Are you a 24 fan? Did you absolutely love the latest refresh of the franchise 24: Live Another Day? Wondering how you’ll cope now that it’s over? Are you feeling the pangs of Jack Bauer withdrawal? Well look no further than James Swallow’s new novel 24 Live Another Day: Deadline.
Set between the events of the end of season eight and the start of Live Another Day, the plot follows Jack as he flees America. Event’s kick-off a couple of hours from the end of ‘day eight’ which saw Bauer a fugitive, wanted in connection with the deaths of several key Russian officials. You remember the ending of the show – Jack was talking to Chloe about needing to disappear and asked for one last favour, Chloe obliged and turned the CCTV cameras off so he could make his escape. Well he didn’t just simple walk off into the sunset a-la the end of season four, he had a lot of heat on his back.
It is this heat from the FBI that is the primary enemy for Jack as Deadline begins, but Jack being Jack has more than a few enemies out there. The Russians of course are also out for blood, operating under the orders of their corrupt President Suvarov. Jack also finds himself caught-up with some rather deadly Hell’s Angels as the story progresses.
The plot of the book is interesting and compelling. The narrative allows for the real-time element to be suspended and have the action take place across a wider scale than the one city, but some of the magic of 24 is lost without the ticking clock. The story sees Jack travel cross-country, hide-out in a diner where he actually gets to eat (!), and in an even more shocking turn of events, Bauer has a nap!!
The television series tends to focus on a whole heap of characters, the book hones in on three main groups; the FBI, the Russian operatives and Jack. There are a couple of other elements who get several passages to themselves, but overall it’s just those core three groups which makes the story feel a little less 24 and more like one of Jeffrey Deaver’s Lincoln Rhyme tales.
The inclusion of characters from seasons-past is a welcome surprise and bonus for long-time viewers of the show. Not to give any specific spoilers, but both enemies and allies of Jack, long forgotten and presumed gone, make an appearance. Their inclusion helps ground the story in 24 land, without them and with only Jack, the 24 narrative would be lost completely and the tale would be your generic spy thriller fodder.
Whilst the obvious target audience of the book is fans of the show, it should still be an enjoyable read for those not familiar with the world of the former CTU agent. A lot of his history is implied rather than mentioned which may leave a few readers confused as to how good Jack really is, but that’s kind of the point of a character like Bauer. You want him to succeed as his hearts in the right place, yet he does some pretty questionable deeds that mean it’s hard to fully be behind him. The events that led him to the situation he finds himself in at the start of the book are because he went on a killing rampage after one of his closest friends was murdered. In another story you’d be on the side of the people tracking this guy down, with them being talked into turning themselves in at the end to attest for their crimes. That being said, if you aren’t the biggest fan of the show Deadline is still an enjoyable tale of a man trying to escape his pursuers.
A great stop-gap for fans of the show to consume as they wait with baited breath for confirmation of another series. Deadline also manages to be engaging enough for the uninitiated as well making it the perfect book to pack for those lazy holiday days by the pool.
[usr=4] 24 Live Another Day: Deadline is available from book stockists now.
