Hush Money: A Mystery [Hardcover]

Chuck Greaves (Author)

Book Description

Release date: May 8, 2012

A Finalist for Left Coast Crime's 2013 Rocky Award

When Hush Puppy, Pasadena socialite Sydney Everett’s champion show horse, dies under suspicious circumstances, junior lawyer Jack MacTaggart is assigned to handle the insurance claim. But the case soon takes an unexpected turn, thrusting Jack into a spiraling web of blackmail and murder in which he finds himself both the prime suspect and the next likely victim.

In this acclaimed debut novel, the first in a series, former Los Angeles trial lawyer Chuck Greaves takes readers into the high-stakes worlds of big-firm litigation and professional equestrian show-jumping, where no one can be trusted, and where nothing is quite what it seems.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Jack MacTaggart, the lawyer hero of this entertaining crime novel, is a cheerful chap with a fondness for wisecracks (e.g., What are the three rules of capitalism? Invest somebody else’s money. Make a profit. Keep both). To everyone’s surprise, including his, MacTaggart is made a partner in a nose-in-the-air Pasadena law firm. He’s sent to help a client whose show horse has died in ambiguous circumstances. She’s wealthy, she’s gym-thin yet curvy, she lives opulently, and research reveals she’s desperate for money. Did she kill her horse for insurance? Sounds simple, but the detective work required to find out takes half the book. The best half. MacTaggart is delightful company as he digs and digs, and a plot that seems to be running on predictable rails turns out to be full of surprises. It should have ended there. But the book suddenly becomes a conventional thriller. Car chases, shootouts, and midnight burglaries are not what this novel is about, and they feel tacked onto a story that’s already ended. Still, recommend this one for the amiable hero and the slick sleuthing. --Don Crinklaw

Review

"Hush Money is a fast-paced, funny mystery and Jack MacTaggart is a delightful, wise-cracking hero. I hope we see more of him."

 —Phillip Margolin, author of Capitol Murder

“Superbly written and paced, this sensational legal thriller reads like a polished jewel.  Set in the Mercedes and Rolex horse show world, Greaves sports a smoking new voice in crime fiction, reminiscent of John Hart. Hush Money's riveting characters and snappy dialogue round out a smashingly memorable first effort. Chuck Greaves has major writing chops.”

—Julia Spencer-Fleming, New York Times bestselling author of One Was a Soldier

“Take John D. MacDonald’s Travis McGee, Jonathan Kellerman’s Alex Delaware, and the best of John Grisham’s protagonists, shake and serve, and you’ll have the hero of Hush Money. Chuck Greaves has written a confident, cool and totally engrossing legal thriller with the pop and sizzle of some of the greats of the genre.  It’s a hell of a debut.”

—Chelsea Cain, New York Times bestselling author

"One heck of a debut, and a welcome addition to the genre. Jack MacTaggart is a joy to root for, and there are enough twists and turns to keep you up way past bedtime. A thoroughly enjoyable mystery."

—Ira Berkowitz, author of 2010 Shamus Award-winning Sinners’ Ball

“Chuck Greaves writes with style and an insider's knowledge of the courtroom and the lawyer's life. Hush Money is smart, entertaining and funny. And in Jack MacTaggart he has created a likeable, wise-cracking lawyer-detective -- Jim Rockford with a law degree. A great read.”

—William Landay, author of Defending Jacob

“Greaves’ debut mystery, Hush Money, sparks with snappy dialog, rich imagery, and sarcasm sharp as a razor.  Early in the book, the line, ‘…above the blooms, like a spider at the center of her web, floated the head and shoulders of a smallish woman, her darting eyes alert to the activity around her,” told this reader she’d stumbled upon darn good writing.”

—Sasscer Hill, author of Agatha and Macavity Best First Mystery nominee, Full Mortality

"Greaves makes the most of his 25 years as a trial attorney in relating courtroom tactics. The combination of confident writing and a determined and ethical protagonist add up to a winner."

—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Cleverly intermingles equestrian show jumping, insurance claims, and high-tech science in this sunny California thriller. Great readalikes for tone would be Jack Fredrickson and Spencer Quinn.”

—Library Journal (starred review)

"An auspicious debut. Jack [MacTaggart] would be welcome back in the winner’s circle any time."

—Kirkus Reviews

“With its "whoa, boy!" central character, sharp dialogue, and hit-the-spot Southern California venues, this is a series with plenty of potential.”

—Yahoo! Shine

“If you combine the horse-centered suspenses of Dick Francis with the legal thrillers of John Grisham you’ll have Chuck  Greaves and his first novel, Hush Money.”

—The Chronicle of the Horse

“This is a first novel that promises much pleasure to come for a long time; the very likable lawyer central character will surely be the basis of a series.”

—Sullivan County Democrat

"A great debut novel."

—Algona Upper Des Moines

“A sexy, funny, rollicking good show from start to finish.”

—Winnipeg Free Press

“Fast-paced and inspired, written with an insider’s knowledge of the legal world, it’s a terrific addition to the genre, and one hopes there will be more Jack stories.”

—RT Book Reviews

“Like a nicely-executed jumper ride. The rhythm flowed from the steadiness of a well-paced triple combination to the accurately frantic fun of a jump off. And let’s just say that Hush Money had a clean round with no time faults. … An intelligent murder mystery played by actors unique and strong in character. Whatever the story that Greaves shares next, Jack will be welcome.”

—The Equestrian News

 

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books; First Edition edition (May 8, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 125000523X
• ISBN-13: 978-1250005236
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #922,197 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Chuck Greaves spent 25 years as an L.A. trial lawyer before turning his attention to fiction. His debut novel HUSH MONEY (Minotaur), a legal mystery, won the SouthWest Writers' International Writing Contest, received starred reviews from both Publishers Weekly and Library Journal, and was a Critics' Pick from Kirkus Reviews. HUSH MONEY has been named a finalist for several national honors, including the Rocky Award (Left-Coast Crime), the Reviewers' Choice Award (RT Book Reviews) and the Audie Award for Best Mystery audiobook of 2012 (Audio Publishers Association.)

GREEN-EYED LADY (Minotaur), the first sequel to HUSH MONEY, will be in bookstores on June 25, 2013, and has already been hailed by No. 1 New York Times bestselling author Douglas Preston as "the wickedest read of the year . . . Greaves is a master of the language. I loved this book."

In addition to his Jack MacTaggart series of legal mysteries, Chuck also writes literary fiction as C. Joseph Greaves. HARD TWISTED (Bloomsbury), his Depression-era saga of kidnapping and murder in the American Southwest, was called "a gritty, gripping read" (Los Angeles Times) and a "taut and ingriguing thriller" (London Sunday Times), and is a finalist for the Oklahoma Book Award in Fiction.

To learn more, please visit www.chuckgreaves.com.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A fun read indeed July 28, 2012

By Don Wilson

Format:Hardcover

Author Chuck Greaves has written a fun and witty murder/equine/legal thriller, with the legitimacy of an experienced trial lawyer and horseman... someone who himself has fought client battles in court and knows the ins and outs of the law. His plot is more complex and sophisticated than you might think when first picking up the book and his characters are real, literate-but-flawed human beings, marvelously drawn, who are always fun to travel along with as the story unfolds. I am sure there will be more and I look forward the next book(s).

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for a first book May 28, 2012

By T. D. Pape

Format:Kindle Edition

This book was engaging and held your interest. It kept me guessing as to who the bad guy and the motive was throughout the entire story. The story did seem to contain some extra characters which I am guessing will evolve into additional novels at a later date. I would highly recommend this book. It is a great beach read.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars the next Carl Hiassen? May 30, 2012

By The Machine

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

A very absorbing book. Kept me up past bedtime, several nights in a row. The author Chuck Greaves seems a cross between Grisham and Carl Hiassen. Where Hiassen's characters are often over-the-top for the sake of comedy, Greaves has maintained more realism. The protagonist, a lawyer acting as private investigator, is a quick-witted wisecracker, and he is also the first-person narrator. Thereby, Greaves has taken a menacing crime story and delivers a laugh every minute.

And when I wasn't laughing, I was marveling at Greaves' originality in simile, metaphor and other literary devices whose names I forget. Something as mundane as a taxi standing in the rain is described so beautifully. There is a gem on almost every page.

Jack MacTaggart, the lawyer/PI, is not a perfect hero. Many of his wisecracks take the form of insulting people to their faces, but his insults sometimes seem counter-productive to his purposes. Still funny. In a similar vein, he is normally quite analytical in evaluating alternative courses-of-action, but occasionally makes moves that seem very risky when higher-percentage shots are available. And the bad guys also choose some plans with a high-probability of failure. Nonetheless, everything is plausible, and the story stays gripping to the very end.

Highly recommended.