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Hack
Another irresistible page-turner from the best-selling author of A MINT CONDITION CORPSE.
Jake Mooney is a ghost-writer who just landed a lucrative gig penning the autobiography of legendary eighties television icon Rick Rendell.
It should have been easy money - fly to Rick’s island paradise, enjoy the sunshine, collect some juicy stories of Hollywood excess then weave them together into a bestselling memoir for a public already hopelessly addicted to scandal and celebrity gossip.
Simple? No. Not so much.
Before he even gets started Jake narrowly escapes an attempt on his life and when the first shot rings out it becomes clear that some people will stop at nothing to ensure their secrets remain firmly under wraps.
Jake's used to dealing with clients with scandal in their past but one with murder in his future is definitely not what he signed up for.
Jake Mooney is a ghost-writer who just landed a lucrative gig penning the autobiography of legendary eighties television icon Rick Rendell.
It should have been easy money - fly to Rick’s island paradise, enjoy the sunshine, collect some juicy stories of Hollywood excess then weave them together into a bestselling memoir for a public already hopelessly addicted to scandal and celebrity gossip.
Simple? No. Not so much.
Before he even gets started Jake narrowly escapes an attempt on his life and when the first shot rings out it becomes clear that some people will stop at nothing to ensure their secrets remain firmly under wraps.
Jake's used to dealing with clients with scandal in their past but one with murder in his future is definitely not what he signed up for.
294 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 16, 2017
2 people are currently reading
7 people want to read
About the author
Duncan MacMaster
15 books3 followersFilm school survivor, pop culture junkie, reformed blogger, relentless tweeter, and unrepentant nitpicker.
Author of the Kirby Baxter geek themed whodunits A MINT CONDITION CORPSE, and VIDEO KILLED THE RADIO STAR, DROP THE MIKES, and the Jake Mooney thrillers HACK, & HACKED.
I also write science fiction and fantasy, and screenplays in many genres.
Author of the Kirby Baxter geek themed whodunits A MINT CONDITION CORPSE, and VIDEO KILLED THE RADIO STAR, DROP THE MIKES, and the Jake Mooney thrillers HACK, & HACKED.
I also write science fiction and fantasy, and screenplays in many genres.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 18, 2017
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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Jake Mooney used to be a pretty good reporter -- good reputation, good results -- but he got out of that game and got into a more lucrative field, even if it was more distasteful. Events transpired, and that goes away -- I'll let you read it for yourself, but it involves lawyers and an ex-wife. Nowadays, he gets by being a ghost-writer for established authors who don't have the time or ability to write their own material. Out of the blue, he gets an offer to help a former TV star, Rick Rendell, write his autobiography. He'll even get credited for it. Credit -- and a nice cash bonus. How can he say no?
Before you can say "Jessica Fletcher," someone tries to kill Jake and then Rick is shot in front of a handful of witnesses, including Jake. Between his affection for (some of) the people in Rick's life, worry over his own safety, curiosity, and his own sense of justice, Jake dives in and investigates the murder himself.
Jake finds himself knee-deep in a morass involving unscrupulous agents (I'm not sure there's another kind in fiction), wives (current and ex-), Hollywood politics, an IRS investigation, a Drug Cartel, former co-stars, hedge fund managers, hit men, and a decades-old mysterious death. And a few more fresh deaths. . The notes he's already taken for the book gives Jake fodder for his investigation -- but the combination of notes and his continuing work provides the killer a constant target (and threat). As long as Jake's working on the mystery/mysteries -- and doing better than the police at uncovering crimes and suspects -- the killer can't just escape, Jake has to be stopped.
The voice was great, the mystery had plenty of twists and turns, Jake's ineptitude with firearms was a great touch and served to keep him from being a super-hero. I really can't think of anything that didn't work. There's not a character in the book that you don't enjoy reading about. I had three strong theories about what led to Rick's death and who was responsible -- the one I feared the most wasn't it (thankfully -- it was a little too trite). My favorite theory was ultimately right about the who, but was absolutely wrong about everything else. I take that as a win -- I felt good about my guess and better about the very clever plotting and writing that outsmarted me.
That's more about me than I intended it to be, so let me try this again -- MacMaster has set up a great classic mystery -- a la Rex Stout or Agatha Christie. A dogged investigator with a personal stake in the case, supporting characters that you can't help but like (or dislike, as appropriate), a number of suspects with reasons to kill the victim (with a decent amount of overlap between those two groups), and a satisfying conclusion that few readers will see coming. Hack is funny, but not in a overly-comedic way, it's just because Jake and some of the others he's with have good senses of humor. I chuckled a few times, grinned a few more.
I bought MacMaster's previous book, A Mint Condition Corpse , when it came out last year -- sadly, it's languishing in a dark corner of my Kindle with a handful of other books from Fahrenheit Press (I'm a great customer, lousy reader, of that Press). Hack wasn't just an entertaining read, it was a great motivator to move his other book higher on my TBR list. Get your hands on this one folks, you'll have a great time.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this from the publisher, nevertheless, the opinions expressed are my own.
---
Little victories, since they're all I can hope for, they're what I live for.
Jake Mooney used to be a pretty good reporter -- good reputation, good results -- but he got out of that game and got into a more lucrative field, even if it was more distasteful. Events transpired, and that goes away -- I'll let you read it for yourself, but it involves lawyers and an ex-wife. Nowadays, he gets by being a ghost-writer for established authors who don't have the time or ability to write their own material. Out of the blue, he gets an offer to help a former TV star, Rick Rendell, write his autobiography. He'll even get credited for it. Credit -- and a nice cash bonus. How can he say no?
Before you can say "Jessica Fletcher," someone tries to kill Jake and then Rick is shot in front of a handful of witnesses, including Jake. Between his affection for (some of) the people in Rick's life, worry over his own safety, curiosity, and his own sense of justice, Jake dives in and investigates the murder himself.
Jake finds himself knee-deep in a morass involving unscrupulous agents (I'm not sure there's another kind in fiction), wives (current and ex-), Hollywood politics, an IRS investigation, a Drug Cartel, former co-stars, hedge fund managers, hit men, and a decades-old mysterious death. And a few more fresh deaths. . The notes he's already taken for the book gives Jake fodder for his investigation -- but the combination of notes and his continuing work provides the killer a constant target (and threat). As long as Jake's working on the mystery/mysteries -- and doing better than the police at uncovering crimes and suspects -- the killer can't just escape, Jake has to be stopped.
The voice was great, the mystery had plenty of twists and turns, Jake's ineptitude with firearms was a great touch and served to keep him from being a super-hero. I really can't think of anything that didn't work. There's not a character in the book that you don't enjoy reading about. I had three strong theories about what led to Rick's death and who was responsible -- the one I feared the most wasn't it (thankfully -- it was a little too trite). My favorite theory was ultimately right about the who, but was absolutely wrong about everything else. I take that as a win -- I felt good about my guess and better about the very clever plotting and writing that outsmarted me.
That's more about me than I intended it to be, so let me try this again -- MacMaster has set up a great classic mystery -- a la Rex Stout or Agatha Christie. A dogged investigator with a personal stake in the case, supporting characters that you can't help but like (or dislike, as appropriate), a number of suspects with reasons to kill the victim (with a decent amount of overlap between those two groups), and a satisfying conclusion that few readers will see coming. Hack is funny, but not in a overly-comedic way, it's just because Jake and some of the others he's with have good senses of humor. I chuckled a few times, grinned a few more.
I bought MacMaster's previous book, A Mint Condition Corpse , when it came out last year -- sadly, it's languishing in a dark corner of my Kindle with a handful of other books from Fahrenheit Press (I'm a great customer, lousy reader, of that Press). Hack wasn't just an entertaining read, it was a great motivator to move his other book higher on my TBR list. Get your hands on this one folks, you'll have a great time.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this from the publisher, nevertheless, the opinions expressed are my own.
July 6, 2017
HACK is a brilliant and perfect escape. It's got it all: Washed up television stars, a Caribbean island, murder, a hit man who is enthusiastic about his work, nonstop humor and one of my favorite protagonists to date: wise, rough-around-the-wide-edges ghost writer Jake Mooney. I loved A MINT CONDITION CORPSE and am impressed at what a different but equally charming and satisfying mystery HACK is. Kudos to McMaster for creating such a entertaining new world for his readers. I really hope this is book one of a Jake Mooney series.
April 23, 2017
Full review and interview with the author on my blog -
https://verityreadsbooks.wordpress.co... - review
https://verityreadsbooks.wordpress.co... - interview
Hack tells the story of Jake Mooney, a ghost-writer who lands the biggest job of his career, writing the autobiogaphy of 80s TV star Rick Rendell. But when he arrives on Rick’s luxury paradise to start work, people start trying to kill him. Suddenly the most lucrative job of his career could also be his last one. But Jake’s used to dealing with scandal and he’s not going to go down without a fight. What is it that’s in Rick’s past that people are willing to kill to keep under wraps?
This is so much fun. Rick was the star of a (fictional) rival of Miami Vice and the book is paying homage to that like mad and it’s great. Jake is trapped in glamorous locations with glamorous people but someone keeps trying to murder him. As the book goes on he gets more and more battered and bruised, but some how manages to keep getting up and carrying on chasing down the bad guys. He's a rank amateur, with no sleuthing skills at all – and that makes him great fun to read as he bumbles and crashes his way around the island stumbling upon clues and trying to stay alive.
There’s also a great cast of supporting characters – including Rick’s ex-wife who is an aging and faded star who is trying to revive her career in all the wrong ways, and Rick’s daughter who improbably seems to be falling for Jake – despite his terrible Hawaiian shirts, paunch and increasing injury count.
https://verityreadsbooks.wordpress.co... - review
https://verityreadsbooks.wordpress.co... - interview
Hack tells the story of Jake Mooney, a ghost-writer who lands the biggest job of his career, writing the autobiogaphy of 80s TV star Rick Rendell. But when he arrives on Rick’s luxury paradise to start work, people start trying to kill him. Suddenly the most lucrative job of his career could also be his last one. But Jake’s used to dealing with scandal and he’s not going to go down without a fight. What is it that’s in Rick’s past that people are willing to kill to keep under wraps?
This is so much fun. Rick was the star of a (fictional) rival of Miami Vice and the book is paying homage to that like mad and it’s great. Jake is trapped in glamorous locations with glamorous people but someone keeps trying to murder him. As the book goes on he gets more and more battered and bruised, but some how manages to keep getting up and carrying on chasing down the bad guys. He's a rank amateur, with no sleuthing skills at all – and that makes him great fun to read as he bumbles and crashes his way around the island stumbling upon clues and trying to stay alive.
There’s also a great cast of supporting characters – including Rick’s ex-wife who is an aging and faded star who is trying to revive her career in all the wrong ways, and Rick’s daughter who improbably seems to be falling for Jake – despite his terrible Hawaiian shirts, paunch and increasing injury count.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews