The 25th Hour
From AwardAnnals
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| Author(s) | David Benioff |
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| Subtitle | A Novel |
| Publisher | Plume |
| Honors | |
| An absorbing novel of crime, its terrifying consequences, and a bond that redefines the friendship of three restless young men. Wall Street speculators, the Manhattan downtown club scene, Russian gangsters, immigrant neighborhoods—all the elements in the urban turf of this finely crafted contemporary crime novel wed danger with excitement and possibility. They’re the rewards that Monty Brogan, who stands at the center of the moral glare in this tale, has already lost, just as he’s lost his Corvette, and the “sway” that opened the doors of exclusive night… | |
An absorbing novel of crime, its terrifying consequences, and a bond that redefines the friendship of three restless young men.
Wall Street speculators, the Manhattan downtown club scene, Russian gangsters, immigrant neighborhoods—all the elements in the urban turf of this finely crafted contemporary crime novel wed danger with excitement and possibility. They’re the rewards that Monty Brogan, who stands at the center of the moral glare in this tale, has already lost, just as he’s lost his Corvette, and the “sway” that opened the doors of exclusive night spots and guaranteed him courtside seats at Madison Square Garden. Tomorrow Monty’s traveling by bus, to the federal prison in Otisville, for seven years. He’s afraid, and all he’d ever really wanted when he grew up was to be a fireman.
With the pulse of the city in its prose, this debut novel follows Monty through the twenty-four hours of his last day out. At the same time, it illuminates the worlds, and souls, of his two best friends: Frank Slattery, an edgy bond trader who gambles daily with financial ruin, and Jakob Elinsky, an English teacher who clings to illusions as he compromises his ideals. Friends since their high school days, the three of them nostalgically share a past, but warily they confront a future that can no longer accommodate their adolescent dreams. They meet. They drink, and talk, go clubbing, dance, drink, and remember. What neither Slattery nor Jakob know, however, is that Monty has a plan. It’s a shocker.
Honors
Reviews
Amazon.com
Penzler Pick, January 2001: The 25th Hour is a wonderfully written first novel that convincingly portrays the New York City of Wall Street brokers and middle-class white drug dealers, the new affluent class in a city where money can buy you almost anything and is often the most important factor in young people’s lives.
Monty Brogan is about to start his last day of freedom before turning himself into the authorities and serving a seven-year term for drug dealing. He’s a charming young man who had always dreamed of being a fireman, following in the working-class footsteps of his father, who has had to put up his bar in Queens as bond so that his son can stay out of jail until his sentence begins. Monty, named for Montgomery Clift, does not know how he managed to get himself into this predicament. It was easy money and it carried so many perks, and you’ll feel more than a little sympathy for this young man who has managed to kill his own dream for courtside seats at Madison Square Garden.
But before he goes to prison, Monty wants to have one last night out on the town with his two best friends. Frank Slattery is a bond trader, one of the best and most successful risk takers in a very risky business. The other is Jakob Elinsky, an English teacher who envies his friends’ lifestyles but who has no intention of ever giving up his job for the easy money, despite the disillusionment of teaching high school students in a tough school.
The three young men enjoy the night into the early morning as they eat, drink, and visit the hottest spots in town. It’s a sad night for Monty, but he has a plan that neither Frank nor Jacob know about—and it makes for a shocking ending to this brilliant and disturbing story. —Otto Penzler
Barnes and Noble
The clock is ticking for Monty Brogan, who has 24 hours of freedom remaining before he begins a seven-year stretch in the pen. But Monty’s not about to go quietly—and those hours may be all that he needs to pull off a caper that will stack the odds in his favor at last….
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