Wild Horses

By Brian Hodge

Book Overview

In Las Vegas, anything goes. So when Allison discovers her blackjack dealer boyfriend has a cheatin' heart, "hit me" takes on a whole new meaning. She clobbers Boyd with a cactus. Then she trashes his prized money-skimming scam, swipes his only records of an off-shore bank account (the key to a fortune) without realizing it, and blows town." Big mistake." Because Boyd has a partner: an aging showgirl still young enough to scheme. Not happy with her cut, this redhead wants revenge-and she knows a cold-blooded killer who will help her get it. Meanwhile, Boyd has found solace with a new-age hooker who cares about Boyd's karma more than his money. Now the whole brawling, balling, hurting tangle of friends, traitors, and lovers is going on the road. In separate cars. Leaving behind a trail of broken bodies and broken laws, they're all following Allison. And she's following a devious plan of her own. . . . "From the Paperback edition."

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0688165273
• ISBN13: 9780688165277
• Release Date: March 1999
• Publisher: William Morrow & Company
• Length: 308 Pages
• Weight: 2.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.4" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

Fascinating characters, Great story!

This book has the wonderful, excellently-crafted combination of humor, thrills, adventure, and pure chills that I love in a good read! Fast-paced and exciting, I'd recommend this book highly to anyone wanting a rollercoaster ride as opposed to a stroll in the park.

This is so fine, pass me my shades, it's bright in here!

It's so good, I just want to be a missionary for this book. One is somewhat intimidated by the in-depth comments/reviews by other customers for this book, but one doesn't want to let that get in the way. Fact is, no matter how poorly or well I say it, this is still a registry of positive response for the novel that has touched me in all the right places, a humorous thriller with delight and death playing next door neighbors. I'm now read 56% of Brian Hodge's novels, and 100% of his short story collections - the man is a certifiable genius storyteller, so well does he spin a tale that we simply don't want to stop reading. Most hightest recommendation.

The best read I've had in a long time

I can't say enough good things about this book! Action, humor, deeply affecting characters... I found myself identifying with multiple characters, some at odds with each other... It was just such great fun to read, with the fun being balanced with the occasional shock or gut punch that keeps it from being too light. Just like life, there's a little of everything here.

Wow! If you don't dig this, you don't dig good writing!

Hodge has been a favorite of mine for a year or so--ever since I got hold of some of his "horror" novels (The Darker Saints, Prototype, and Nightlife). But here, with a character-driven "crime" book, he goes even beyond the storytelling talent he displayed in those books. Allison is one of the most endearing and sympathetic female characters to come along in a while. I couldn't put the book down because I was rooting for her so hard. The most interesting thing, however, is the way that Hodge makes all of the other characters--Boyd Dobbins (aka Peter Wackermann), Gunther, and even Madeline--sympathetic, even though they are devious, deviant, slimy folks. Hodge likes both saints and sinners. There's something to like about these people beyond their "bad guy" personas. All of Hodge's characters--Doug Powell, Krystal, Thomas St. John--are so real, so vivid, that this book puts him at the top of the "crime" list with Elmore Leonard and "Big" Jim Thompson. But it's more than a crime novel, it's a novel about life, gambling, a big sum of money, Crystal Drano, and just moving on.

Hodge hits his stride with this winner!!!

WILD HORSES is unlike anything Brian Hodge has written before; a comedy with his most well-developed characters inside a landscape of Las Vegas and The South. Beautifully written, razor-sharp dialogue, one-liners and even some of that Good Tome Hodge philosphical leanings and you have a book that will hit you on a multitude of levels; at once making you cry, laugh, squirm and, most importantly, think and care for these people...at least some of them. WILD HORSES is a winner and, with any justice, will make Brian Hodge a household name and bestseller. Those interested in the free Brian Hodge newsletter, AS ABOVE, SO BELOW email me at Hodgeite@aol.com Paul