Synopses & Reviews
"Novels like
The 25th Hour don't fall out of trees every day. The tone is dark and intense; its elegant style is cut on the raw side; and the characters come from places we've all been."
-The New York TimesAll Monty Brogan ever really wanted when he grew up was to be a fireman. Now he's about to start a seven-year stretch in the federal penitentiary for drug dealing. With just twenty-four hours of freedom to go, he prowls the city with his girlfriend and his two best friends from high school-a high-flying bond trader and an idealistic teacher. As the minutes count down, Monty seizes one last chance to stack the odds in his favor.
Hurtling from the money pits of Wall Street to Manhattan's downtown lounge and club scene, from the enclaves of the Russian mob to the old immigrant neighborhoods, The 25th Hour evokes the pulsing rhythms and diamond-hard edges of a city in the raw, illusory hours between midnight and dawn. A taut and mesmerizing tale of an urban purgatory suspended between the crime and the punishment, The 25th Hour is a major player in contemporary noir fiction from the author of the bestselling novel City of Thieves and the short story collection When the Nines Roll Over.
Review
"[A] spellbinding portrait....Brilliantly conceived, this gripping crime drama boasts dead-on dialogue, chiaroscuro portraits of New York's social strata and an inescapable crescendo of tension." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
Review
"[An] absorbing debut novel....Monty is such a likable character that he practically subverts the theme of 'crime doesn't pay'....The ending's got a nice twist to it, and the double surprise here is the way in which it is delivered." Frank Caso, Booklist
Review
"Remarkable....A darkly human novel that ends up more about hope than about cynicism." The Denver Post
Review
"What makes Benioff's take on this tale so special is his deep trust in the ordinariness of it all, and the persistence of his supporting cast in thinking, as even your best friends will, that this night is all about them." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"The 25th Hour is the kind of tough, honest, young-in-New York novel you're always looking for but seldom seem to find. A story that will engage your mind and trigger your pulse from beginning to end." George Pelacanos, author of Shame the Devil
Review
"Benioff's first novel is as unusual as it is well-wrought: it resonates with a Whitmanesque sense of the city's possibilities and unsatisfied longings." The New Yorker
Review
"A riveting account of neither crime nor punishment, but the hellish, temporary suspension between those two worlds. This book is at once brutal and beautiful. I could not put it down." Ann Patchett, author of Bel Canto
Review
"Exciting....Intriguing." Chicago Tribune
Review
"Terrifically tense...beautifully black-humored....[A]chieves both pathos and excitement. (Grade: A-)" Entertainment Weekly
Review
"[An] acerbically captivating first novel....Mr. Benioff creates a pungent, funny urban tableau full of shrewd operators and unfulfilled desires. He gives this slim, engaging book a colorful range." Janet Maslin, The New York Times
Review
"As time runs out for Monty Brogan, we feel the thrilling inevitability of great narrative: how everything could and should have been different, and how it could only have happened exactly as it did." Melanie Thernstrom, author of Halfway to Heaven
Review
"A dark and funny tale of a man who's screwed his charmed life up to the point that he's only got 24 hours to go before he's incarcerated for seven years. Time enough for one last good time with his friends and a doozy of a twist at the end." The Las Vegas Mercury
Review
"Tight and crisp....The 25th Hour shines. It couldn't get much better." San Francisco Chronicle
Review
"David Benioff has written a terrific first novel. The predicament he creates for his protagonist hold us to the end." Vincent Patrick, author of The Pope of Greenwich Village
Review
"This novel is an extraordinaty sustained performance. I am dazzled by its seriousness, so often hilarious on the surface, and by its exquisite workmanship." Geoffrey Wolff, author of The Duke of Deception
Review
"The 25th Hour moves briskly and assuredly. Benioff keeps the chapters short enough to leave the reader wanting more not because the book is lacking in content, but because the sharp characterizations, clever dialogue, and intriguing situations are irresistible....[A] brief but exhilarating read." Chris Bolton, Powells.com (read the entire Powells.com review)
Synopsis
The brilliant debut novel from the critically acclaimed author of
City of Thieves and
When the Nines Roll Over and theco-creator of t
he HBO seriesGame of Thrones, adapted as a feature film by Spike Lee starring Edward Norton and Philip Seymour Hoffman "Novels like
The 25th Hour don't fall out of trees every day. The tone is dark and intense; its elegant style is cut on the raw side; and the characters come from places we've all been."
-The New York TimesAll Monty Brogan ever really wanted when he grew up was to be a fireman. Now he's about to start a seven-year stretch in the federal penitentiary for drug dealing. With just twenty-four hours of freedom to go, he prowls the city with his girlfriend and his two best friends from high school-a high-flying bond trader and an idealistic teacher. As the minutes count down, Monty seizes one last chance to stack the odds in his favor.
Hurtling from the money pits of Wall Street to Manhattan's downtown lounge and club scene, from the enclaves of the Russian mob to the old immigrant neighborhoods, The 25th Hour evokes the pulsing rhythms and diamond-hard edges of a city in the raw, illusory hours between midnight and dawn. A taut and mesmerizing tale of an urban purgatory suspended between the crime and the punishment, The 25th Hour is a major player in contemporary noir fiction from the author of the bestselling novel City of Thieves and the short story collection When the Nines Roll Over.
"
Synopsis
The brilliant debut novel from the bestselling author of
City of Thieves and the co-creator of t
he HBO series Game of Thrones, about a white-collar drug dealer's last night out in New York City before going to jail Adapted as a feature film by Spike Lee starring Edward Norton and Philip Seymour Hoffman
"Novels like The 25th Hour don't fall out of trees every day. The tone is dark and intense; its elegant style is cut on the raw side; and the characters come from places we've all been." --The New York Times
All Monty Brogan ever really wanted when he grew up was to be a fireman. Now he's about to start a seven-year stretch in the federal penitentiary for drug dealing. With just twenty-four hours of freedom to go, he prowls the city with his girlfriend and his two best friends from high school--a high-flying bond trader and an idealistic teacher. As the minutes count down, Monty seizes one last chance to stack the odds in his favor.
Hurtling from the money pits of Wall Street to Manhattan's downtown lounge and club scene, from the enclaves of the Russian mob to the old immigrant neighborhoods, The 25th Hour evokes the pulsing rhythms and diamond-hard edges of a city in the raw, illusory hours between midnight and dawn. A taut and mesmerizing tale of an urban purgatory suspended between the crime and the punishment, The 25th Hour is a major player in contemporary noir fiction.
Synopsis
All Monty Brogan ever wanted was to be a fireman. Now he's got just 24 hours before he will start a seven-year stretch in the federal penitentiary for drug dealing. As the minutes count down, Monty seizes one last chance to stack the odds in his favor.
Synopsis
All Monty Brogan ever really wanted when he grew up was to be a fireman. Now he's about to start a seven-year stretch in the federal penitentiary for drug dealing. With just twenty-four hours of freedom to go, he prowls the city with his girlfriend and his two best friends from high school a high-flying bond trader and an idealistic teacher. As the minutes count down, Monty seizes one last chance to stack the odds in his favor.
Hurtling from the money pits of Wall Street to Manhattan's downtown lounge and club scene, from the enclaves of the Russian mob to the old immigrant neighborhoods, The 25th Hour evokes the pulsing rhythms and diamond-hard edges of a city in the raw, illusory hours between midnight and dawn. A taut and mesmerizing tale of an urban purgatory suspended between the crime and the punishment, The 25th Hour heralds the arrival of a major player in contemporary noir fiction.
About the Author
David Benioff has written articles and stories for GQ, Seventeen, and Zoetrope, and anthologies that include The Ex-Files and Best New American Voices 2000. He was born and raised in New York City and currently lives in Santa Monica, California.