The Accidental Hunter: A D Hunter Mystery [Paperback]

Nelson George (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 4, 2005

The first assignment is unusual. The second will set D Hunter in urgent pursuit of a mysterious entity that is kidnapping Top Forty hitmakers.

Always cloaked in the color black, security specialist D Hunter lives on the periphery of the monied Manhattan nightlife. But he's the man people come to when they need help without the interference of the NYPD. When a rising singer called Night is kidnapped, music manager Ivy Greenwich hires D Hunter to deliver the ransom. Mission is accomplished, but Greenwich isn't finished with Hunter.

Greenwich has devised a tried-and-true plan to transform Bridgette Haze's mega-pop-star image from the tween-bubblegum-pop genre to an edgier urban one: bring her to New York City where she can be seen at the right night spots and work with leading hip-hop producers. But the recent near tragedy with Night convinces him that she'll need extra protection. D isn't really in the bodyguard business anymore, but he needs the money. So he reluctantly agrees, never expecting he'll need to fight both a surprising sexual attraction to Haze and the determination of one who is seeking revenge for betrayals of the past.

Set in the hip-hop clubs and shrouded secret hearts of New York City, The Accidental Hunter is a page-turning adventure.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Emmy-winning TV producer George examines the ambition, deception, corruption and pervasive drug culture that lurk on the underside of the music world in this noirish thriller, which opens with the kidnapping of pop singer Night, the protagonist of George's Night Work (2003). D Hunter, the moody head of a security firm, gets hired to deliver the ransom for Night and provide bodyguards for hot pop singer Bridgette Haze, a sexy blonde trying to crash the mainly black urban music world by hosting a hip-hop awards ceremony in New York. Meanwhile, D must keep his unruly security staff in line; navigate his relationship with Emily Anekwe, his British-Nigerian girlfriend who runs a popular downtown club; and protect Bridgette and himself from threats by a mysterious motorcycle gang. Handsome, powerful, contemplative, with both of his brothers murdered and his father long gone, D struggles to accept his mother's remarriage and his own HIV positive diagnosis. This fast-paced book is written with a syncopation that parallels its setting, but the many subplots and large cast of characters, although well developed, weigh it down.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

Valerie Wilson Wesley, author of Dying in the Dark In the tradition of Chester Himes and Iceberg Slim, Night Work is very dark, fast-paced, and offers a look at a world that is both intriguing and disturbing.

Tananarive Due, author of The Good House Night Work is an engrossing ride through New York's underbelly of sex, music, drugs, and dreams-for-hire. Nelson George creates dead-on characters in a world of hustlers, pimps, models, and dream-makers, a suspenseful blend of seaminess and simple humanity. You won't want to stop reading until long past night.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 292 pages
• Publisher: Touchstone (January 4, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743235525
• ISBN-13: 978-0743235525
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,272,566 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Mystery!, February 12, 2005

By 

Mahogany Book Club "Mahogany Media Review" (Albany, N.Y.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Accidental Hunter: A D Hunter Mystery (Paperback)

When R & B singer Night ( From " Night Work") is kidnapped, his music manager Ivy Greenwich hires D. Hunter to deliver the ransom money so the New York City police don't get involved. Ivy Greenwich also has another young rising singer Bridgette Haze that he wants to transform from teen pop star to the next hot urban R& B singer. That means bringing Bridgette to New York to hang with other urban artist and to be seen at all the local hot spots. With the recent kidnapping of Night and the daily threats he hides,Ivy hires D. Hunter again to protect Bridgette as she roams the city in preparation of the awards show. As the heat starts to rise between the singer and her personal protector people plot deception and hidden agendas.
Nelson George covers a lot of ground in The Accidental Hunter such as interracial relationships,A.I.D.S.,the music business, absentee fathers,drugs,ect... I enjoyed this hip-hop mystery of sorts. I liked that the hip-hop scene wasn't overloaded with designer labels and bling bling. D.Hunter is a charmer trying to run his own business and live with H.I.V. I hope this is the first in a long line of D.Hunter mysteries.
Nelson George knows the music business, the streets of New York and the problems in our community today. With The Accidental Hunter he has brilliantly blended it all together.
Reviewed by
Dawnny

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More Than You Expect from a Simple Mystery Novel, January 24, 2005

By 

John Matlock "Gunny" (Winnemucca, NV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Accidental Hunter: A D Hunter Mystery (Paperback)

A good mystery has to entertain, and then it should also provide some other reason for its existence. Le Carre tought us a lot about the dark side of the spying business during the Cold War. Hiaasen tells us a lot about the dangers of development and the ecological damage caused by people who just don't care.

Addidental Hunter forces readers to examine:

Crack among African-Americans
Black music on White pop culture
Living with AIDS
Interracial Relationships.

We are also accustomed to private detectives who jump into bed with all kinds of women throughout the book. Now we suddenly have a main character who is HIP positive.

You of course don't read mysteries for this kind of education, you must also be entertained. The characters must be developed enough to hold your interest. The plot must be interesting enough to make you keep turning pages until the end. And all of this is accomplished, accomplished very well indeed, you'll wonder abut an uninown entity is becomming increasingly violent in seeking revenge for betrayals of the past.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dark and mysterious..., January 14, 2005

By 

The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers (RAWSISTAZ.com and BlackBookReviews.net) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Accidental Hunter: A D Hunter Mystery (Paperback)

Nelson George is back in the first of a mystery series of books about the highs and lows of the life of Dervin "D" Hunter in THE ACCIDENTAL HUNTER. D heads his own security business and has taken on the job of bodyguard to a couple of high profile music celebrities. One of the stars, Night (from Night Work) has been kidnapped and D is hired to deliver the ransom and collect Night in return. His other client is a young, white, teenie bopper, hoping to update her image with a little hip hop.

Both assignments weigh heavily on D as he battles his own demons, such as his mother's new fiance', his HIV positive status, and problems within his team. As if that's not enough, a motorcycle gang is always in the mix when it comes to his clients and D begins a little investigation of his own to find out who's behind the gang. What he finds out could not only cost him his business, but friendships he's built along the way.

THE ACCIDENTAL HUNTER was a dark, slow read for me. The mystery of finding out who was behind the wrongdoing in the book kept me interested in the storyline. But, all the references to singers, rappers, and name brands of this or that slowed me down a bit as I'm way behind in keeping up with the entertainment lifestyle. I did however enjoy the character of D Hunter, his moodiness, seeing all sides of his character, and of course, watching him kick butt. The ending of the book has me anticipating the next in the series. (RAW Rating: 3.5)

Reviewed by Tee C. Royal
of The RAWSISTAZ™ Reviewers