Customer Reviews

Kill the Messenger *Custom*

5 star:		(44)
4 star:		(30)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Being an avid Tami Hoag fan, I eagerly awaited her next effort after a two-year hiatus following DARK HORSE. Without a doubt, KILL THE MESSENGER was well worth the wait! From the scene-building, character-developing exposition stages of the novel, to its staggering climax, KILL THE MESSENGER is fast-paced, stimulating, and highly addictive. WARNING...Readers who have essential projects to perform, should not even BEGIN the novel until their projects' completion, because this spell-binding thriller will latch on with a serious death grip until the last page is turned!

A refreshing departure from Ms. Hoag's traditional formula of combining lust with intrigue, KILL THE MESSENGER still treats the reader to unbridled action and suspense; captivating and well-drawn characters; realistic and crisp dialogue; intelligently-crafted prose; and a lightning-paced plot--all set against a Los Angeles backdrop that is painted alternately with upper-class pseudo-glamour, middle-class nouveau-chic, working-class ennui, and lower-class desperation-within which crime, greed, cruelty, and courage are not bound by arbitrary social distinctions.

I anticipate a cinematic portrayal of Ms. Hoag's latest achievement in the very near future, because the adventures of Jace (the hapless, yet resourceful, bicycle messenger); Parker (the ambitious, intuitive, and self-enlightened police detective); Tyler (Jace's brainiac, yet charmingly innocent, 10-year-old brother); Abby (the beautiful and misunderstood daughter of the murdered and maligned decedent); and Andi Kelly (the only journalist who ever gave Parker a break during his long-ago fall from grace within the police department), should not be confined exclusively to the printed page. The novel's EXTREMELY satisfying conclusion (which I will not reveal here) said it all, and, hopefully, some enterprising movie producer will take notice.

I have read many of Tami Hoag's books, as I generally enjoy how she combines a solid suspense thriller with steamy romance scenes. I found Kill the Messenger to be a change of pace from her usual style, however, and initially, I found it difficult to get into the story. First of all, the book opens with a much younger main character than usual, Jace, a barely-legal boy from a chaotic background who is working as a bike messenger to try to give his much younger brother a more stable life. Jace becomes unwittingly involved in illegal activies, putting him on the run and providing an entrance for the book's other main character, Kev Parker, a police detective with something to prove. Immediately after these early introductions to Jace and Parker, I didn't have a good feel for either character's personality; both remained a mystery.

As the story continued, however, more well-defined personas for Jace and Parker began to emerge, and the only mystery became the one that Jace was caught up in and that Parker was trying to solve. The frequent shifts between the perspectives of several different characters caused me to become even further engrossed in the novel, and by the final pages, I was eager to reach the book's climax. Here, Hoag does not disappoint, throwing in an unexpected resolution as well as a few surprising aftershocks as well. Ultimately, I enjoyed this book, and although I missed the romance angle, I will continue seeking out Hoag's thrillers in the future.

Tami Hoag has long been one of my favorite authors. As a lifelong resident of LA, I can tell she's done her homework on this one. From Hope Street to Chinatown, she has captured the whole stinking, smoggy mess.

I must admit, the plot didn't thrill me at first but Jace, Kev, Tyler,et. al. drew me in with their quirky, fully realized "lives."

Overall an excellent police procedural, a worthy addition to Ms. Hoag's fine bibliography.

Hoag's style is crisp and direct, providing enough detail to flesh out the scenes and characters but with little fat to get in the way of the plot as it races forward.

The book opens with a resourceful, if bedraggled bike messenger who took an end-of-the-day message delivery and came hair close to getting killed (by a person in a big car who we know as Predator) and who also became the prime suspect for the murder of the person who requested the delivery in the first place.

After that, you are barrelled through a twisted maze of plots and counter plots and you don't know where you'll end up until you get to the end.

Books like this are far better than TV. Have fun with it!

One cannot read the first few pages of KILL THE MESSENGER without feeling sorry for bicycle messengers. I know, I know; I myself, a gentle soul with no hatred in his heart for anyone, have had to, on more than one occasion, restrain myself from clotheslining one of these fellows when I see them barreling down a sidewalk at a speed of warp Factor 6, playing a two-wheeled variation of the old "We Don't Stop For Nobody" game popular on grade school playgrounds or union picket lines. But just read the first few paragraphs concerning a late afternoon in the life of Jace Damon, bike messenger for a courier service on the wrong end of the feeding chain, and I promise you that the next time one of those guys comes flying past you, it will be hard to resist the urge to buy him lunch.

Keep reading KILL THE MESSENGER, though, because his life just gets worse and worse as this new novel by Tami Hoag progresses. Damon is not only given a lousy after-hours assignment --- picking up a package from Lenny Lowell, a bottom-feeding defense lawyer --- but soon finds himself being attacked and blamed for the brutal murder of the selfsame lawyer. So far as the Los Angeles gendarme can tell, Damon was the last one to see the counselor alive. Damon's fingerprints are all over the murder weapon, the lawyer's safe is open...things don't look good for our impoverished bike messenger.

Add the fact that Damon is the sole support of his little brother and that a middle-aged Japanese couple are the only people standing between the Damons and a Dickensonian existence, and you get the sense that Damon is in desperate straits indeed --- especially when it seems that half of the L.A. Police department is looking for him, along with a killer, the guy who really offed Lowell and who is trying to get that package to which Damon is clinging so desperately.

The only authority figure who feels as if something is wrong with the whole bike-messenger-as-murderer scenario is Kev Parker, an unorthodox LAPD detective who is clinging to his job by his hangnails. Parker thinks that the scenario of Damon --- who, by the luck of the draw, was sent to Lowell's office --- as murderer and robber makes no sense. Parker soon comes to believe that the murder of Lowell, and the package that is causing Damon so much trouble, is tied into a high-profile murder trial that is taking up most of the daily newspaper headline space. What Parker knows, however, is more than he is able to prove. Unable to trust anyone in his own police department, Parker goes it alone in an effort to get to the bottom of two murders and save Damon's life.

Hoag almost succeeds too well in KILL THE MESSENGER. The opening of this book is literally breathtaking --- and this before any crime is committed! --- and while it remains high on drama throughout, it saves the resolution of far too much for the last few pages. This is not to say that there aren't huge surprises in KILL THE MESSENGER, including a huge one that caught me napping. It's just that there seemed to be too many of them crammed into too few pages. KILL THE MESSENGER is certainly worth the ride, however, and Hoag's legion of long-time fans, as well as anyone reading her work for the first time, will not be disappointed.

--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

I loved this book and the characters in it! If this is a sample of tami's books, I will be reading them all!! I really love suspense and this sure had plenty!

Kill The Messenger is my first Tami Hoag novel and before finishing the novel she landed on my list of favorites. She keeps her dialogue and action concise. Hoag's multi dimensional characters are easy to visulize and quickly grab your empathy or dislike. Hoag displays a unique talent with her plot twists and captive readers will become emotionally involved with bike messenger Jace and his little brother. If you are a fan of crisp writing, non-stop action and great narrative you can't go wrong with Kill The Messenger.

Beverly J Scott Author of JENA'S CHOICE

Jace Damon, a hapless young bike messenger, becomes the target of sinister factions after he stops to deliver a package to his last stop of the day, second-rate attorney Lenny Lowell. Before he can make the drop, he is chased, shot at and run off the road.

A harrowing car-versus-bike chase through downtown L.A. results in Jace barely escaping with his life - and the package.

Everyone he cares about has become fair game for the killers as they try to find Jace to recover the mysterious package.

Jace becomes the prime suspect when Detective Kev Parker and his unlikeable partner are assigned to investigate Lowell's murder. However, Jace is unwilling to risk being found to prove his innocence since he is raising his younger brother alone after the death of their mother and has gone to extraordinary lengths to avoid governmental social services.

Suddenly everyone associated with him is at risk and the bodies begin piling up. There are surprises along the way when Lenny Lowell's daughter shifts suspicion to herself and Kev Parker's partner seems to be as interested in investigating him as much as she does the crime.

Tami Hoag has given us some thrillers. Dark Horse, Dust to Dust and Ashes to Ashes made her the undisputed queen of the new serial killer genre. Hoag departs from her proven successful formula in Kill the Messenger by asking us to identify with L.A. bike messenger, Jace Damon, as he repeatedly evades and escapes the villain.

Hoag gives readers a glimpse into the underworld of the independent and colorful culture of bike messengers. Although the chase scenes are full of descriptive action, it is difficult to get a sense of the main character's physical characteristics other than the fact he is nineteen years old.

The story angle is unique and the convoluted plot ultimately saves the day for this much-anticipated novel. Hoag unwraps these events like doling out little parcels to the reader, keeping those pages turning.

While Hoag's novels are always compelling, at times Kill The Messenger switches points of view so frequently, it is difficult to keep up. For this reason, it makes getting to know and identify with the characters a challenge. However, the pace of action remains fast and furious until the end, making it easy to forgive minor flaws in the story.

I liked this story better than anything Hoag has written in the past 6 or 7 years. She gives us two kids, brothers Jace and Tyler Damon, classic underdogs, and a dedicated cop, Kevin Parker, unfairly victimized by L.A. politics. Add in a fascinating murder mystery, along with Parker's new partner, a totally unlikable female cop, and you have a book that I could not put down. The two kids are living totally under the usual bureaucratic radar in an attempt to remain together, thanks to their paranoid upbringing by a mother we learn practically nothing about. Additionally, Kevin Parker's past is only hinted at until the very end of the book. These loose ends are the only reasons I can't give the book 5 stars! Despite these flaws, I loved the story and the characters, and was on the edge of my seat during Jace's continued attempts to escape the bad guy through the streets of downtown L.A. This is a story that will appeal to anyone who loves a story with heart! I only wish there was a sequel in the works.

I have read several other Tami Hoag novels and loved them all but this may be one of the best just for the danger and suspense alone!

The book starts with Jace Damon, a 19-20 year old bike messenger, racing to finish a delivery and getting the call from his friend and dispatcher, Eta Fitzgerald, to do a late pickup and delivery from a sleazy defense lawyer named Lenny Lowell. Jace has done deliveries for Lowell in the past so he knows where to go. Jace arrives to pickup the package and while waiting for the very drunk Lenny who is talking about his daughter, a law student, Jace wanders in the office looking at and picking up Lenny's old bowling trophy and handling other things. Lenny tips him $20 which is a very big tip that Jace is grateful for.

Jace takes off to deliver the envelope which due to the rain he has tucked against his chest under his T-shirt and jacket. As he looks for the delivery address he realizes it is a vacant lot. As Jace tries to decide what to do, a car starts chasing him and he is shot at. He heads down alleys and his bike is wrecked by the car and he is attacked but manages to escape although his bike messenger bag is dropped. He runs away and hides and finally the car leaves. His bag is gone but he picks up the bike and starts heading toward Lenny's office to find out what was going on. Why was someone trying to kill him? It is some time before he gets near the lawyer's office when he stops at a gas station for some snacks.

Meanwhile we are taken to the scene at Lenny's office where he is now dead with his head crushed by the bowling trophy. Detective Kevin Parker is the lead with his trainee partner, Renee Ruiz who is a pain. He is working the crime scene when two detectives from Robbery/Homicide elite division show up and try to tell him it is their case. Abby Lowell, Lenny's daughter, arrives and states that a cop called her and told her to come over to the office. The cop called her cell phone but no one recognizes the number although Parker writes it down and no cop on the scene called her or would have as that is not how the police notify relatives. Then coronor's investigator, Diane Nicholson, comes on the scene to do her crime workup. Parker is also trying to make his trainee understand how to take notes and so on. They learn that Lenny had called for a bike messenger to take a package somewhere but they don't know which service or what.

We also learn that Jace Damon, hurt, injured, wrecked bike, is an orphan with a ten year old brother, Tyler. Jace lives in Chinatown and is sheltered by the Chen family headed by Madame Chen - a formidable Chinese woman. Jace and his brother never knew their father(s) and their mother has been dead for nearly 8 years. While she was alive they went from place to place always running, changing their names but yet Jace was not aware of his mother engaging in anything illegal but yet she taught him right from wrong but to NEVER trust the police. Jace is now in a dilemma as he wants to do the right thing but he also wants to protect his brother and not have Child/Family Services take Tyler away from him. This is the setup that starts Jace and Kevin Parker down the road to find clues and for Jace to nearly be killed again and people he knows and works with to be placed in extreme danger.

I found the events leading to the climax to be suspenseful and exciting and loved the surprise ending!! A great read!!