Hush Money
A Mystery
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4.5 • 14 Ratings
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
A Finalist for Private Eye Writers of America's Shamus Award for Best First P.I. Novel
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.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Near the outset of Greaves's stellar first novel, Hush Puppy, a healthy champion show horse, suddenly drops dead. Hush Puppy's vet suspects the horse was poisoned and the animal's owner, Pasadena socialite Sydney Everett, faces charges of fraud. Attorney Jack McTaggert agrees to defend Everett, but his doubts about his client's innocence increase after he learns that another of her animals died five years earlier, netting Everett a $1 million insurance payout. Meanwhile, the lawyer must deal with a civil case involving a blue-collar worker suffering from terminal leukemia unable to get coverage for a new procedure. The insurance fraud case soon turns deadly for humans as well, placing McTaggert directly in the crosshairs both of the police and the criminal behind the plot. 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.
Customer Reviews
Jack MacTaggart has a long career ahead of him...
A tautly written, well conceived and executed mystery that belies the fact that it is Chuck Greaves' first effort, I could not put "Hush Money" down. I started the book yesterday, and am writing this review at 4am, having just finished it!
Jack MacTaggart has all the makings of a character franchise. His blend of quick, acerbic wit and easygoing nature, melded with a strong sense of personal integrity and courage, result in a very likable protagonist. Functioning more as investigator than attorney in the novel, MacTaggart pokes, probes and wisecracks his way into solving this unusual mystery, set in the equine environs of Pasadena.
Bravo, Mr. Greaves! A courageous leap to author from attorney has clearly paid off for you - as well as for us, your readers! May the road rise up to meet you as well as it did for Mr. Grisham!
Hush Money
Best crime novel I have ever read!