The Driver
A Thriller
-
- $5.99
-
- $5.99
Publisher Description
From the creator of the TV show Bones comes a smart and funny debut thriller.
“Everything a great thriller should be—always smart, often funny, and relentlessly exciting. I loved every page.”—Scott Turow
Michael Skellig is a limo driver waiting for his client in the alley behind an upscale hotel. He’s spent the past twenty-eight hours ferrying around Bismarck Avila, a celebrity skateboard mogul who isn’t going home any time soon. Suddenly the wind begins to speak to Skellig in the guttural accent of the Chechen torturer he shot through the eye in Yemen a decade ago: Troubletroubletrouble. Skellig has heard these warnings before—he’s an Army Special Forces sergeant whose limo company is staffed by a ragtag band of wounded veterans, including his Afghan interpreter—and he knows to listen carefully.
Skellig runs inside just in time to save Avila from two gunmen but too late for one of Avila’s bodyguards—and wakes up hours later in the hospital, the only person of interest in custody for the murder. Complicating matters further is the appearance of Detective Delilah Groopman of the LAPD, gorgeous and brash, for whom Skellig has always held a candle. As for Avila? He’s willing to help clear Skellig’s name under one peculiar condition: that Skellig become Avila’s personal chauffeur. A cushy gig for any driver, except for the fact that someone is clearly trying to kill Avila, and Skellig is literally the only person sitting between Avila and a bullet to the head.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
The man behind the wheel of screenwriter Hart Hanson’s debut novel is Michael Skellig, an ex-Army sergeant who owns Oasis Limousines in Santa Monica. His new client is Bismarck Avila, skateboard mogul and frontman of a surf-rap-punk band who narrowly escapes a shootout in the first few pages. Get used to the glittering story's revved-up cruising speed: conspiracies, cover-ups, and investigations swirl relentlessly. Hanson’s TV-industry background shines through in his witty banter and eccentric characters—good luck not getting sucked into his L.A.’s sordid undercurrent.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Los Angeles limousine driver Michael Skellig, the hero of Hanson's nimbly plotted first novel, has spent the past 28 hours ferrying around Bismarck Avila, a celebrity skateboard mogul. A former Special Forces sergeant, Michael is waiting outside a Santa Monica hotel for his client when he believes he hears the voice of the Chechen torturer he killed a decade before in Yemen warning him of danger. He runs inside the hotel just in time to save Avila but not one of his bodyguards from two gunmen. Michael wakes up hours later in the hospital only to discover that the police suspect him of the murder. Avila will vouch for Michael with the LAPD if Michael agrees to become his full-time personal chauffeur. But the job is more than just driving Avila: Michael needs to find and stop the person who's targeting the skateboarder. Hanson, creator of the TV series Bones, melds well-placed bits of humor with a serious look at the emotional trials of returning veterans. The energetic plot demands a sequel. Agents: Eve Attermann and Claudia Ballard, William Morris Endeavor.
Customer Reviews
Grabs you on the first page
Hold on tight! The action and dialogue keep this thriller moving at breakneck speed.
Annoying dialogue
I suspect this would be a good book if I did not have to deal with the writer’s stream of conscious dialogue. It overpowers the story. After a few pages I was longing for a period or a comma or even a semicolon....anything to allow me to comprehend what the heck was happening. I quit reading. Surf
Excellent and original
I truly enjoyed this book. It is well written and quite original. I would read more about these characters!