thrillers

Elena Estes has given up her career as a detective and taken up living the quiet life in Florida. But her peaceful existence is about to get shaken up when twelve year-old Molly Seabright comes to her for help.

Molly's step-sister was working as a horse groomer among Palm Beach's wealthiest when suddenly she disappears, a victim of kidnapping.

Elena does not want to get involved but a few questions for her curiosity plunges her deep into a nightmare where a killer will stop at nothing to get what they want.

Now, forced to face the painful memories of her past, Elena must follow the trail of the killer if she is to bring a young woman back alive.

'Dark Horse' is a departure for best-selling author Tami Hoag, while it remains a thriller, it is not like her usual gritty thriller, but more a thriller in the Archy McNally vein. I was disappointed with this book, most of the novel was boring, and even the shocking, surprise ending couldn't pull it back from a time waster of 400 pages.

Tami Hoag writes excellent suspense novels, 'Dark Horse' not being one of them. Where Ms. Hoag usually writes dark police procedurals, she has opted to try something lighter, and the result is a slower, glitzy type thriller...one that does not succeed in thrilling as her previous novels have.

Nick Gonnella

To start: I am an equestrian. I ride jumpers in the Chicago area and spend 3 months of every winter in West Palm Beach and Tampa to show my horse. I write this review as a national level equestrian to other national level equestrians. If you do not fit this description, this review will most likely not be of any assistance to you at all.

Personally, I don't read much of the category most people title "Beach Books," and the stuff Tami Hoag writes seems to fit that picture. I wasn't even going to read this book, but a friend of mine who rides with my trainer convinced me it was worth it. She was right.

Dark Horse takes place in West Palm Beach on the Wellington Equestrian Festival show grounds. There is a cornucopia of shady characters in this book, and I suppose an average reader would find it unbelievable or even ludicrous, but anyone familiar with the microcosm of West Palm or any part of the USEF hunter/jumper show circuit will not find this unconvincing. The plot involves a horse murdered for insurance and the kidnapping of a girl who knew the truth about the animal's death. Names of certain jumper trainers in the Chicago area and numerous multimillionaires come to mind. Anyone who thinks of "the Sandman" as someone besides a character in a fairytale will believe this plot.

Now, like I said, I don't read this sort of thing, but the author portrays her West Palm setting perfectly, depicting all parts of the show grounds to a tee. I loved it for its accuracy, if nothing else.

This review is not intended to explain the book to you -- read the official description for that -- but it is intended to encourage all hunter/jumper riders to read it. Dressage people, too -- the main character is a dressage rider.

This book also contains a great deal of accuracy. Robert Dover is mentioned and even the drama at Cellular Farms a few years back is referenced. The primary jumper trainer in the novel is hauntingly similar to a certain Chicago trainer...

So please, read it if you are any kind of a horse person, even if you hate this sort of book or all books in general. It is worth it. For those of you who do not ride, I cannot say whether to read it or not.

Tami Hoag is one of my favorite authors of suspense-thrillers. I usually buy or borrow her books as soon as they come on the market knowing that I will enjoy an entertaining read. "Dark Horse," however, is not a dark horse. This one comes in close to last on my list of winning titles. The plot plods. That pretty much says it all. And it plods for 557 pages. I specifically marked the page where I became somewhat interested - page 272. I did so because I had faith in the author and was determined to finish the novel. It was hard going. There's too much padding here and not enough mystery.

Elena Estes, a ballsy Florida narcotics detective took too many risks. She jumped the proverbial gun during a stakeout and her actions cost her partner's life, her own health and her career. Years later, after much surgery and physical therapy, Elena is back on her feet but still feeling pretty down and out. She is approached by a 12 year-old girl, Molly Seabright, and asked to find her missing older sister. The sister was working as a horse groomer among Palm Beach's rich and famous when suddenly she disappeared. Molly knows Elena through an equestrian magazine where her picture is displayed prominently along with the information that she is a private investigator. Elena, Molly, Molly's sister, and just about everyone in the novel are involved in equestrian competition, as is the author. One of the reasons I thought the plot would be fascinating is because in the "Author's Note" Ms. Hoag implies she will write about the equestrian sport of dressage. She does not deliver. She does write about people involved in the sport and in international horse breeding. I hope she has exaggerated her characterizations as most of the folks who populate this mystery are despicable people. She could, unintentionally, give the sport a bad name. I mean, aren't there any good guys? Her characters are not three dimensional. They are either good or evil, with no gradations.

I don't recommend "Dark Horse," even if you are, as I am, a fan of Tami Hoag. I remain hopeful and wait for her next book.
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