of Max Holman. Actually, both Max Holman and Katherine Pollard are magnificent "anti-hero" personas. The combination of a well written and fast-paced mystery and compelling profoundly human characters is very appealing and something rarely found. This is a story of a friendship, of loss, of father's love for his son, and most importantly a story of redemption. What a superb read. The dialogue is tight, gritty and realistic. I'm so glad I picked this little gem up in our local library. I will certainly read/purchase more books by Robert Crais.
December 4, 2018
On the day ex-bank robber Max Holman is released from prison he finds out his son, a police officer, has been killed. Distraught, Max sets out to find his killer and bring them to justice.
I really enjoyed this standalone novel from the writer of the Elvis Cole/Joe Pike books. I thought the premise was a good one and the story ticks along at a good pace, with plenty of twists and turns. The only part I didn't like much was the romance element. It was a pretty minor part of the story, so it didn't detract too much, but it felt forced to me. I think the story would have been better without it.
I really enjoyed this standalone novel from the writer of the Elvis Cole/Joe Pike books. I thought the premise was a good one and the story ticks along at a good pace, with plenty of twists and turns. The only part I didn't like much was the romance element. It was a pretty minor part of the story, so it didn't detract too much, but it felt forced to me. I think the story would have been better without it.
August 18, 2013
After a rather drawn out and slightly confusing beginning, this novel picks up the pace and gets very interesting. Its too bad the ending didn’t fully match this pace by ending too abruptly and leaving some unadressed issues. Nevertheless, 8 of 10 stars
September 11, 2023
Good, but not as good as I had expected. The thing with Holman and the FBI agent was a little too much for my taste. Maybe I’m too critical here, but Max came across as a little too wimpy when he was with/around her. Too vulnerable maybe? After all, he is a hardened criminal. Just a small nitpick. As usual with Crais books, the story flowed nicely. I’d still recommend this one.
April 16, 2018
A good stand alone by Crais. Bank robber is released from prison and finds that his policeman son has been murdered. Well plotted and exciting, this book has only one flaw. The romance between bank robber and former FBI agent is never believable. Recommend for everyone, but especially for Crais fans.
December 12, 2021
Another Robert Crais novel that I thoroughly enjoyed!
An interesting take on cops and robbers!
An interesting take on cops and robbers!
June 10, 2017
Crais may be my favorite living author. I prefer his Elvis Cole detective books but anything by Crais is worth reading. Fast moving and intense.
April 22, 2017
Written in 2006 author Robert Crais' "The Two Minute Rule", is a heart pounding suspense thriller that is very difficult to put down. At times while reading the book I kept thinking I'd read it some time ago. That weird feeling it just sounds so familiar ? I kept thinking it must have been some type of TV movie at one time or another. However, the plot was so good I just wanted to keep going to find out the surprising and electrifying conclusion. Career criminal and serial bank robber Max Holman is due to be released from prison after a long ten year bid. Before Holman went away on his current prison sentence, Max had a young son named Richie (13 at the time), and long time girlfriend Donna. While serving time neither Richie or Donna would respond to any of the letters Max had been writing from prison. The very day Max was being released into a half way house as the completion of his sentence he's informed Richie had been shot and killed while on duty. Max is pretty shattered by this news and sets out to find Donna, and answers to what happened to Richie. With no money or a car Max is locked into a day laborers job in a factory without many options to go investigating. Max's first option is to contact former partner in crime "L'Chee"for some quick cash and a loner car. To the great consternation of the LAPD Max has been ditching his job and inserting himself into the investigation of Richie's death (As well as the other officers murdered at the same time/ place). Wherever Max seems to turn he's stepping on toes of some powerful members of the LAPD. In order to catch a break Max contacts Kate Pollard, the now former FBI agent who bagged him him ten years ago on his last bank job. Pollard herself now down on her luck having lost her FBI career and marriage uses Holman's case to jump back into the world of serial bank robberies and corruption withing the FBI and LAPD. At almost 500 sizzling pages this plot is on fire from the prologue right through it's conclusion. The primary characters are as usual for author Robert Crais expertly crafted and come jumping alive off the pages of this suspense thriller. Even the supporting characters help add substantial depth to the plot and make perfect foils to keep throwing the reader off it's various twists and turns. Author Robert Crais a long time master storyteller has weaved another classic crime thriller with, "The Two minute Rule". I'm going with four stars out of a possible five stars for "Two Minute Rule". Easily could be a 4.5 star book. I kinda felt the 500 pages was just a tad overly drawn out. At the time I read the book I wasn't thinking about the 500 pages. However, a couple days after completing It did sink in that the last 50-100 pages could have been thinned down. But, this is a do not miss read for any circumstance. Although it's just over ten years old Robert Crais', "Two Minute rule" is an excellent idea to clear a couple of lazy spring afternoons to get lost into.
August 19, 2007
THE TWO MINUTE RULE (Suspense-Los Angeles-Cont) – G+/VG
Crais, Robert – Standalone
Simon & Schuster, 2006 - Hardcover
Max Holman has served his time for bank robbery. How released, he hopes to reconcile with his son, Richie, who is a cop. But Richie, along with three other cops, was shot to death the night before Max’s release. Although the police say Richie was a dirty cop, Max doesn’t believe it and is determine to clear his name. For help, he turns to retired FBI agent Katherine Pollard, who had testified on Max’s behalf at his trial.
*** Even a less-than-wow Crais is better than most authors. This falls into the category of great airplane/beach books. The plot is somewhat implausible but the characters are interesting, the dialogue strong and the action fast-paced. In a month where I had little time to read, this was a very enjoyable break.
Crais, Robert – Standalone
Simon & Schuster, 2006 - Hardcover
Max Holman has served his time for bank robbery. How released, he hopes to reconcile with his son, Richie, who is a cop. But Richie, along with three other cops, was shot to death the night before Max’s release. Although the police say Richie was a dirty cop, Max doesn’t believe it and is determine to clear his name. For help, he turns to retired FBI agent Katherine Pollard, who had testified on Max’s behalf at his trial.
*** Even a less-than-wow Crais is better than most authors. This falls into the category of great airplane/beach books. The plot is somewhat implausible but the characters are interesting, the dialogue strong and the action fast-paced. In a month where I had little time to read, this was a very enjoyable break.
March 22, 2012
Loved it. I am a sucker for bad guys who become really good guys. (redemption!) And then when they win against all odds, it is very satisfying. This also has a tense plot- impossible to figure out, and a real nail-biter palm-sweater towards the end. This is a stand-alone and every bit as good as the best of Robert Crais. I would love to see more of Holman, The Hero. Crais continues to push through and come up with excellence in writing.
June 6, 2020
Mintha forgatókönyvet olvastam volna, a mozivásznon jól mutatna, bár csak egy alsó kategóriás akciófilmre lenne elég. A börtönből frissen szabadult elítélt valójában jó ember, ő igazán jó útra akar térni, de a csúnya gonosz rendőrök nem hagyják. Különben is meg kell bosszulnia a fia halálát, és ki a legalkalmasabb segítség erre, mint a volt FBI ügynöknő, aki letartóztatta. Sajnos többször untam, a fordulatosnak szánt nyomozás ellenére a cselekmény sokszor sablonos és kiszámítható, a cselekmény sem pörög úgy, mint kellene. Amúgy egyszeri olvasásra jó, gyorsan lehet vele haladni, és gondolkodni sem nagyon kell közben.
March 2, 2025
This was definitely a bit different than the Cole/Pike books, and I wasn't certain I would love it as much. But the story was so compelling, and the characters so real, when it was over I wanted it to continue. Max Holman is a different kind of hero -- a former bank robber who wants to turn his life around. His fears and regrets are universal -- he wished he had been a better man, a better father. He made bad choices, but he wasn't a bad person, and that was clear from the beginning. And he recognized it. He didn't blame everyone else for his bad choices, which was refreshing. He had grown in prison (he is released at the beginning of the book) and he is still, even at 48, growing into a worthy man.
Max Holman is "everyman" -- someone who wants to do good, who fails, and who picks himself up. I felt for him, and really hope that after "the end" he had a good life. :)
Max Holman is "everyman" -- someone who wants to do good, who fails, and who picks himself up. I felt for him, and really hope that after "the end" he had a good life. :)
April 1, 2019
Officially I no longer find consistent and reliable time to read print books anymore ... and that alone makes me sad. Before this, My max for a standard size novel was a month but this one took a little over two months to complete.
Two Second Rule truly was a great story. The underlying plot is actually heart breaking and removes the stigma of the word “criminal”.
Honestly I think my full book review would be skewed by the duration and effort it took for me to decently and actually read line by line. I toted this paperback around for 2 months because I loved the story, the characters and was determined to complete.
I do recommend! I’ll be searching for more titles in Audible
Two Second Rule truly was a great story. The underlying plot is actually heart breaking and removes the stigma of the word “criminal”.
Honestly I think my full book review would be skewed by the duration and effort it took for me to decently and actually read line by line. I toted this paperback around for 2 months because I loved the story, the characters and was determined to complete.
I do recommend! I’ll be searching for more titles in Audible
May 26, 2013
At best it was ok. Kept my interest.
I was angry at the author for one part. He had good characters do something bad that did not fit their motivations. It was unreasonable and illogical for those “good” characters to do what they did. Some good guys attacked someone, tied him, and took him to a remote location. He believed they were going to kill him. The guy escaped - barely. Later he learned they just wanted to talk to him. Well, why did they tie him? It felt like a trick by the author to mislead the reader.
The book has a lot of fear, anxiety, and stress. But most of this is done by having bad cops or FBI threatening and hurting civilians (like planting evidence and threatening jail) (or bad cop forces A to do something and when the regular cops arrive bad cop says “I’m a cop he’s the bad guy”). I’m ok with stories about bad cops, but it seemed like the easy way to provide stress. I prefer being surprised or seeing someone do something smart. I didn’t feel that here. I didn’t have any wow moments. The kinds of things in this book are the kinds of things done a lot.
Minor plot annoyance. Good guys talk to a woman. Woman says that when she saw Fowler, he was with another man. Good guys should have asked the woman to describe the other man. They did not. They left. (I was shaking my head. That’s not smart.) Later in the story they go back to the woman and ask her to describe the man.
I wasn’t drawn to the characters. I wasn’t buying their relationship. Elmore Leonard did it so much better in “Out of Sight”, escaped con flirts with and interacts with female US marshall.
The narrator Christopher Graybill was ok, but some of his voices were irritating.
DATA:
Narrative mode: 3rd person. Unabridged audiobook length: 9 hrs and 23 mins. Swearing language: strong including religious swear words, but rarely used. Sexual content: none. Setting: current day Los Angeles, California. Book copyright: 2006. Genre: mystery suspense.
I was angry at the author for one part. He had good characters do something bad that did not fit their motivations. It was unreasonable and illogical for those “good” characters to do what they did. Some good guys attacked someone, tied him, and took him to a remote location. He believed they were going to kill him. The guy escaped - barely. Later he learned they just wanted to talk to him. Well, why did they tie him? It felt like a trick by the author to mislead the reader.
The book has a lot of fear, anxiety, and stress. But most of this is done by having bad cops or FBI threatening and hurting civilians (like planting evidence and threatening jail) (or bad cop forces A to do something and when the regular cops arrive bad cop says “I’m a cop he’s the bad guy”). I’m ok with stories about bad cops, but it seemed like the easy way to provide stress. I prefer being surprised or seeing someone do something smart. I didn’t feel that here. I didn’t have any wow moments. The kinds of things in this book are the kinds of things done a lot.
Minor plot annoyance. Good guys talk to a woman. Woman says that when she saw Fowler, he was with another man. Good guys should have asked the woman to describe the other man. They did not. They left. (I was shaking my head. That’s not smart.) Later in the story they go back to the woman and ask her to describe the man.
I wasn’t drawn to the characters. I wasn’t buying their relationship. Elmore Leonard did it so much better in “Out of Sight”, escaped con flirts with and interacts with female US marshall.
The narrator Christopher Graybill was ok, but some of his voices were irritating.
DATA:
Narrative mode: 3rd person. Unabridged audiobook length: 9 hrs and 23 mins. Swearing language: strong including religious swear words, but rarely used. Sexual content: none. Setting: current day Los Angeles, California. Book copyright: 2006. Genre: mystery suspense.
September 21, 2024
but far one of the best i read lately. clever, touching, sensitive, sometime you laugh sometimes you want to shed a tear. great read. really good.
January 10, 2020
My first five star rated book of 2020 features a former bank robber named Max Holman. Robert Crais has given us a wonderful, edgy, and thoroughly engaging novel in The Two Minute Rule. Drawing its name from the concept that a bank robber must complete their crime within in two minutes or risk apprehension by the police, the story is populated by very believable characters, people with whom you will sympathize, and enough of a plot twist to keep you engaged throughout.
Max Holman is a memorable protagonist, and along with down-on-her-luck former FBI agent Pollard, the story draws the reader in and provides ample opportunities to form a bond with both characters. It was easy to care about both Holman and Pollard, as they became unlikely partners in attempting to unravel the mystery surrounding the death of Holman’s son, from whom he had been estranged during his incarceration. His son had become a policeman, and Holman was devastated to discover, upon his release from prison, that the former had been murdered only weeks earlier.
The novel is as much about guilt and the need for redemption and forgiveness, as it is about the still missing money from a series of bank robberies with which his son was somehow connected. Holman’s emotional pain and isolation are palpable page after page. As a reader, one cannot help but root for him to emerge victorious from his ordeal, but Crais cleverly holds you in suspense until the very end.
I thoroughly enjoy the author’s Elvis Cole novels, but The Two Minute Rule is on a whole other level: believable, passionate, emotionally evocative, fast-paced, and thoroughly enjoyable. I hope to read more of this sort from Mr. Crais in the future. Highly recommended.
Max Holman is a memorable protagonist, and along with down-on-her-luck former FBI agent Pollard, the story draws the reader in and provides ample opportunities to form a bond with both characters. It was easy to care about both Holman and Pollard, as they became unlikely partners in attempting to unravel the mystery surrounding the death of Holman’s son, from whom he had been estranged during his incarceration. His son had become a policeman, and Holman was devastated to discover, upon his release from prison, that the former had been murdered only weeks earlier.
The novel is as much about guilt and the need for redemption and forgiveness, as it is about the still missing money from a series of bank robberies with which his son was somehow connected. Holman’s emotional pain and isolation are palpable page after page. As a reader, one cannot help but root for him to emerge victorious from his ordeal, but Crais cleverly holds you in suspense until the very end.
I thoroughly enjoy the author’s Elvis Cole novels, but The Two Minute Rule is on a whole other level: believable, passionate, emotionally evocative, fast-paced, and thoroughly enjoyable. I hope to read more of this sort from Mr. Crais in the future. Highly recommended.
July 9, 2012
Great book, another one, so many thanks to Robert Crais for his great writing skills!
A new character, Max Holman, who just gets out of prison after 10 years to find out that his son, a police officer, was murdered with three other officers. To make matters worse, he has not been in his son's life almost ever and was hoping for a reconciliation.
Trying to stay straight and within the law, Holman has to walk a fine line in trying to identify his father's killer(s) and why the murder of four LAPD officers happened. Everything looks mighty fishy to him so he contacts the person who put him behind bars, an ex-FBI agent who is not all that happy about his contacting her.
Crais hasn't disappointed me yet and this just adds to his stature in my eyes. Great plot, great characters...sorry I didn't know Crais before I discovered him about a year ago. Missed out on many hours of great reading pleasure. If you're not familar with him, give him a try. He's well worth the money spent any way you read.
A new character, Max Holman, who just gets out of prison after 10 years to find out that his son, a police officer, was murdered with three other officers. To make matters worse, he has not been in his son's life almost ever and was hoping for a reconciliation.
Trying to stay straight and within the law, Holman has to walk a fine line in trying to identify his father's killer(s) and why the murder of four LAPD officers happened. Everything looks mighty fishy to him so he contacts the person who put him behind bars, an ex-FBI agent who is not all that happy about his contacting her.
Crais hasn't disappointed me yet and this just adds to his stature in my eyes. Great plot, great characters...sorry I didn't know Crais before I discovered him about a year ago. Missed out on many hours of great reading pleasure. If you're not familar with him, give him a try. He's well worth the money spent any way you read.
February 5, 2017
When robbing a bank, you only have two-minutes to escape from the time an alarm button is pushed until the cops arrive. Unfortunately, Max Holman wasn't lucky his last time out. Fast forward 10 years to when Max is released from prison. He discovers his ex-wife is deceased and his son, a 23-year old rookie with the L.A.P.D. was recently killed "in the line of duty". Suspicious of the events surrounding his son's death, he begins to investigate with assistance from Katherine Pollard, the FBI agent who treated him decently when she arrested him 10 years ago.
This is a really cool read!
This is a really cool read!
August 6, 2019
I really enjoyed it!
I liked the main characters a lot.
The only thing that wasn’t so good was the romantic aspect of the story. Don’t get me wrong I like it a lot when my main characters fall in love (I’m an hopeless romantic like that) but it sort of came out of the blue here. It needed more development.
Recommended!
I liked the main characters a lot.
The only thing that wasn’t so good was the romantic aspect of the story. Don’t get me wrong I like it a lot when my main characters fall in love (I’m an hopeless romantic like that) but it sort of came out of the blue here. It needed more development.
Recommended!
November 23, 2007
I so wanted to like this book. I enjoy Crais's Elvis Cole mysteries. And I am truly the most uncritical of mystery readers. So when I say there's a hole you could drive a truck through, well, there's probably a dozen in it you could run the Southern Crescent through. Rats.
March 23, 2025
When I first started this book, I wasn't very drawn in to the story or the character. The main character seemed like a lifelong loser destined to remain so because he didn't seem to know how to be different, and because he kept making decisions that seemed to be bad ideas. But he did seem to want to improve, so I began to cheer him on a bit. Also, I realized that his problems were probably fairly normal for someone from his background.
Side story... I used to work with a former alcoholic who was very smart and had made a remarkable recovery before it was too late. He went to AA meetings, and told me about one man who had spent a lot of time in prison - one of the worst ones in California, I think. This man had gotten a car, and someone asked him if he got a driver's license. He thought they were putting him on, and didn't even know he needed one. It made me realize how out of touch people like that can be coming from a life where there was no regard for laws.
This guy didn't really seem much better, and he didn't seem that smart, so I was disappointed for a while, but later in the book, he began to show that he wasn't a dummy, and ended up solving a case alongside the FBI agent who arrested him originally. It was a close call in the end, with a lot of suspense, but the ending was satisfying to me.
Side story... I used to work with a former alcoholic who was very smart and had made a remarkable recovery before it was too late. He went to AA meetings, and told me about one man who had spent a lot of time in prison - one of the worst ones in California, I think. This man had gotten a car, and someone asked him if he got a driver's license. He thought they were putting him on, and didn't even know he needed one. It made me realize how out of touch people like that can be coming from a life where there was no regard for laws.
This guy didn't really seem much better, and he didn't seem that smart, so I was disappointed for a while, but later in the book, he began to show that he wasn't a dummy, and ended up solving a case alongside the FBI agent who arrested him originally. It was a close call in the end, with a lot of suspense, but the ending was satisfying to me.
January 20, 2010
This novel was paced wonderfully, contained characters that are very different from me but whom I could feel a bond of empathy, and was carefully plotted. The novel’s title comes from the basic criminal rule that a bank robber must get in and out of the bank in two minutes or risk getting caught. Naturally, with such a title, the book begins with an armed bank robbery that “proves” the rule. This is appropriate because the protagonist is a bank robber. The twist is that this particular bank robbery isn’t being perpetrated by the protagonist, but it has a tremendous impact on his life. The protagonist is a reformed bank robber, but don’t let that fool you into thinking this is a mere “To Catch A Thief” scenario. The protagonist loses his son, ironically a police officer who rejected his father’s mores and lifestyle, in a mysterious shoot-out. He cannot accept the easy answer provided by law enforcement authorities, so he starts his own investigation. Yet, in tremendous realism, he cannot do the investigation himself, so he hires a former law enforcement officer. Yes, irony of ironies, he hires the former FBI agent who put him in prison. And, to be honest, THAT’S not a spoiler because it is one of the minor twists and turns of this delightful novel.
From the title through the choice of the most unusual “detective” protagonist I can remember to the very late unveiling of the real antagonist and every “red herring” that threatened to hook me, I enjoyed this excellent novel. I’m starting to think Robert Crais is close to replacing Michael Connelly as my favorite mystery/thriller writer. However, I’m quite unwilling to give either one up. I plan to read the entire canon of each.
From the title through the choice of the most unusual “detective” protagonist I can remember to the very late unveiling of the real antagonist and every “red herring” that threatened to hook me, I enjoyed this excellent novel. I’m starting to think Robert Crais is close to replacing Michael Connelly as my favorite mystery/thriller writer. However, I’m quite unwilling to give either one up. I plan to read the entire canon of each.
January 21, 2017
Crais, who's best known for his Elvis Cole and Joe Pike novels, has created a compelling new protagonist in Max Holman, a convicted bank robber who's just been released from prison and wants to make up for the time he lost with his son, Richie, who joined the LAPD.
In trying to connect with Richie, Holman discovers he's been killed, along with three other police officers. The plot revolves around getting to the bottom of what actually went down that led the murders.
As always, Crais writes a complex tale that digs deep into its subject matter. Along with exploring themes like police corruption and the hardships associated with an ex-con's reinstatement into society, The Two Minute Rule is a moving story of father-son reconciliation, even if had to be post-mortem. Not to mention that Holman is a thoroughly likable guy, who shows himself to be deserving of forgiveness.
Once again, Robert Crais has amazed me with his storytelling skill. I'd give this 10 stars, if I could.
In trying to connect with Richie, Holman discovers he's been killed, along with three other police officers. The plot revolves around getting to the bottom of what actually went down that led the murders.
As always, Crais writes a complex tale that digs deep into its subject matter. Along with exploring themes like police corruption and the hardships associated with an ex-con's reinstatement into society, The Two Minute Rule is a moving story of father-son reconciliation, even if had to be post-mortem. Not to mention that Holman is a thoroughly likable guy, who shows himself to be deserving of forgiveness.
Once again, Robert Crais has amazed me with his storytelling skill. I'd give this 10 stars, if I could.
November 27, 2011
This was a terrific book. I love Crais's Elvis Cole and Joe Pike books, but this stand-alone was so good that I almost didn't miss my favorite L.A. private detective and his few-words partner. Ex-con Holman and ex-FBI bank robberies specialist Pollard are flawed characters, but, in Crais's hands, we can't help but root for and even admire them for their steadfast pursuit of the truth about who killed Holman's L.A. cop son and why. The book builds to a great climax that isn't quite as explosive and satisfying as I would have liked, but I enjoyed this book immensely nonetheless. This is one of Crais's best.
November 21, 2016
I was in two minds with this book. The plot and characters were a little unbelievable. Holman a bank robber rehabilitated and trying to find his police sons murderer. I mean whoever heard of a convict in the American prison system rehabilitated. Then an ex FBI agent helping him out that falls in love with him. Come on that is so far fetched it's like all politicians are honest and caring. However, Craig has a great writing style and is easy to read and I am going to check out his other books.
September 22, 2016
I really enjoyed this departure from Robert Crais's Elvis Cole series, especially the relationship between Max and Katherine. When I told Bob how much I enjoyed this book and asked him if he would write about Max and Katherine again, he said he, too, had grown to love them and would most likely write another book featuring them. I can't wait!
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