Review: 15 Seconds by Andrew Gross

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow (July 10, 2012)
• ISBN-10: 006165597X
• Source: Publisher

Henry Steadman wasn’t aware just how drastically his life would change as he stopped at a red light. In town to speak at a medical conference, he found himself lost. Seconds later, he is pulled over by the police. The fifteen seconds that follow determine his fate. The minute the officer runs his license his world changes. He is immediately pulled from the car, put in cuffs. Another patrol car arrives and they begin questioning Henry. There seems to be some sort of miscommunication or confused identity. Just as the matter is cleared up, a blue sedan pulls up and shoots the officer. Harry is stunned. The only remaining witness to the crime he jumps out of the patrol car and into his own, perusing the car that just sped away from the scene, calling 911 as he drives.

He is shocked when he tunes into the radio and hears that he is the prime suspect in the police officer’s murder. Rather than turning himself in, he goes to the home a friend he trusts, only to discover his friend has been murdered. Unsure of what to do, certain he is being framed, Henry goes on the run. He wants to turn himself in, but soon learns that doing so would result in deadly consequences.

Henry soon befriends a community resource person at the police station, the one person who believes he may be innocent. With her help, Henry learns more about the man who is determined to ruin his life, a man bound and determined to get revenge for his daughter, a woman Henry has never met.

15 Seconds can best be described as an exhilarating, heart-pounding, thrill-ride of a read. The chapters and sentences are short and abrupt, allowing this pacing to continue throughout the entirety of the book. Throughout the book, there are several instances in which one must suspend disbelief but simply going with the flow will allow the reader to become quickly immersed in the story, believable or not. Other readers have commented that the plot-line is formulaic. I cannot disagree, but that’s not to say that this novel doesn’t have merit and is deserving of a read.

This isn’t a complex novel but one that will take over your free time if you allow it. If you are looking for an intense thriller that completely makes you loose all track of time, 15 Seconds is the book for you. Recommended.

Watch the video and learn Andrew Gross’ inspiration for writing this novel: