Accidents Waiting to Happen [Paperback]

Simon Wood (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2002

Criminals aren’t the only ones with prices on their heads. Everyone is worth more dead than alive. Josh Michaels discovers that he’s simply a dollar figure when his car is forced into the Sacramento River. The person who caused the accident doesn’t help, but instead flashes him a "thumbs down" gesture.

Josh survives, but the accidents don’t stop. Every time he dodges one, someone close to him dies. And Josh isn’t alone. Other people are dying in bizarre accidents all over the US and not one of these events holds up as an accident under intense scrutiny.

Josh’s accidents unearth old skeletons. His blackmailing ex-mistress returns, demanding another pound of flesh. She threatens to expose the kickback he took to pay for his daughter’s medical bills if she doesn’t get paid.

In a desperate race to keep his crime a secret, rid himself of his blackmailer and hold onto his marriage, he must discover why there is a target on his back.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...An impressive debut." -- Sue Reider, Reviewer for Mystery Scene Magazine

"...Bound to be a bestseller! I expect to see Simon Wood's name next to the engraved rich and famous..." -- Barry Kline, Line-By-Line Reviews

"...hard to put down...a mind boggler with twists and turns that keep the reader guessing till the last page." -- Ginny Welding for "All About Murder Reviews

"What a thrill ride!" -- Anneli Rufus, Literary Editor, East Bay Express

"a good thriller...I would love to see this story made into a movie!" -- Lesley Mazey for Eternal Night

From the Author

Simon Wood is an ex-racecar driver, a licensed pilot and an occasional private investigator. He shares his world with his American wife, Julie. A longhaired dachshund and five cats dominate their lives. He's had over 150 stories and articles published. His short fiction has appeared in a variety of magazines anthologies, such as Seattle Noir, Thriller 2 and Woman's World. He's a frequent contributor to Writer's Digest. He's the Anthony Award winning author of Working Stiffs, Accidents Waiting to Happen, Paying the Piper and We All Fall Down. As Simon Janus, he's the author of The Scrubs and Road Rash. His latest thriller, Terminated, is out in mass paperback with a new short story collection, Asking for Trouble, out later in the year. Curious people can learn more at simonwood.net. --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Barclay Books (FL) (August 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1931402302
• ISBN-13: 978-1931402309
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (107 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,609,884 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

194 of 199 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Aren't they all Accidents Waiting To Happen, October 7, 2003

By 

Kevin Tipple (Plano, Texas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Accidents Waiting to Happen (Paperback)

Business and life are good and Josh Michaels thinks he has life by the tail. Procurement manager and happily married he is on the way home to his wife, Kate and their daughter, Abby. As is his habit, he drives down backcountry roads at higher than posted speeds for the sheer exhilaration of it all and the lack of people to interfere. He likes to push the edge and has gotten away with it in the past.

That is until he is forced off the road by what initially appears to be a very reckless SUV driver. Josh's car goes airborne off the road right before a bridge and sails into the middle of the Sacramento River. Stunned by the impact but still alive Josh is faced with drowning as the car sinks because he can't swim. Trapped in the car as it slowly sinks, Josh sees the SUV driver standing on the bridge above him. Expecting help, he is horrified when the unknown driver gives him "a thumbs down gesture" reminiscent of the gladiators in the Roman Coliseum before driving away from the scene.

Josh survives his near drowning experience and eventually tells his story to the Police while recovering in the hospital. Outright skeptical from the start of the investigation and with little to go on, the Police dismiss it as yet another road rage incident. The stalled investigation does get some media airplay and subsequently brings him unwanted attention from his past.

His life as he knows it begins to dissolve as he is the target of killers who want him dead for only reasons they know and a blackmailer who hasn't made him suffer enough just yet. While the blackmailer works to end his relationship with his wife and child and to see him in jail, the killers want him dead. Slowly, Josh learns that he isn't the only target marked for death and that the blackmailer might be just the tip of the iceberg in regards to yet more problems. Other targets are being liquidated and the blackmailer is stepping up the pressure and Josh has lost all control over his life and may not be able to get any of it back.

While over written at times in terms of dialogue and scene narration, this debut novel overall is extremely enjoyable. The main character, Josh Michaels, is complex and believable as is the supporting cast. This novel moves forward at a steady pace, despite the large number of pov shifts through the novel, which actually work well to bring deeper depth to the characters. Full of twists and turns, this novel is an intriguing look at one man's journey to the edge of the abyss where all hope is lost before being pulled back from the edge.

46 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars INSOMNIA MAKER, May 28, 2008

By 

Rusty Mather "fussy mystery maven" (Langhorne, Pa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Accidents Waiting to Happen (Mass Market Paperback)

To say this is a thriller is a an understatement. This writer must be deranged (in a GOOD way only) to be able to conceive such concepts. The 1st half of the book was great, if a runaway train aiming for you can be great. Do not attempt to read the 2nd half of the book unless you're sure you have enough time to finish it because, believe me, it will compel you to finish it, bedtime be darned!

Can't wait to read the others by him but I'm going to have to recoup from this 1 first! Buy it, you'll LOVE it if you're a fan of thrillers that make you relialize this could happen to you!

44 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great storyline, Poor editing, October 30, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Accidents Waiting to Happen (Paperback)

Simon Wood has a terrific imagination. The plot is excellent and kept me guessing, although the denouement is expected once the climax begins. I kept thinking that this was made for the big screen. Unfortunately, it reads more like a script than a novel, and there are numerous textual errors and typos that should have been caught by the editor. With a better editor, Simon Wood could have a promising career as a novelist.