Takeover

Theresa MacLean #1

by Lisa Black

In the tradition of Kathy Reichs and Jeffery Deaver, a riveting new novelist introduces a gutsy forensic investigator caught in the middle of an explosive crisis

Forensic scientist Theresa MacLean is investigating a gruesome murder in suburban Cleveland when she learns that her police detective fiancé has been taken hostage with six others at the Federal Reserve Bank downtown. Arriving at the scene she discovers that the police have brought in the city's best hostage negotiator: handsome, high-profile Chris Cavanaugh. He hasn't lost a case yet, but Theresa wonders if he might be too arrogant to save the day this time around.

When her fiancé is injured, she seizes the opportunity to trade places with him. But what initially appears to be a bank heist turns into something far more complex and deadly, and Theresa must decide how much more she is willing to sacrifice in order to save the lives of innocent people, as well as her own.

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Crime, Ebooks

432 pages, Paperback

First published August 12, 2008

About the author

Lisa Black spent the happiest five years of her life in a morgue. Strange, perhaps, but true. After ten years as a secretary, she went back to school to get a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Cleveland State University. In her job as a forensic scientist at the Cuyahoga County Coroner’s Office, she analyzed gunshot residue on hands and clothing, hairs, fibers, paint, glass, DNA, blood and many other forms of trace evidence, as well as crime scenes.
She had her life sorted out just the way she liked it until her husband got fed up with Cleveland snow and moved them to Florida, 1400 miles away from her family and her career. Not that she’s bitter or anything. Now she works as a Certified Latent Print Examiner and Certified Crime Scene Analyst for the city of Cape Coral, Florida, police department.
Lisa has lectured at writer’s conventions and appeared on panels. In her life as a writer she’s a member of Sisters In Crime, Mystery Writers of America and International Thriller Writers. In her life as a forensic specialist she’s a member of the American Academy of Forensic Scientists, the International Association for Identification, and the International Association of Bloodstain Pattern Analysts. She has had over 1050 hours of instruction in forensic topics and has testified in over 60 trials.
Her book Perish was shortlisted for the inaugural Sue Grafton Memorial Award by Putnam and Mystery Writers of America. Her That Darkness is a #1 Amazon bestseller and Evidence of Murder is a NYT bestseller. Lisa was a Guest of Honor at 2021 Killer Nashville.

Reviews

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is the first in a thriller series by this author, who happens to be a forensic scientist. So, it made sense that her main character, our protagonist, Theresa Maclean, would also be one.

The story takes place in Cleveland, where we find Theresa at the murder scene of Mark Ludlow, who is found dead in front of his home.

Where is the wife and son – have they been kidnapped?

Later that morning, she finds that her fiancé Paul Cleary, a local policeman, is one of many hostages, being held at a bank robbery at the Federal Reserve Bank.

Enter Chris Cavanaugh, the local negotiator who hasn’t lost a hostage yet.

Theresa is very concerned and shows up. Chris doesn’t want her there. Things get complicated.

Will Theresa’s presence help or complicate matters?

What will happen to her fiancé? Will he make it out of this situation safely?

Is the murder of Mark Ludlow, who happened to work at this bank, related to this robbery?

Especially if...

His wife and son might also be hostages at the bank?

So many questions.

The scene takes place over an intense 8-hour period. With short-chapters.

What were the true motives of the robbers?

How was anybody going to get out alive?

There were decisions by Theresa that were questionable. (No spoilers by me.) And yet, some of those decisions, led to a neat twist ending.

But…

In the meantime, readers were treated to some spine-tingling, suspense-filled drama.

Hopefully, there will be more forensic science in her future stories. (Giving it a chance.)

I went ahead and ordered her next in the series, Evidence of Blood and Trail of Blood. Have any of you read her before?

[Jeff Dickison · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing was okay, the excitement was alright, but I really do not like books where the plot or action is dependent upon the main character doing something truly stupid.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

What really stuck out in my mind more than anything else as I was reading—and even now as I sort through my thoughts as I purge my brain and write this review—was the setting. The detail and painstaking care with which Lisa Black conveyed Cleveland led me to believe she had either lived there or had done an extensive amount of research on the city. So finding out she was a Cleveland native who felt like she had been violently and dramatically uprooted and shoved in the direction of Cape Coral, FL didn’t surprise me nearly as much as it could have. If you like setting to become a minor character in your reading material, and you hold a certain place in your heart for Cleveland, then you’ll probably enjoy this one.

Whether I realized it or not—and to be perfectly honest I hadn’t given it much thought before reading TAKEOVER and writing this review—I actually hold a place in my heart for Cleveland and similar industrial cities. Growing up an hour and a half south of Pittsburgh, I had no problem taking the blue-collar mentality to heart, and I like to think I still harbor a bit of that tendency even now. And this almost sounds sacrilegious with Pittsburgh always looming on my horizon, but I actually like Cleveland, as long as it’s not the middle of winter. More so than other cities I’ve seen, there seems to be a vast and distinct contrast between the old and the new. That dichotomy has always given it a bit of a pop, and that burst of energy is felt throughout this novel, seeping through every fiber of every page.

But this novel isn’t all blue collared shirts and punch clocks, it causes serious men to face serious consequences for their actions, and the ticking clock looms like an albatross in the background, as various deadlines are put in place. And that’s where the novel strayed for me a bit, as it felt, at times, like a paint-by-the-numbers hostage situation with rising tension and violent interludes.

I ended up racing to the end of this book, not because I had to finish it, but because I needed to finish it, so I could abruptly shift my focus to the next novel looming on my Kindle. The novel felt a bit too formulaic for my tastes. Moving to the sunshine once again, there’s a linebacker crushing twist waiting for you at the end, if you stick around long enough to find it.

Cross-posted at Robert's Reads

[Daniel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Here's the set-up:

A forensic scientist and her fiancé, who is police, find the dead body of some banker guy.

HEROINE: I have to find out how he died.

FIANCE: Bye honey! I have some leads to follow.

Someone is robbing the bank! The banker guy used to work here! Mr. Fiance is one of the hostages!

HEROINE: I have to save my fiancé.

EVERYONE ELSE: What are you doing here? Let the experts handle this one.

EXPERT NEGOTIATOR: I have a perfect record for saving hostages.

EVERYONE ELSE: Dude, you so should not have said that.

Something fishy is going on about this whole bank robbery...

HEROINE: Something fishy is going on.

EXPERT: Lady, I wrote the book on this stuff. And I have a perfect record!

Fast-forward to...our heroine infiltrating the bank!

BANK ROBBER: I am so smart. No one knows what I am up to.

HEROINE: I do!

* * * * *

Let me be clear: while I am poking fun at this book, it is, in fact, a good read. Black paces the plot well and pulls back the curtain one inch at a time and then presents the big reveal with a writerly flourish and a hectic showdown. My main concern with the whole enchilada is that our main character, Theresa MacLean, is the only person who uses her brain in this story and figures out what's going on. Everyone else, whether expert or investigator, fills up space and time and plays out her or his role according to type until it is necessary to make way for MacLean's insights. I'm all for intelligent heroes; I just prefer that they bring along some smart friends.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't figure out where I read about this author in the last few days. I read lots of reviews and reader blogs so it may have been on one of these. Or it could have been in an article about September 2009 releases. This is annoying me and I'd like to remember so I could back and see what prompted me to go looking for Lisa Black's first book, Takeover. I do know that I was intrigued that Black is a forensic scientist at the Cuyahoga County Coroner's Office and that her character in this book, Theresa MacLean shares this occupation with her creator. I remember reading about this debut novel back in August 2008 but it quickly left my range of consciousness until the announcement of the new book prodded it into my radar.

Reading Lisa Black's Takeover sparked the same thrill I felt when first reading Cornwell's Postmortem. Though not as heavy on forensics as reader's of that genre might like, Takeover is a fast paced, hard to put down, suspenseful read. Taking place mostly in just one day, June 25th, starting at 6:42 AM, I was never bored with the events as they unfolded. Initially there's a dead body, hence MacLean's involvement. The body might be Mark Ludow, a recently hired federal reserve bank employee. Homicide Detective Paul Cleary, MacLean's fiance, begins an investigation at the bank when two persons storm the lobby, grab hostages and are at a standoff as their escape vehicle is driven away by a security guard. Whether or not their intent is to rob the bank is unclear but the hostage situation is a serious one, prompting Cleary who is in plain clothes, not to reveal his ID as a cop, biding his time for an opportunity to nail the bad guys. The hostage negotiator, Chris Cavanaugh arrives and sets up house in a library of all places. The next ten hours are a nail biting, tense ride. The characters are wonderfully drawn, I grew quite fond of Cavanaugh, the story is darn good, and by day's end, you're hoping for another book featuring MacLean and company. Did I see where the story was going, the why of Ludow's death. Yep, but it didn't lessen the enjoyment of the book one iota.

Black's Evidence of Murder should be on our shelves soon.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Theresa MacLean excels at her job as forensic scientist. As you read, know that she will show her skills throughout the book. As readers, you have to overlook the fact that negotiators let a forensics person stay in a hostage situation, especially with a personal involvement. But we wouldn't have a story without that. I was more interested in the hostage situation than I thought I would be. I also should have been more suspicious in certain areas than I was. The book became more suspenseful as it went along and I didn't see the twists coming at the end. My rating went up due to the last 1/4 of the book. It didn't end as I envisioned.

[Melissa (Semi Hiatus Until After the Holidays) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Typical mystery, nothing really earth shattering or memorable. Middle of the road.

[Minty McBunny · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read book #6 first by accident and really enjoyed it. This book, however, was not nearly as good. I like Teresa, but the hostage situation caused the story to really drag, it was much too long for the story it told and the reveal of what was actually happening was done in a very awkward and ham-fisted manner.

Since I know the series gets better, I will go on to read the next one, but if it's as much of a struggle to get through as this one, I may skip ahead.

[Lori Anaple · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is what I consider a "throw away" book. I don't expect much from it and I am not disappointed.

I have read better. Basically, it felt like I was reading a book in the middle of a series as opposed to the first in a series. The character development is weak. Plot is thin, but respectable.

[Debra B · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was very disappointed with this book, particularly the main character Theresa MacLean. This book is a suspense/thriller, not a cozy mystery so I expected more from the main character. The story centers around two men who attempt to rob a federal bank. The main premise is that they do not understand the difference between a federal bank and a traditional retail bank. They take hostages, one of them MacLean's fiance. MacLean, who is a forensic investigator, forces her way into room with the negotiators even though 1) she is not trained in negotiations and 2) is personally involved and highly emotional. She then proceeds to take actions that could potentially doom the hostages, all the while chanting a mantra learned as a child ... make a decision and go with it.

This just struck me a counterintuitive for someone who is supposed to be a professional and made the story so hard to believe.

[Teresa mcgaha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I chose this book because it is set in my hometown of Cleveland. The author got the details correct on the setting and even the direction of what you see when looking north, south, east or west. With her next book ( if there is one) I hope to get that much detail correct with the plot. The day starts with the discovery of a body on a lawn in an exclusive suburb and ends with a bank robbery gone wrong. The main character works in the Crime lab and is dating a cop who works the case. It is typical bank robbery gone wrong and hostages are taken. THe fresh take is that we get consice details on how law officials attempt to end a stand off peacefully. The end came at me at a little fast and I guessed wrong on the motive and then with some rethinking figured out who was really behind the robbery and the ending was realistic.

[Denise · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.0 out of 5 stars Implausible sophomoric effort, July 17, 2008

This review is from: Takeover (Hardcover)

Possible spoilers. I was really disappointed in this book == it never quite got off the ground. The premise -- a forensic scientist somehow gets involved in hostage negotiations during an attempted robbery of a Federal Reserve Bank - was implausible and poorly developed. The characters were one dimensional and never developed into people I could find any degree of sympathy or concern for. It was completely unbelievable that a forensic scientist would have been involved in any kind of situation like this except at very periphery, certainly not in the "war room" or next to the negotiator -- especially when we found out that her fiance was one of the hostages. She would not have been allowed anywhere in the area. Then, inexplicably, she's exchanged herself and is now a hostage. From inside the bank as a captive (the robbers would have killed a real person who did the things she did or said the things she said a million times over) she figures out the story and makes it out alive. Someone else doesn't live -- which I HATE when authors do this. What would I want to know before I purchased this book? To skip it. And by the way, there was hardly ANY forensic science in this whole book.

[Christy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Theresa MacLean is a forensic scientist called to gather evidence at the murder of a bank officer which her fiancé, homicide detective Paul Cleary, is investigating. Later that morning, she learns that Paul has been taken hostage in a bank robbery which occurred at the bank where the slain man worked. Theresa heads to the scene and meets acclaimed hostage negotiator Chris Cavanaugh. Theresa convinces Cavanaugh to allow her to stay on during the negotiation and watches in horror as her fiancé is shot by one of the armed robbers. In an effort to save Paul’s life, Theresa approaches the robbers and asks that she be exchanged for Paul. The robbers agree, and from that point on, things spin out of control.

This book has the makings of a good thriller, but the initial slow pace and lack of characters with real depth distract. A forensic scientist makes for not only an entertaining but an edifying read; however, there is very little forensic information relayed in the book. Theresa takes too long to figure out what’s actually going on and can’t seem to keep her emotions in check. The robbers’ rationalization for robbing the bank is not plausible; there is a much simpler way they could have accomplished what they were trying to achieve.

[Monica Mac · Rating 2 out of 5]

Considering we were told this authors writing style was similar to Kathy Reichs and Jeffery Deaver (both authors whose books I love), I thought it was worth giving this book as try. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. It started off well but then it just plodded along. I liked the description of the police negotiator but that was about all. I wasnt emotionally invested in the story at all, the characters were a bit two dimensional for my liking and when Theresa's fiance was shot, I didnt feel very much of anything since we didnt know very much about him nor about their relationship.

Its a real shame because there was a lot that could have been done with this story, but wasnt.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book but it wasn't as thrilling as I would like. I prefer more action and in some parts it was a little slow. However I would definitely try more from this author.

[Yvonne (It's All About Books) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Finished reading: December 3rd 2015

"Love has to be balanced," she said as they reached the reception desk, "with being a human being. You can't trulydo one without being the other."

I keep telling myself that I'm not reading enough mystery/thriller books, so I tried reading Takeover by Lisa Black to help me get out of my reading slump. It didn't work. Not only does the plot lacks imagination and the pace is dreadfully slow, but the story itself is just plain boring. The whole my-fiancé-who-is-a-cop-ends-up-being-a-hostage-in-a-bank-robbery plot has simply been used too many times to be interesting and it didn't really help that I couldn't connect to the characters either. Sure, Lisa Black tried to incorporate a few plot twists into the novel, but I could already guess who was really helping the bankrobbers very early on in the story... NOT GOOD! On top of that, the pace was so slow that it surprised me that I actually ended up finishing this read. I always hate handing out low ratings, especially to books belonging to one of my favorite genres, but I know I wouldn't forgive myself if I lied about my feelings. At least I can cross Theresa Maclean off the list of series I will have to finish one day...



When Theresa MacLean is called to the scene of a murder in the suburban Cleveland, she doesn't know her day is about to get a whole lot worse. Not only does she have to find out who bashed in the back of the skull of the man they found, she will also have to face a more difficult situation when her fiancé ends up taken hostage in a bank robbery. Theresa's fiancé is a police detective and when he goes to the Federal Reserve Bank where the victim and his wife work, two criminals enter right after him and take the undercover cop hostage along with six others. One of the best hostage negotiators, Chris Cavanaugh, has been brought in to get everbody out safely, but the bank robbers do not seem to act like normal criminals... And Theresa is not sure she will ever see her future husband again. Will they be able to end the hostage situation without spilling any blood?



The blurb, while not original, sounds quite interesting, which made me pick up my copy of Takeover in the first place. Unfortunately, this novel turned out nothing but a disappointment. This story is slow paced, has a weak plot and is simply boring in general. In fact, I'm still not sure why I actually finished it... The mystery/thriller genre is one of my favorites, but this book just didn't do it for me. As you might have guessed already, I definitely wouldn't recommend this novel.

P.S. Find more of my reviews here.

[Jodi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a variety of problems with the story in the beginning. She chose to set this at the Federal Reserve Building in Cleveland even though the Fed is not allowed to provide any information about its layout or how it works. She kills an compliance examiner even though I am not sure she knew what that meant. It won't matter to most people but I am a compliance officer. It is my industry! It was difficult to remember that our main character is a forensic investigator not a cop. The premise was that there was a hostage situation at the fed and one of the hostages is the fiancé of the forensic investigator. She will do anything to get him back. Once the story starts moving, which takes much too long, it moves swiftly and the motives unwind in a way that keeps the reader interested trying to figure it out before the cops. But it's a sad story even though since it is book number one, I suspect we will see impressive character growth. I would read book two.

[K. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Trigger warnings: murder, blood, gun violence, death, hostage situation, death of a loved one, car accident, lots and lots of shootings and blood.

I picked this up on a whim from the library recently and I kiiiiiiiind of wish I hadn't because it was...not good.

It's not that the plot wasn't interesting, because it kind of was. But the characters had literally no depth and there was insufficient backstory for me to actually care about the things that were happening to them. There's a lot happens to Theresa in the course of the story and yet she seemed emotionally detached over all of it. And honestly, a lot of that stuff could have been fixed by even an extra 20 pages at the beginning of the book introducing us to Theresa's character and the people around her. And yet... Sigh.

[Lindig · Rating 2 out of 5]

About halfway through, I began dipping around, a sure sign that the book was failing to hold my interest. In this case, the plot centers on a hostage situation in a federal bank, which makes it a little claustrophobic. Advances in the plot tend to come in clumps and then everything slows down again. A serviceable job, but not memorable.

Update 10/2011: Tried it again; same reaction.

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book but I'm not too sure the story will stick with me very long. I'm not sure if I like or dislike the main character Theresa Maclean. I suppose I'll give book two with these characters a go someday and decide then. I'm afraid I just liked continually seeing my name in print. Let's face it, there's not many characters named Theresa in novels. Haha

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cool book because it took place in downtown Cleveland OH, so I was familiar with all the streets & of course the main library!!! Not the best thriller I ever read, but a change of pace for me.

[Maureen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked Theresa Maclean a lot even though in this book she didn't do much forensic deducting, but did use her deducting abilities to figure out why they were hostages in a fed bank...I will read the next one...

[Mcvalens · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the movie of the week thrilled in book format. Interesting enough to keep me reading but but not crazy exciting.

on to something new.

[CD {Boulder Blvd}]

Got halfway through, put it down and then weeks went by without any desire to pick back up. So I decided to just DNF.

[Ariel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Meh.

I liked the plot, but that was about it. I can't relate to Mary Sue heroines or one-dimensional side characters. That...pretty much makes reading the rest of the book boring.

[Lora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three word summary: CSI plus hostages

This novel is written by a real CSI, so she knows what she's talking about (in comparison with the authors of other CSI-based fiction I've read). She has worked for the Cleveland area coroner (the novel is set in Cleveland) and the Cape Coral, Florida police. She has worked with crime scenes, gun shot residue, fingerprints, DNA, blood and many forms of trace evidence. She has testified in court in over 60 cases.

The main character is a female CSI whose detective fiancé is one of many hostages at the Federal Reserve Bank. The stakes are high, and snipers and negotiators are in place. But playing by the literal book is getting nowhere! How will this end?

This is the author's first novel, and it shows a bit. However, I got wrapped up in the story, appreciated the author's real-life experience and plan to read more from the series.

[Darlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Theresa is a forensic scientist with the Cleveland Police Department and her fiancé, Paul, is a detective with the CPD. They are both called to the scene of a man brutally killed. The man worked for the Federal Reserve Bank. Paul is at the Bank to find out information on the murdered man and while he is there the bank is taken over by two men, and they have taken several employees of the bank hostage, including Paul.
A very exciting and fast moving book, as you turn the pages and try and figure out the motives of the two men behind the Takeover. A seemingly impossible task to takeover a Federal Reserve Bank, but these two have a remarkable knowledge of the bank and clearly, in their minds, a sure fire escape plan.

[Tara Jennings · Rating 2 out of 5]

this book was a solid 3.5 for most of it, but I had to take off another star at the very end because WHAT was that last interaction between Chris and Theresa 😭 why is he talking about her next date at her FIANCÉ’S FUNERAL??? she literally walked into a hostage situation to try to save Paul, who then died while she was STILL BEING HELD HOSTAGE, and Chris is like “let’s go on a date teehee” like am I supposed to root for him for that???

[Penny Hammer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very fast paced. Had to find out what happened next. Love it

[Judy Churchill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent suspense and character development. I loved it!