Helpful Score: 10
This is one of Hoag's best novels to date! It's a spine-tingling, action-packed mystery with characters you cannot help but fall in love with starting with Jace, the bike messenger on his last delivery of the day. He's a great guy who just wants to provide a good home for his 10-year-old brother while hiding from the watchful eyes of society and the people who would take his little brother away.
But the real hero of this story is Kev Parker, an unconventional police detective, who becomes intrigued by and later protective of young Jace and his sibling, while trying to solve a dark mystery and a series of crimes surrounding the elusive bike messenger. Jace is the main target and the bad guys will do anything to get to him, including brutally murdering everyone he knows and cares about.
There is a reason critics call Tami Hoag the "Queen of Suspense," and once you read this book, you will understand why. As are all of her books, this one will make you laugh out loud, while simultaneously mesmerizing you with breath-sucking suspense. This was the first one of Hoag's books my husband read and he is now also a big fan of hers. Enjoy!
But the real hero of this story is Kev Parker, an unconventional police detective, who becomes intrigued by and later protective of young Jace and his sibling, while trying to solve a dark mystery and a series of crimes surrounding the elusive bike messenger. Jace is the main target and the bad guys will do anything to get to him, including brutally murdering everyone he knows and cares about.
There is a reason critics call Tami Hoag the "Queen of Suspense," and once you read this book, you will understand why. As are all of her books, this one will make you laugh out loud, while simultaneously mesmerizing you with breath-sucking suspense. This was the first one of Hoag's books my husband read and he is now also a big fan of hers. Enjoy!
Helpful Score: 5
I actually did not enjoy this book at all. I found most of it tedious, and the characters unlikable, perhaps because the author tried to make them SO sympathetic. I normally really enjoy Tami Hoag and would highly recommend any of her other books -- except this one.
Helpful Score: 5
I listened to this on CD. Held my attention COMPLETELY through eleven CD's! The protagonist is not particularly likeable, but the suspense will set your teeth on edge! Ms. Hoag is one hell of a storyteller!
Helpful Score: 3
I listened to this book on CD in the car. Found myself driving extra miles so I could hear what happened next! Excellent!
Helpful Score: 2
I like Tami Hoag for her surprising twists, and some sheer terror. In this book she involves messengers in Los Angeles who sometimes have to fight for their lives in the downtown traffic and elsewhere.
Helpful Score: 1
Great book!! I liked this best of all hers that I have read.
Helpful Score: 1
Great story, fast moving and exciting!
Helpful Score: 1
This book was sad in some parts, and a little borening in other part's. But i like the ending of this book.
Helpful Score: 1
twists and turns all the way to the end
Helpful Score: 1
I couldn't find a character to root for in this story. I also found the detail monotonous and dull. Very surprising for Hoag. I usually enjoy her work. Unfortunately, I couldn't wait for this one to be over
Helpful Score: 1
Hoag departs from her usual female protagonist but stays firmly in the thriller camp with this tale of a young bicycle messenger who is implicated in a brutal murder and becomes the target both of the police and of the real killer. Good read, but Hoag loses points for not playing fair with the identity of the real villain, and it definitely feels like she just reached into the fishbowl along about page 450 and drew out one character's name at random.
Helpful Score: 1
Another great book from Tami Hoag. This one has a real twist in the end.
Helpful Score: 1
Bike messenger Jace Damon has one last drop to make when he's nearly run over by a car, gets shot at and when he returns to the person who hires him for the drop-off, he finds the client dead.
Tami Hoag is another great author. She keeps you in suspense.
Reading Tami Hoag is a guilty pleasure. I can't turn the pages fast enough.
Very suspenseful - another great book by Tami Hoag!
Tami Hoag in fine form. Smartass detective with more to his story than anyone guesses and very good mystery story.
great read! Lots of action.
Very intriquing. You will love the characters...
I'm a Hoag fan and this book reinforced my opinion of her talent. A good read.
very suspenseful
Author: Tami Hoag
Jace, a bike messenager in L.A. picks up a package someone is willing to kill for.
Jace, a bike messenager in L.A. picks up a package someone is willing to kill for.
well written, really engaging mystery
A definite page-turner..could not put it down! You dont want to miss reading this book!!
Very suspenseful with a surprise twist to the ending.
Bike messenger Jace Damon is on his last delivery of a long day-a package from one of L.A.'s sleaziest defense attorneys, Lenny Lowell. But when Jace tries to make the drop, he is chased, shot at, and barely escapes with the package-and his life. Meanwhile, Lowell has been murdered and Jace finds himself suspect number one.
In a city fueled by money, celebrity, and sensationalism, the slaying of a bottom-feeder like Lowell won't make headlines. So when LAPD's elite show up, homicide detective Kev Parker wants to know why. Parker begins a search for answers that will lead him to a killer-or to the end of his career. Because if there's one lesson Parker has learned over the years, it's that in a town built on fame and fantasy, delivering the truth can be murder.
Great story by Hoag with her putting hearts into her characters. By the end of the book, you feel as if you do know them by heart!
In a city fueled by money, celebrity, and sensationalism, the slaying of a bottom-feeder like Lowell won't make headlines. So when LAPD's elite show up, homicide detective Kev Parker wants to know why. Parker begins a search for answers that will lead him to a killer-or to the end of his career. Because if there's one lesson Parker has learned over the years, it's that in a town built on fame and fantasy, delivering the truth can be murder.
Great story by Hoag with her putting hearts into her characters. By the end of the book, you feel as if you do know them by heart!
suspence, nonstop action, tension high from beginning to end. slaying of bottom-feeder lawyer
LAPD"s elite
LAPD"s elite
One of the best books I have ever read. Done in 8 hours the book was so good!
UNABRIDGED 11 CDs 13 hours of great listening! Tami Hoag knows how to keep a story moving and the plot exciting.
Bike messenger Jace Damon is on his last delivery of a long day-a package from one of L.A.'s sleaziest defense attorneys, Lenny Lowell. But when Jace tries to make the drop, he is chased, shot at, and barely escapes with the package-and his life. Meanwhile, Lowell has been murdered and Jace finds himself suspect number one.
In a city fueled by money, celebrity, and sensationalism, the slaying of a bottom feeder like Lowell won't make headlines. So when LAPD's elite show up, homicide detective Kev Parker wants to know why. Parker begins a search for answers that will lead him to a killer-or to the end of his career. Because if there's one lesson Parker has learned over the years, its that in a town built on fame and fantasy, delivering the truth can be murder.
In a city fueled by money, celebrity, and sensationalism, the slaying of a bottom feeder like Lowell won't make headlines. So when LAPD's elite show up, homicide detective Kev Parker wants to know why. Parker begins a search for answers that will lead him to a killer-or to the end of his career. Because if there's one lesson Parker has learned over the years, its that in a town built on fame and fantasy, delivering the truth can be murder.
Good suspense story. Typical Hoag. If you enjoy her books you will like this one.
Riveting. This kept my interest throughout.
She always writes a page turner!
Keeps you guessing!
Don't turn off the lights....and keep reading if you dare. A killer so merciless no one in his way is safe---not even the innocent.
Another page turner.
read it in 2 days!!!
Los Angeles bike messenger Jace (J.C.) Damon, on the run after picking up a package from high-powered attorney Lenny Lowell, who is subsequently murdered. Orphaned Jace lives under society's radar in Chinatown, with his 10-year-old brother, Tyler; his surrogate family includes sassy dispatcher Eta Fitzgerald and the Chen clan, the boy's closest neighbors. Similarly, the police in pursuit are an unconventional, if dysfunctional, family: long-suffering lead detective Kev Parker; his annoying and ambitious new partner, Renee Ruiz; squabbling second-string detectives Jimmy Chew and Bradley Kyle; and coroner Diane Nicholson, who is also Kev's lover. The wild card in the game is Lowell's daughter, Abby, volatile and full of
secrets.
God story
secrets.
God story
Tami Hoag delivers her own message to suspense fans everywhere: Don't turn off the lights, and kep reading if you dare!
Tammi Hoag writes great thriller mysteries. A bike messenger is summons to make a delivery in a from a sleasy attorney and winds up being accused of his murder.
Fast paced murder mystery - I enjoyed it very much. One of Hoag's best!
another killer book by hoag
I really liked this read! Kept my interest the whole way!
I liked this one.
An exciting read
One night bike messenger, Jace Damon gets called for a final run and his life is never the same again. Someone tried to kill him and now he's terrified and running. At 19, Jace is responsible for his orphaned brother, Tyler (10) and he doesn't know how to protect Tyler from this danger so he runs to draw the killer away. His dispatcher, Eta Fitzgerald is the funniest person in the story. Her one-liners will have you laughing out loud. I particularly liked this one when Kevin Parker was questioning her about Jace. "You're like a bad penny. Why don't you go spend yourself someplace else."
This is Jace's story but it is also detective Kevin Parker's story. I found Parker to be an all around good guy who has had a run of bad luck. He's a real romeo who uses his charm to further his investigation but in a humorous good way. Parker is one of those guys with personal problems but they just made him seem real and added depth to his character. He's had a tough road but he wasn't bitter about it (well maybe a little) so he just put his big boy pants on and dealt with it...his way. The fact that he had to train Renee Ruiz just put the icing on his situation. She is one of those females you just want to slap silly. I didn't like or trust her from the very beginning. She was just to stupid to be a cop let alone a detective. I was surprised when the truth came out but not shocked. What really shocked me was that Parker was able to deal with her without slapping her.
The only complaint I had was the shifting POV. I had a hard time figuring out who the heck was speaking. I've been looking to see if this is part of a series since I absolutely loved Parker's character and this book reads as if something came before but I can't find anything. I would so love to read more of Parker's adventures.
This is Jace's story but it is also detective Kevin Parker's story. I found Parker to be an all around good guy who has had a run of bad luck. He's a real romeo who uses his charm to further his investigation but in a humorous good way. Parker is one of those guys with personal problems but they just made him seem real and added depth to his character. He's had a tough road but he wasn't bitter about it (well maybe a little) so he just put his big boy pants on and dealt with it...his way. The fact that he had to train Renee Ruiz just put the icing on his situation. She is one of those females you just want to slap silly. I didn't like or trust her from the very beginning. She was just to stupid to be a cop let alone a detective. I was surprised when the truth came out but not shocked. What really shocked me was that Parker was able to deal with her without slapping her.
The only complaint I had was the shifting POV. I had a hard time figuring out who the heck was speaking. I've been looking to see if this is part of a series since I absolutely loved Parker's character and this book reads as if something came before but I can't find anything. I would so love to read more of Parker's adventures.
good book
new york times best seller non stop action well written the ultimate headu collison of Holiywood money, politics,.and power
Thoroghly satisfying,everthing rings true,a perfect book.Well written,hard to put down.
Absolutely positively fabulous! Loved the characters, the plottig, the excitement. Highly recommended.
Great suspense from Tami Hoag!
Bike messenger Jake is on his last delivery of a long day, when he is chased, shot at, and barely escapes with the package he was trying to deliver. He then finds himself accused of murdering the man who gave him this same package.
I like all of Tami Hoag's books, but I really liked this one!
Have to read more Tami Hoag after reading this
Wow! Hard to believe this book only covered three days! But what three days! 4 dead bodies, horribly killed, plot twists and turns, the 'everyman' (the bicycle messenger) suspicious of cops, now the object of a hunt by the killer as well as the cops. Totally unexpected resolution of the police case.
I've read all of Tami Hoag's books and I must admit this one is refreshingly different. For once we don't have a heroine and hero rutting around in lust for each other (not that this is 'bad' but it is refreshing to see this author explore other elements of suspense.) Her word pictures are really great!
Excellent airplane/vacation read.
I've read all of Tami Hoag's books and I must admit this one is refreshingly different. For once we don't have a heroine and hero rutting around in lust for each other (not that this is 'bad' but it is refreshing to see this author explore other elements of suspense.) Her word pictures are really great!
Excellent airplane/vacation read.
Great read.
Great book! I couldn't put it down.
Another winner for Tami Hoag. I don't think that she has ever written a book that I did not like. Lots of suspense in this one, and you get wrapped up in the lives of the main characters.
Excellent read-full of excitement
Tami Hoag did it to me again - she wrote a book I had to finish in one session. From the back of the book comes the plot: "Bike messenger Jace Damon is on his last delivery of a long day - a package from one of LA's sleaziest defense attorneys, Lenny Lowell. But when Jace tries to make the drop, he is chased, shot at and barely escapes with the package - and his life. Meanwhile Lowell has been murdered and Jace finds himself suspect number one. In a city fueled by money, celebrity and sensationalism, the slaying of a bottom-feeder like Lowell won't make headlines. So when LAPD's elite show up, homicide detective Kev Parker wants to know why. Parker begins a search for answers that will lead him to a killer - or to the end of his career. Becuse if there's one lesson Parker has learned over the years, it's that in a town built on fame and fantasy, delivering the truth can be murder."
Bike messenger Jace Damon us in his last delivery of a long day--a package from one of LA's sleaziest defense attorneys, Lenny Lowell. But when Jace tries to make the drop, he is chased, shot at, and barely escapes with the package--and his life. Meanwhile, Lowell has been murdered and Jace finds himself suspect number one.
In a city fueled by money, celebrity, and sensationalism, the slaying of a bottom-feeder like Lowell won't make headlines. So when LAPD's elite show up, homicide detective Kev Parker wants to know why. Parker begins a search for answers that will lead him to a killer--or to the end of his career. Because if there's one lesson Parker has learned over the years, it's that in a town built on fame and fantasy, delivering the truth can be murder.
In a city fueled by money, celebrity, and sensationalism, the slaying of a bottom-feeder like Lowell won't make headlines. So when LAPD's elite show up, homicide detective Kev Parker wants to know why. Parker begins a search for answers that will lead him to a killer--or to the end of his career. Because if there's one lesson Parker has learned over the years, it's that in a town built on fame and fantasy, delivering the truth can be murder.
Hoag's success (Dark Horse; Guilty as Sin), evidenced once again in this engaging new thriller, is the triumph of substance over style. In a genre overrun with self-conscious jargon, brooding descriptions and fragments masquerading as sentences, her clean, measured prosefull, balanced sentences delivered at a steady pacedoesn't so much create an ominous mood as draw the reader into the worlds of her characters. Here, before they know it, readers are invested in the dilemma of Los Angeles bike messenger Jace (J.C.) Damon, on the run after picking up a package from high-powered attorney Lenny Lowell, who is subsequently murdered. Orphaned Jace lives under society's radar in Chinatown, with his 10-year-old brother, Tyler; his surrogate family includes sassy dispatcher Eta Fitzgerald and the Chen clan, the boy's closest neighbors. Similarly, the police in pursuit are an unconventional, if dysfunctional, family: long-suffering lead detective Kev Parker; his annoying and ambitious new partner, Renee Ruiz; squabbling second-string detectives Jimmy Chew and Bradley Kyle; and coroner Diane Nicholson, who is also Kev's lover. The wild card in the game is Lowell's daughter, Abby, volatile and full of secrets, which Hoag reveals at appropriate intervals. A link to Hollywood provides a burst of fresh energy in the later chapters of this character-driven, solidly constructed thriller.
Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time! Being an L.A. bike messenger can be risky on the best of days, but it doesn't normally mean being plunged into a struggle to stay alive. Nineteen-year-old orphan Jake, who lives on the fringe in Chinatown with his younger brother, is on the run after the murder of a lawyer from whom he picked up a package.
Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time! Being an L.A. bike messenger can be risky on the best of days, but it doesn't normally mean being plunged into a struggle to stay alive. Nineteen-year-old orphan Jake, who lives on the fringe in Chinatown with his younger brother, is on the run after the murder of a lawyer from whom he picked up a package.
Tami Hoag in Los Angeles! Better than the swamp stories!
This book follows along with Hoag's other's. It's suspenseful, exciting, and a big surprise ending. It's a great read!
A super page turner by a master writer
This was our first, and absolutely not our last, Tami Hoag novel. My fiance and I took turns reading it aloud to one another...a real page turner!
GREAT read with an exciting twist at the end!
A bike messenger gets caught in the middle of something but he does not know what. Someone os trying to kill him and he doesn't know why. Good book
Great book - surprise ending
When bike messenger Jace Damon gets a call from the dispatcher telling him to pick up a package at Attorney Lenny Lowell' office for delivery, he doesn't know how much his life is going to change. It's a cold, rainy night and Jace just wants to go home. Jace picks up the package from Lenny and tries to make the drop; but someone else wants the package. He is chased, beaten, and shot at, finally hiding in an alley until the gunman goes away. Making his way back to Lenny's office to return the package, he finds that Lenny has been murdered. The police have cordoned off the area and Jace is their number one suspect.
Detective Kev Parker is assigned the case. Lenny has a lot of enemies, but the clues are pointing straight to the bike messenger who was at the office earlier in the evening. But Kev has his doubts. When the elite Robbery/Homicide Division detectives shows up at the scene, he knows something is up. They would not be interested in the death of a sleazy attorney unless it ties to one of their cases. But RHD isn't talking.
Jace isn't about to talk to the cops and tell them what he knows. He has lived off-the-grid for several years, taking care of his ten-year-old brother since their mother died. He is afraid that the cops will put his brother in foster care and throw him in jail.
How did I miss reading this book when it came out? This is an action-packed story that I couldn't put down. We know there is a man chasing Jace, trying to get the package that he still has on him. But who hired this man and what does that package contain? My rating: 5 Stars.
Detective Kev Parker is assigned the case. Lenny has a lot of enemies, but the clues are pointing straight to the bike messenger who was at the office earlier in the evening. But Kev has his doubts. When the elite Robbery/Homicide Division detectives shows up at the scene, he knows something is up. They would not be interested in the death of a sleazy attorney unless it ties to one of their cases. But RHD isn't talking.
Jace isn't about to talk to the cops and tell them what he knows. He has lived off-the-grid for several years, taking care of his ten-year-old brother since their mother died. He is afraid that the cops will put his brother in foster care and throw him in jail.
How did I miss reading this book when it came out? This is an action-packed story that I couldn't put down. We know there is a man chasing Jace, trying to get the package that he still has on him. But who hired this man and what does that package contain? My rating: 5 Stars.
Really enjoyed this one!
This book kept me on the edge of my seat
I loved this book. It was very suspenseful, and the main character was likeable.
I only wish I could give this book 57 more stars! Ms. Hoag is one terrific writer. The story held my interest from the very first sentence. It always amazes me how some authors can really climb into the mind of their characters. Ms. Hoag is a genius at this! A bike messenger is being hunted down by killers looking for evidence he has which he in no way understands. Terrific mystery! "WHODUNIT" turned into an enormous surprise!
Tami Hoag is one of the best writers in the suspense genre. And this is one of her best efforts. I could not put it down. Characters that draw you in immediately and a plot that makes you really think. A wonderful book.
great book. great author.
Murder and Mayhem. Young boy trying to keep his family together while on the run from everyone. I love books that I can't figure out the ending.
This was a good suspense and a page turner. Jace picks up a late delivery package from a lawyer, almost gets killed, and then discovers he is a "person of interest" in the lawyers murder.
great thriller
Interesting plot twists--main character is believable.
Great reading
Another great novel by Tami Hoag, with a twist!
terrific book and author
One of Tami Hoag's best!
Bike messenger Jace Damon is on his last delivery of a long day---a package from one of L.A.'s sleaziest defense attorneys, Lenny Lowell. But when Jace tries to make the drop, he is chased, shot at, and barely escapes with the package---and his life. Meanwhile, Lowell has been murdered and Jace finds himself suspect number one.
Bike messenger walks in on a murder and becomes the number one suspect. Using his street smarts, he avoids the police and finds the murderer.
A good tale from Tami Hoag. Kinda cheesy self-promotion at the end there, but all in all a good one.
Fantastic book!!!
In a city fueled by money, celebrity, and sensationalism, the murder of a bottom-feeding mouthpiece like Leny Lowsell won't make the headlines. So when detectives from the LAPD's elite robbery/homicide division show up, homicide detective Kev Parker wants to know why. Parker is on the downhill side of a once promising career, and he doesn't want to be reminded that he used to be one of the hotshots.
Good Murder/Mystery
Good Murder/Mystery
great book
Suspense at its very best.
High action. Pretty good.
New York Times Best Seller - Bike messenger Jace Damon is on his last delivery of a long day - a package from one of LA's sleaziest defense attorneys. But when Jace tries to make the drop, he is chased, shot at, and barely escapes with the package - and his life.
Don't start this one late of night, unless you are planning to be up all night. Once you start impossible to put down.
Fast paced. Suspenseful. A can't-put-it-down read. This would make a great movie.
Easy read. Good story.
Solidly constructed thriller
"Bike messenger Jace Damon is on his last delivery of a long day --- a package from one of L.A.'s sleaziest defense attorneys, Lenny Lowell. Lowell soon is found dead, and Jace finds himself suspect number one."
Bike
essenger Jace Damon is onhis last delivery of a long day...chased, shot at, barely escapes with the package..murder..LAPD.
essenger Jace Damon is onhis last delivery of a long day...chased, shot at, barely escapes with the package..murder..LAPD.
great Hoag mystery...never guessed till the very end
This was a good book.
Written in 2004--A young, struggling bike messenger is hunted by police and a killer. This is a fast paced book.
Good murder mystery.
My husband read it and enjoyed it. I didn't read it.
BOMC edition, same book, just a little smaller
A bike messenger picks up a package from a sleazy attorney, the attorney is murdered a short time later and whoever wants the package is willing to Kill the Messenger!
NY Times Bestseller
NY Times Bestseller
