High Noon

by Nora Roberts

High Noon

book data

1277 ratings, 3.83 average rating, 178 reviews (more data...)

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published

July 10th 2007 by Putnam

binding

Hardcover, 423 pages

characters

Phoebe MacNamara, Duncan Swift

setting

The United States

isbn

0399154345 (isbn13: 9780399154348)

description

Police Lieutenant Phoebe MacNamara found her calling at an early age when an unstable man broke into her family's home, trapping and terrorizing them ...more

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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 1651)

All ratings | 5 stars (352) | 4 stars (467) | 3 stars (363) | 2 stars (83) | 1 star (12) | avg 3.83

all | this edition

Eviltwinjen

Eviltwinjen rated it:

08/21/07

bookshelves: romance

recommends it for: Romance fans, suspense fans, people who wonder if romance novels can be feminist

I'm a total sucker for Nora Roberts, and as long as she's not recycling characters too obviously I have few complaints. Say what you will about Roberts and her incredibly prolific career, she's an effective writer. I laughed, I cried, I was concerned about whether some characters would make it out alive. So the hero is just a bit too good to be true--an emotionaly open, handsome, loyal lottery winner, fer chrissakes--the heroine is a hostage negotiator who's truly ballbusting. The ...more

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Gina

Gina rated it:

(review of isbn 0515144681)

06/03/08

bookshelves: mystery-detective, own, romantic-suspense

Read in June, 2008

Pretty good by not her best work…

I liked the characters, especially Ma Bee and Duncan. Ma Bee understands Duncan like no other - the only mother figure he’d ever known. Duncan is a take charge kind of man, one who does what he wants when he wants, and pursues Phoebe like a pitbull - jaw locked and refusing to let go. Phoebe needed him to balance her, and I’m glad they found each other. And Carly, Phoebe’s 7-year-old daughter - very much like my own 7-year-old daughter. The only diff...more Pretty good by not her best work…

I liked the characters, especially Ma Bee and Duncan. Ma Bee understands Duncan like no other - the only mother figure he’d ever known. Duncan is a take charge kind of man, one who does what he wants when he wants, and pursues Phoebe like a pitbull - jaw locked and refusing to let go. Phoebe needed him to balance her, and I’m glad they found each other. And Carly, Phoebe’s 7-year-old daughter - very much like my own 7-year-old daughter. The only difference is my daughter likes numbers, LOL!

I liked the plot, even if there were loose ends. It’s not very often when you have a hostage negotiator as the main character. I liked how it all played out. I’d have liked to see Duncan settly into Phoebe’s house, them getting married, more about Phoebe’s mother as well. And her trademark is all over this book - all the descriptions she gives buildings, gardens, etc…, they suck you into the story. You’re seeing the building like you’re standing in front of it. You smell the flowers in the garden. And it was pure delight how the very flower that Duncan first gave Phoebe is my absolute fave flower.

However, the climax of the story happens in the last chapter - something I don’t ever remember NR doing before; where the climax and closure of the story happens in the last chapter - about 10 pages. Lots of dialogue, lots of action and suspense that gives it the perfect height of the story, the tension everyone feels in the situation. But all crammed into the last few pages of the last chapter? Come on! I’d have liked to have seen them settle, maybe a little more something from Arnie.

I really enjoyed how the characters came together I found that a lot of the scenes between the characters were so much like my family; ie: for instance, the banter between Duncan and his best friend’s wife, Louise. They’re banter is very close to the banter my husband has with my best friend - and I got a really good kick out of that! The family closeness - how they treat each other - is very much like my own family, and I like it so much when NR makes me feel like I’m part of the characters’ families.

But the ending… that’s the only reason why this doesn’t get my usual NR 5-star rating....less

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4 comments

Crystal

Crystal rated it:

04/10/08

I was really looking forward to reading High Noon. I always can expect a well written, and well research novel from Nora Roberts. And she didn’t disappoint me.

The most positive aspect of the book was the characters. I am always amazed at the depth Nora puts into them. Phoebe was a strong, independant woman, trying to balance a sucessful career and a family. She was a character that any woman would admire. I really enjoyed Duncan and Phoebe’s love story. They had tons of chemistry, but it...more

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5 comments

Alexis

Alexis rated it:

(review of isbn 0515144681)

11/22/08

bookshelves: nora-roberts, romance

Read in November, 2008

recommended to Alexis by: Erin
recommends it for: fans of the JD Robb/In Death series

I would not classify this as a romance novel. It is far more along the lines of one of Nora Roberts' JD Robb mysteries. It was a fun, exciting read, and I understand why it has to be put with the rest of her books, but in this case the romance comes second to the mystery.

Lieutenant Phoebe MacNamara lives in Savannah, Georgia in a big old house with her mother, daughter, and an honorary older sister. An incident that occurred when she was 12 prompted her to train with the FBI and then return...more I would not classify this as a romance novel. It is far more along the lines of one of Nora Roberts' JD Robb mysteries. It was a fun, exciting read, and I understand why it has to be put with the rest of her books, but in this case the romance comes second to the mystery.

Lieutenant Phoebe MacNamara lives in Savannah, Georgia in a big old house with her mother, daughter, and an honorary older sister. An incident that occurred when she was 12 prompted her to train with the FBI and then return to Savannah to work as a hostage negotiator with the police department. When she responds to a suicide call, she meets Duncan Swift, the boss and landlord of the potential jumper.

And here is why I think High Noon is more mystery than romance, at least when compared with other books by this author.

Duncan and Phoebe's relationship is too easy. Don't get me wrong - they are interesting, funny characters. However, Duncan is almost too perfect. Yeah, he's got some hardship in his background, but he's over it. Nothing bothers him. He is so good natured and understanding and stable that there really isn't any major conflict in their relationship. Pheobe's got a bunch of "complications," as she puts it, but he's really good at shrugging them off and seeing the big picture. While this makes him seem like an amazing man, it makes the romantic part of the book a little shallow. Yeah, it's fun to read, but they relationship is never in any danger.

I can only conclude that this is because Phoebe is in so much danger, and so much of her attention is focused on keeping people from getting hurt that it would just be cruel to add a guy with deep-seated issues to the mix. So instead she gets a steady guy who sticks by her side no matter what, which is what she needs. And that's why the romance is secondary. Early on, Phoebe is brutally attacked, and the harassment and attacks escalate throughout the story. It's pretty compelling reading when the mystery is going on, and the romance - while fun - is fluffier than most of Roberts' other books.

I have one and half complaints about this book. The half - there was a lot of repetition in description and dialogue. For example, on page 28 Phoebe says: "I'm not entirely sure, not altogether sure." Minor, yes, but there is a lot of that type of language. (What, did she write this for NaNoWriMo? Are we padding word counts here?) I know it's something Nora Roberts uses to make points and make it seem more realistic, but in this book I felt it went overboard and could have used some editing. The other, full complaint, is the lack of resolution. I felt like it could have used an epilogue. There were some big issues (Pheobe's mom, the houses) that just kind of got glossed over in the declaration of love and devotion scene, and that weren't clarified at the end. An epilogue where we see how those played out would have been nice. That said, these 1 1/2 complaints made me feel like the book might have been rushed. All in all, still a good read. I couldn't put it down and finished most of it in one day. I would recommend it more to the fans of her Eve Dallas series and her suspenseful novels (i.e. The Reef, Homeport, etc.) than the fans of her family-oriented or supernatural novels (i.e. The MacGregors, Gallaghers, etc.). ...less

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Sarah

Sarah rated it:

10/15/07

Read in October, 2007

I was not too pleased with this Nora Roberts book. Maybe I've just read too many of her books and they are becoming too alike.
I feel that she could have told this story effectively in 200 less pages then it actually was. It seemed to drag on and I wasn't relating to the characters at all... they seemed so one-dimensional. It was a disappointment.

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Colleen

Colleen rated it:

(review of isbn 0515144681)

07/31/08

Read in July, 2008

I picked this up in an airport bookshop last weekend, when my plane got stuck in Atlanta. High Noon wasn't a bad read and certainly kept the boredom at bay as I waited for my flight to depart, but it wasn't up to Roberts' usual standard.

The plot is laid out above and I will say that the characters were interesting by the end of the novel. Unfortunately, it seemed like two much was going on with the thriller plot to allow Roberts to flesh out the characters early enough for me to really c...more

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Angela

Angela rated it:

(review of isbn 0515144681)

06/24/08

bookshelves: romance

Read in June, 2008

I've seen this scenario before out of La Nora: tough cop chick meets rich guy, sparks fly, suspenseful things ensue. Only this time it wasn't a J.D. Robb novel; it was (I believe the) latest Nora Roberts paperback, High Noon.

The overall feel of this thing being akin to the J.D. Robbs, minus the futuristic elements, is not a bad thing in the slightest. Ms. Roberts has demonstrated that police procedurals are a strong area for her writing, and that's what this book is, albeit with the a...more

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Shyloh

Shyloh rated it:

07/24/08

Read in July, 2008

Police Lieutenant Phoebe MacNamara found her calling at an early age when an unstable man broke into her family's home, trapping and terrorizing them for hours. Now she's Savannah's top hostage negotiator, defusing powderkeg situations with a talent for knowing when to give in-andwhen to jump in and take action. It's satisfying work-and sometimes those skills come in handy at home dealing with her agoraphobic mother, still traumatized by the break-in after all these years, and her precocious sev...more

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LJ rated it:

08/08/07

bookshelves: contemporary_post_1945, female_author, mystery, police_procedural, romantic_suspense

Read in July, 2007

HIGH NOON (Police Proc/Romance-Lt. Phoebe MacNamara-Savannah, GA-Cont) – VG
Roberts, Nora – Standalone
Putnam, 2007, US Hardcover – ISBN: 9780399154348
First Sentence: Jumping to your death was a crappy way to spend St. Patrick’s Day.
*** Lt. Phoebe MacNamara is single mother who lives with daughter, Carly, her mother, suffering from agoraphobia, and Ava, a family friend. As a hostage negotiator, she talks down a man threatening to commit suicide and meets the man’s attractive f...more

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Sarah

Sarah rated it:

07/10/07

bookshelves: fiction

Read in July, 2007

recommends it for: a romance that's got far more police procedural than heaving bosoms

I was able to grab this new Nora Roberts novel three days before its scheduled release, thanks to a book signing held at her husband's book store in Boonsboro, Maryland. Normally, I prefer paperbacks to hardcovers, but this was worth the splurge -- and not only for the chance for a personalized autograph.

I'm a bigger fan of Robert's ...in Death series than her standard romances; I prefer a mystery/thriller plot over your standard bodice-ripper. But that's what sets Roberts apart from ...more

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Sheila

Sheila rated it:

09/01/07

Read in August, 2007

Roberts doing what she does best: a good plot, good description of the environment (especially the house the family lives in), good supporting characters. I liked the heroine about as much as usual, and the hero slightly more; he has an irrverence I usually associate with Roarke from the In Death books. Pretty standard sex scenes, but I've read almost every book she's ever written, so it'd probably be pretty hard for her to surprise me in that area.

One thing I always keep an eye out for in a...more

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Jennifer

Jennifer rated it:

07/21/08

Has a copy to sell/swap — Read in July, 2008

This was an interesting read. It wasn't true excitement all the way though, as I'd hoped it would be, but it was worth reading. Phoebe MacNamara is a hostage negotiator in Savannah, GA. She's a single mother living in an old Savannah mansion with her agoraphobic mother and a family friend.

The story is slow to explain how and why Phoebe and her family are in this mansion and cannot leave it, but it explains how and why Phoebe became a negotiator, and this is paramount to the story.

Phoe...more

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Pamela

Pamela rated it:

06/18/08

Read in June, 2008

Perfect summertime fare. A light read that won't stay with you once you've put it down to grab another mojito.

I became far more wrapped up in the more interesting secondary characters... and though the end unfolded in more than 3 pages, which I appreciate, nothing more was forthcoming after the climax.
Did Essie ever leave the house? Did Ava and Dave get together? And what about that house, which was also a central character.
All those wonderful story lines fell by the wayside as the ...more

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Kerry

Kerry rated it:

07/22/08

I am an unabashed fan of Nora, and this book didn't disappoint. Say what you will about her prolific writing, but I think she still manages to come up with plots that are fresh and unique, and although some of her characters remind you of others, they're generally pretty well developed.

I always love her attention to detail and her ability to research and capture whatever subject she's writing about. I think she had Savannah spot on in this book. I agree with another reviewer that there was m...more

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Toni

Toni rated it:

06/20/08

bookshelves: nora-roberts

Read in June, 2008

recommends it for: action romance fans

LOVED IT LOVED IT LOVED IT!!! As I've read just about everything Nora Roberts has written in the last 10 years, that's saying something. This was one of the best books by her that I've read in a long time, I think since I read the Gallagher's of Ardmore trilogy. This story is not part of a trilogy, and usually I prefer her trilogies to any of her other stories, but I was glued to this book, hung on every word.

This book is full of action, and our heroine is a negotiator with the local pol...more

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Shaina

Shaina rated it:

05/24/08

bookshelves: romance

Read in August, 2007

I caved and bought this book on the way back on a long plane trip because I needed a comfort read and sure enough, it delivered. Roberts has a good touch with dialogue and populating the lives of her characters. I liked how tough the main female character was and thought setting her up as a divorcee with a child and a whole lot of familial baggage was a nice touch-yes, it could have been a cliche, but the emotions felt real, and that as always made all the difference. The main male character....more

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rory

rory rated it:

06/25/08

bookshelves: started-not-finished

Read in June, 2008

recommends it for: Pam

Every summer I try to read a few airport-tastic bestsellers. This was my first and last Nora Roberts. Thanks to Shelley H's heads-up about this great blog, I realize that there are kinda-enjoyable-if-you-just-turn-off-yer-brain Roberts books out there, but I don't think this was one of them. Somehow, I missed that this was a romance (all the talk about violent childhood traumas and suicides and being tough in the first paragrap...more

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Corky

Corky rated it:

12/06/07

Read in September, 2007

Police Lieutenant Phoebe MacNamara found her calling at an early age when an unstable man broke into her family's home, trapping and terrorizing them for hours. Now she's Savannah's top hostage negotiator with a talent for knowing when to give in-and when to jump in and take action. It's satisfying work-and sometimes those skills come in handy at home dealing with her agoraphobic mother and her precocious seven-year-old, Carly. It's exactly that heady combination of steely courage and sensitivit...more

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Evaine

Evaine rated it:

05/24/08

bookshelves: romance

Read in March, 2008

I enjoyed it. It wasn't quite what I was expecting, that I'll have to admit. The romance between Phoebe and Duncan was not front and centre throughout the majority of book, but instead, ran neck and neck with the mystery/threat of the 'stalker'. The book read as having a little more J. D. Robb flavouring in it than many of the Nora Roberts titles I have read. And that was okay! What I did miss, though, was that because of the mystery being more prominent, I felt that I didn't get to explore...more

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Krystal

Krystal rated it:

07/23/07

bookshelves: jdrobbnoraroberts

Read in July, 2007

The thing with Nora Roberts is....she often has what I consider forced or awkward dialogue. Its not consistantly a way that people talk now a days...you see the phrase..."I'm going to thank you for that..." and it leaves me wanting to say to no one in particulair...just thank someone without announcing you're going to thank them. This type of dialogue is common, and it put me off reading her books for awhile...but I do encounter one of her books every now and then that intriques me, ...more

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