Douglas Dorow does a good job of building a suspenseful crime novel. The story line jumps from good guy to bad guy. I found this to be an interesting approach, but some may find it confusing. While the book is not action packed but there are enough action scenes to keep you quickly turning the pages. As for the main character Jack, Dorow creates an tough, experienced FBI agent, combined with a soft heated family man. HE is very likable and it leads the reader to root even harder for the hero. High hopes - dashed! The Federal Reserve has never been robbed. FBI Special Agent Jack Miller, pulled into a high-profile case to mentor a new agent, finds himself in a clash with the toughest opponent of his career. The chase culminates in the bowels of the city, in the storm sewers and tunnels beneath The Ninth District Federal Reserve of Minneapolis.(Author description)On reading the first seven chapters, I had high hopes for this novel. The character of Jack was well drawn and the author showed us what he was like through mannerisms and dialogue. The story premise of the FBI trying to catch a bank robber was interesting and so was the relationship between the older agent Jack and his younger partner Ross. Unfortunately from Chapter 8 onwards it all fell apart, almost as if the remainder of the novel was either written by someone else, or the first few chapters had been polished and the rest of the novel wasn’t. The characterisation of the Governor was all over the place, as though the author didn’t know his character very well, leaving the reader confused as to the type of person he was. Story threads were begun, but never mentioned again. The novel jumps in time and place, with no explanation to support it. The dialogue between Jack and Ross becomes stilted and clichéd and I became very irritated with them constantly asking each other if they were OK.The conclusion of the novel was disappointing. I do not intend to discuss the ending in detail as this would reveal too much, but it is all over the place, muddled, confusing and at times implausible.I wish the excellent start and engaging writing style had been sustained throughout the book.
What do You think about The Ninth District (2000)?
Not bad until the author became sick of his own story and finished it with the lamest ending ever.
—nazifa
Written so poorly I could not keep straight what was going on. Could not continue reading.
—Katie
