Treasure Hunt (Wyatt Hunt, Book 2) [Mass Market Paperback]

John Lescroart (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 28, 2010

The widow of a major player in the world of San Francisco nonprofits believes that his alleged mistress killed him-and she's putting up fifty grand to whoever helps prove it. Wyatt Hunt and his investigation firm want in on that action-no matter where it takes them...

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Bestseller Lescroart's lackluster third Hunt Club thriller (after The Suspect) finds PI Wyatt Hunt near the end of his rope. Business has slowed to a trickle; Hunt's relationship with his old high school friend, homicide detective Devin Juhle, is on the rocks; his receptionist, Tamara Dade, has walked out; and Tamara's brother, Mickey, is his only remaining employee. When Mickey discovers the body of Dominic Como, San Francisco's most prominent civic activist, he proposes a way for Hunt's agency to get involved in the murder investigation and perhaps return to solvency. Como's extensive charities, like the Sunset Youth Project and its subsidiaries, operated with a budget of about $50 million—a sum large enough to put all sorts of murder motives into play. And just how jealous was Como's wife of her husband's young and pretty female driver? A labored gathering of suspects, police, and Hunt Club operatives allows Hunt to produce the killer in melodramatic fashion. (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Lescroart, the author of the New York Times best-selling series starring Dismas Hardy and Abe Glitsky, introduced new series lead Wyatt Hunt in 2005’s Hunt Club. Hunt makes appearances in both The Suspect (2006) and A Plague of Secrets (2009), but he returns to center stage in this new thriller set amid San Francisco’s thriving nonprofit world. When the body of Dominic Cuomo is found in a lagoon, the movers and shakers in local charity organizations are shocked. Cuomo had been doing good work for years, sat on the boards of six major charities, and was loved by many. Hunt and his associates decide to run interference for the police, setting up a hot-line number and a substantial reward for any tips leading to an arrest. They have plenty of work cut out for them when they are soon flooded with calls from psychics and crackpots. However, they find any number of suspects when they discover that the nonprofit world is rife with corruption and that beloved do-gooder Cuomo had a soft spot for the ladies. With in-depth characterizations of two loyal Hunt associates, siblings Hunt rescued from their heroin-addicted mother; a lovingly detailed San Francisco backdrop; and an intricately developed plot, Treasure Hunt is sure to satisfy Lescroart’s legion of fans. --Joanne Wilkinson --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Signet; Reprint edition (December 28, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451231457
• ISBN-13: 978-0451231451
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #341,489 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars RICK "SHAQ" GOLDSTEIN SAYS: "MORE COOKING ACTION THAN CRIMINAL ACTION.", January 16, 2010

By 

Rick Shaq Goldstein "*SHAQ*" (Danville, Ca, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Treasure Hunt (Wyatt Hunt Novels) (Hardcover)

The Hunt Club, a private detective firm in San Francisco headed by Wyatt Hunt is holding on to solvency by a thread. In fact it's a stretch to call it a firm. The employee roster consists of Wyatt a licensed detective... Mickey Dade who does office work and "go-fer" assignments while pursuing his real dream of becoming a chef... and an empty chair that used to be inhabited by Mickey's sister Tamara... who is M.I.A. and "shell- shocked" in the aftermath of her former boyfriend being a murderer in a prior episode by this author. After Wyatt tells Mickey that he's going to have to shut down The Hunt Club in the near future... Mickey decides he'll attempt to take fate into his own hands and find the soon to be defunct detective firm some new business. The following amalgamation of serendipitous circumstances may be a little too convenient for some readers to accept. Mickey while walking by a lagoon comes across the dead body of Dominic Como who "had either founded or sat on the boards of no fewer than six major charities in San Francisco". It turns out that Dominic who was taking in exorbitant sums of money from government agencies... public donations... protection rackets... moving companies... rehab facilities... and more... was murdered. It so happens that Mickey who shares a small apartment with his aforementioned "shell-shocked" sister along with their grandfather Jim Parr... who lo and behold used to be a personal driver for Dominic. After stumbling across the body Mickey is interviewed by local reporters and when he says he works for The Hunt Club a detective agency they think he's a detective and his face... name... and company... are plastered on the evening news. So the moribund detective agency gets free publicity which creates a bevy of potential client activity. Mickey a hertofore cooking class student and office "go-fer" comes up with a plan to have Dominic's charitable and business foundations help create a reward "kitty" that would channel leads from people who wouldn't want to talk to the police to The Hunt Club... and the foundations would pay The Hunt Club for its services. The person that must give final approval on this proposal is Len Turner "a lawyer, pretty much at the top of the charity food chain."

Len approves the proposal based on the understanding that all evidence and info uncovered will be cleared with him and he'll decide what goes public. Wyatt Hunt desperate for financial survival agrees to the semi-ludicrous arrangement. What follows is the equivalent of a "MURDER SHE WROTE" or "MATLOCK" episode. The rest of the book is investigative foot work with the usual suspects... drivers... department heads... scorned lovers... temperamental wife... and loony tipsters such as "the balloon lady" who says she saw Dominic's body dropped from a blimp into the lagoon... all hoping for a large reward.

There is very little physical action and unless you're a hard core fan of Julia Child or Wolfgang Puck... you may be stymied at times by too many intricacies regarding the simple task of making and eating a meal.

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not nearly as good as the Hardy/Glitsky series, January 19, 2010

By 

Olga Bezhanova (Edwardsville, IL) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Treasure Hunt (Wyatt Hunt Novels) (Kindle Edition)

This novel is written in Lescroarts trademark writing style: crisp, clear, and fun to read. the glimpses into the life of San Francisco the book offers are priceless. However, the author offers a cast of characters that it's impossible to care about. Wyatt Hunt is a cartoonish superman-type detetcive agency owner. His smugness is extremely annoying. Mickey is his bumbling protegee who falls in love with a very nasty woman. It seems like Lescroart wanted Mickey's love interest to be a positive character but she is in truth nothing other than disgusting. Mickey's drama queen sister Tamara completes the cast of extremely annoying characters that populate this book.

I will not read another Wyatt Hunt novel. They are a waste of time. Lescroart should go back to his Hardy/Glitsky series.

23 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars fast-paced thriller, January 14, 2010

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Treasure Hunt (Wyatt Hunt Novels) (Hardcover)

In San Francisco private investigator Wyatt Hunt is feeling the economic down turn as clients are almost nonexistent. His receptionist Tamara Dade quit leaving Wyatt with one employee her brother, Mickey, who is bored and wants field work, but no clients hire the firm.

Mickey has his chance when he finds the body of activist Dominic Como, who was on the board of over a dozen charities. He persuades his boss to let him investigate, which should bring in fame and money. Several suspects surface with strong motives from money to jealousy, but the prime person that Hunt and Dade focus on is Alicia Thorpe; and not just because she is beautiful, but due to her acting as if she is concealing something from the cops and the sleuths.

The latest Wyatt Hunt private investigator case (see The Hunt Club) is a fast-paced thriller that seems to go nowhere until a final gala with cops and suspects so that the hero can pull a dead rabbit out of the hat. Still Treasure Hunt is fun to follow as Wyatt and Mickey work the city streets to solve the case of the charity mogul murder.

Harriet Klausner