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Hailey's War
Hailey Cain has a history of testing the limits of her fate: as a fearless bike messenger on the twisted, competitive streets of San Francisco; as a young female cadet in a sea of men at West Point. But Hailey also has secrets--the biggest of which led her to leave the academy just two months short of graduation, two months away from becoming a lieutenant in the U.S. Army. Now, scraping and fighting her way through life, Hailey finds focus only when she's in motion. When an old friend from her former life in Los Angeles calls in a favor, Hailey doesn't have to think too long before she accepts the mission. She will escort a young Mexican woman across the border to a remote mountain town in Sierra Madre. But what happens there will alter Hailey's life irrevocably. From the dustiest Mexican roads to the meanest streets of East L.A., Hailey finds herself ensnared in a war more deviant and ugly than any she trained for as a cadet. Deep in the gang underworld, pusued by mobsters and authorities alike, Hailey must use her instincts to stay alive--and to protect the innocent from a past that still haunts her. Awash in sharp gangland details and unrelenting in its pace, Hailey's War introduces one of the most memorable heroines in recent crime fiction. Hailey Cain is complicated, tough, and unnerving--and her journey into the depths of despair and desperation is as harrowing as it is impossible to put down.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published May 21, 2010
5 people are currently reading
183 people want to read
About the author
Jodi Compton
11 books36 followersJodi Compton is the author of the Sarah Pribek trilogy -- The 37th Hour, Sympathy Between Humans and Redball -- about a Minneapolis missing-persons detective, set in the early 2000s. Jodi's other two novels, Hailey's War and Thieves Get Rich, Saints Get Shot, revolve around a younger independent investigator, Hailey Cain. Jodi currently lives in Bend, Oregon.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
April 4, 2013
***A PLEADING NOTE. PLEASE BRING THIS SERIES BACK!!! I HAVE BEEN WAITING TWO YEARS FOR BOOK THREE!!!!!***
The word adrenaline is what comes to mind as I try to find a way to describe this story. This book is like a sleek, sexy, ten cyclinder sports car going 180 mph in a world full of four door, four cylinder Ford Escorts going 45.
Hailey is 24, has failed or dropped out of West Point, and is living paycheck to paycheck as a bike messenger in San Fran. She's got this friend tho, Serena, a hard as nails Latina gangsta chick who one day calls Hailey up asking for a favor. Hailey, bored with her life, agrees to take a young Mexican girl back over the border supposedly to take care of her dying grandmother. Hailey gets more than she bargained for...
Somewhere in a Mexican tunnel, Hailey and Nidia, the Mexican girl jumping the fence the other way, get ambushed. Hailey wakes up from a coma in a Mexican hospital and Nidia is missing. Hailey can't let things lie tho. Her training to be an officer takes over and partly due to a guilty conscience for having failed the girl and partly because she has to prove she has what it takes to be an officer after all, Hailey makes it her mission to find Nidia.
Enter the world of gang beat ins, stolen cars, threatening phone calls, broken pinky fingers, and sig sauers and you have Hailey's war. Can Hailey find Nidia, keep her safe, survive the world of L.A gang life, and prove herself a good leader?
Would make a great, action packed movie about chicas con cojones. I hope this is the first of a series. Be interesting to see what becomes of Hailey. The ending was fabulous.
The word adrenaline is what comes to mind as I try to find a way to describe this story. This book is like a sleek, sexy, ten cyclinder sports car going 180 mph in a world full of four door, four cylinder Ford Escorts going 45.
Hailey is 24, has failed or dropped out of West Point, and is living paycheck to paycheck as a bike messenger in San Fran. She's got this friend tho, Serena, a hard as nails Latina gangsta chick who one day calls Hailey up asking for a favor. Hailey, bored with her life, agrees to take a young Mexican girl back over the border supposedly to take care of her dying grandmother. Hailey gets more than she bargained for...
Somewhere in a Mexican tunnel, Hailey and Nidia, the Mexican girl jumping the fence the other way, get ambushed. Hailey wakes up from a coma in a Mexican hospital and Nidia is missing. Hailey can't let things lie tho. Her training to be an officer takes over and partly due to a guilty conscience for having failed the girl and partly because she has to prove she has what it takes to be an officer after all, Hailey makes it her mission to find Nidia.
Enter the world of gang beat ins, stolen cars, threatening phone calls, broken pinky fingers, and sig sauers and you have Hailey's war. Can Hailey find Nidia, keep her safe, survive the world of L.A gang life, and prove herself a good leader?
Would make a great, action packed movie about chicas con cojones. I hope this is the first of a series. Be interesting to see what becomes of Hailey. The ending was fabulous.
December 5, 2010
This book caught me completely by surprise. I expected it to be more young adult than adult and for some reason I really didn't expect it to be such a great thriller.
Hailey's War is complusively readable (as in I dare you to put it down). Smart, engaging, elegantly plotted, this is a thriller with a difference - interesting and competent female characters run the show here - and what a show it is.
Ms. Compton has carefully created characters who feel real, but who also have plausible reasons for the skills they have acquired. These are not secretaries who suddenly display a penchant for martial arts and running and gunning. Rather, these are characters who have earned their knowledge in the real world of hard knocks. Compton writes great dialogue and has an eye for differentiations of place. That the book is taut, fast-paced, and exactly the right length proves she's good at editing, too.
I'm off to find more books by this talented author. I can't believe I missed her until now.
Hailey's War is complusively readable (as in I dare you to put it down). Smart, engaging, elegantly plotted, this is a thriller with a difference - interesting and competent female characters run the show here - and what a show it is.
Ms. Compton has carefully created characters who feel real, but who also have plausible reasons for the skills they have acquired. These are not secretaries who suddenly display a penchant for martial arts and running and gunning. Rather, these are characters who have earned their knowledge in the real world of hard knocks. Compton writes great dialogue and has an eye for differentiations of place. That the book is taut, fast-paced, and exactly the right length proves she's good at editing, too.
I'm off to find more books by this talented author. I can't believe I missed her until now.
August 29, 2012
This was an unexpectedly compelling thriller. And just when you think it's all wrapped up or that there are some loose ends you're not meant to tie up, there's a final twist. It was a satisfying read. Hailey's War read a little bit like Chevy Steven's Still Missing and Hilary Davidson's two books. There's also a tiny bit of a modern day Kinsey Millhone of Sue Grafton's alphabet series.
August 8, 2014
I couldn't connect with this and I tried. Adding it to my DNF
February 4, 2022
I listened to the cd in the car while driving. It is a well written story that holds your attention. I warn you it is a little violent and has some strong sexual situations. I hope to read the sequel soon.
November 22, 2010
Title: Hailey's War
Author: Jodi Compton
ISBN: 978-0307588050
Pages: 336
Release Date: June 2010
Publisher: Crown Publishing
Genre: Mystery; Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 4.0 out of 5
Publisher: Twenty-four-year-old Hailey Cain has dropped out of the US Military Academy for reasons she won't reveal. She has had to leave Los Angeles and it would be too big a risk for her to return. Now working as a bike messenger in San Francisco, Hailey keeps a low profile, until her high school best friend Serena Delgadillo makes a call that will turn her whole life upside-down. Serena is the head of an all-female gang on the rough streets of LA. She wants Hailey to escort the cousin of a recently murdered gang member across the border to Mexico. It's a mission that will nearly cost Hailey her life, causing her to choose more than once between loyalty and lawlessness, and forcing her to confront two very big secrets in her past...
My review: Hailey's War is a unique mystery story. A young woman, Nidia, is missing, presumed kidnapped and believed to be in great danger. But this is not a detective story. There are no police involved. There is only the young, female protagonist, Hailey Cain, who has made it her mission to save Nidia at great risk to herself. What's interesting and extremely unusual is: Hailey doesn't know the kidnapped girl. We don't know what motivates Hailey or why she is obsessed with saving Nidia. In other words: the biggest mystery in this story is Hailey Cain herself.
Hailey is the book's strongest suit. Jodi Compton created a layered, complicated character that keeps you guessing as to what motivates her but allows you to relate to and root for her. As much as Hailey's complexity is the book's greatest plus, the lack of any other well-developed characters is its most important shortcoming. More involvement in the lives of some of the other characters would have made for a more in-depth and interesting story. Instead, we get a book made up of only one truly three-dimensional character.
Hailey's a loner and seems to have difficulty communicating and sharing. There are only two people with whom she is close. The first is her cousin, music producer CJ, who she tell very little about her life because she doesn't want him to worry. The second is her best friend, Serena, who happens to be the head of a Los Angeles girl gang!
Hailey's father was a soldier who died when she was eleven. Hailey loved him and to her, he was a warrior which helps explain why, by the age of thirteen, she'd set her sites on West Point. Hailey was ultimately admitted to and excelled at West Point, but was discharged for reasons known only to her. She was two months from graduating.
Hailey then finds herself lost and floundering, feeling like a failure, a disappointment to her father and herself. She starts drinking a lot and lashing out in anger at unexpected times. She takes a job as a bike messenger, disregarding her personal safety to be the best at a job for which she was overqualified going in. When she's not working, Hailey climbs the Golden Gate Bridge and talks jumpers down, inviting them to have a meal with her.
At every turn, the author shows us Hailey behaving in ways that force us to ask: why? And when Hailey accepts a job driving Nidia, whom she's never met, to a Mexican town in the High Sierra's, no questions asked, we cannot help but question not only her behavior but her sanity. Some mysterious force, a secret from her past seems to be compelling Hailey to risk her life for strangers. When she goes above and beyond helping a fellow human, putting herself in the path of serious harm, it's as if she's looking for a fight. We cannot help but view Hailey as a woman at war with others, but even more so with herself, out to prove she can win or die trying.
Hailey is reluctant to reveal the truth to anybody Her behavior and the situations she puts herself in seem plausible at first. But as the conflict builds, we are forced to suspend belief more and more. It's the only way to enjoy the story until, at the end, things seem more fairy tale than real. And it is not until the very end that the answer to the biggest secret of the book is revealed. Truthfully, I'm not sure I liked having to wait until the very end to learn the why's of what caused Hailey to take such risks. On one hand, it clarifies Hailey's risky behavior but on the other, it raises more questions that remain unanswered.
I thought this book was a riveting character study, but again, it was only the one character. Personally, I would have preferred further development of some key characters such as CJ and Serena. I was also disappointed with the book’s devolving into less and less realistic scenarios after it's strong start with believable situations. It was a fun and intense read and I would recommend Hailey’s War to people who don't mind more than a little fantasy in the midst of their drama, sparsely populated or otherwise.
I received A copy of Hailey’s War by Jodi Compton from Crown Publishing’s Read It Forward program.
Author: Jodi Compton
ISBN: 978-0307588050
Pages: 336
Release Date: June 2010
Publisher: Crown Publishing
Genre: Mystery; Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 4.0 out of 5
Publisher: Twenty-four-year-old Hailey Cain has dropped out of the US Military Academy for reasons she won't reveal. She has had to leave Los Angeles and it would be too big a risk for her to return. Now working as a bike messenger in San Francisco, Hailey keeps a low profile, until her high school best friend Serena Delgadillo makes a call that will turn her whole life upside-down. Serena is the head of an all-female gang on the rough streets of LA. She wants Hailey to escort the cousin of a recently murdered gang member across the border to Mexico. It's a mission that will nearly cost Hailey her life, causing her to choose more than once between loyalty and lawlessness, and forcing her to confront two very big secrets in her past...
My review: Hailey's War is a unique mystery story. A young woman, Nidia, is missing, presumed kidnapped and believed to be in great danger. But this is not a detective story. There are no police involved. There is only the young, female protagonist, Hailey Cain, who has made it her mission to save Nidia at great risk to herself. What's interesting and extremely unusual is: Hailey doesn't know the kidnapped girl. We don't know what motivates Hailey or why she is obsessed with saving Nidia. In other words: the biggest mystery in this story is Hailey Cain herself.
Hailey is the book's strongest suit. Jodi Compton created a layered, complicated character that keeps you guessing as to what motivates her but allows you to relate to and root for her. As much as Hailey's complexity is the book's greatest plus, the lack of any other well-developed characters is its most important shortcoming. More involvement in the lives of some of the other characters would have made for a more in-depth and interesting story. Instead, we get a book made up of only one truly three-dimensional character.
Hailey's a loner and seems to have difficulty communicating and sharing. There are only two people with whom she is close. The first is her cousin, music producer CJ, who she tell very little about her life because she doesn't want him to worry. The second is her best friend, Serena, who happens to be the head of a Los Angeles girl gang!
Hailey's father was a soldier who died when she was eleven. Hailey loved him and to her, he was a warrior which helps explain why, by the age of thirteen, she'd set her sites on West Point. Hailey was ultimately admitted to and excelled at West Point, but was discharged for reasons known only to her. She was two months from graduating.
Hailey then finds herself lost and floundering, feeling like a failure, a disappointment to her father and herself. She starts drinking a lot and lashing out in anger at unexpected times. She takes a job as a bike messenger, disregarding her personal safety to be the best at a job for which she was overqualified going in. When she's not working, Hailey climbs the Golden Gate Bridge and talks jumpers down, inviting them to have a meal with her.
At every turn, the author shows us Hailey behaving in ways that force us to ask: why? And when Hailey accepts a job driving Nidia, whom she's never met, to a Mexican town in the High Sierra's, no questions asked, we cannot help but question not only her behavior but her sanity. Some mysterious force, a secret from her past seems to be compelling Hailey to risk her life for strangers. When she goes above and beyond helping a fellow human, putting herself in the path of serious harm, it's as if she's looking for a fight. We cannot help but view Hailey as a woman at war with others, but even more so with herself, out to prove she can win or die trying.
Hailey is reluctant to reveal the truth to anybody Her behavior and the situations she puts herself in seem plausible at first. But as the conflict builds, we are forced to suspend belief more and more. It's the only way to enjoy the story until, at the end, things seem more fairy tale than real. And it is not until the very end that the answer to the biggest secret of the book is revealed. Truthfully, I'm not sure I liked having to wait until the very end to learn the why's of what caused Hailey to take such risks. On one hand, it clarifies Hailey's risky behavior but on the other, it raises more questions that remain unanswered.
I thought this book was a riveting character study, but again, it was only the one character. Personally, I would have preferred further development of some key characters such as CJ and Serena. I was also disappointed with the book’s devolving into less and less realistic scenarios after it's strong start with believable situations. It was a fun and intense read and I would recommend Hailey’s War to people who don't mind more than a little fantasy in the midst of their drama, sparsely populated or otherwise.
I received A copy of Hailey’s War by Jodi Compton from Crown Publishing’s Read It Forward program.
June 5, 2018
Dire tripe.
August 21, 2018
Didn't expect to like it as much as I did. Very entertaining.
October 4, 2019
Not really my kind of book, didn't finish..
August 31, 2024
Fantastic book. One of my favourites I have lost count how many times I have read this book. Highly recommend reading
July 8, 2010
A book not to be missed this year is Hailey's War by Jodi Compton. Hailey's life has gone deeply south as she doesn't graduate from West Point with her class. She goes West in search of her cousin C.J. who has made it big in hip-hop and would love to give her a place to stay. While driving her beater car one afternoon, a toddler runs out in front of her and is killed. Not her fault but the child is the only son of Lucius Marsellus. A music mogul in his own right and not a person to be messin' with. The baby's nanny disappears and so must Hailey - quickly
Being the independent person she is, with CJ's help, Hailey moves on up the coast to San Francisco where she becomes a bike messenger. Not a safe job, but it pays fair and keeps her in shape. She receives an unexpected call from a high school friend asking for a small favor - would she help one of Serena's friends get home to Mexico to see her ailing grandmother? The pay is great and Hailey takes a few days off to drive Nidia home.
And that's when a simple act becomes the larger cross that Hailey must bare. Nidia managed to leave a out a few things when she wanted to travel back home. Like that fact that she is pregnant with the only grandchild of Anton Skouras, devil reincarnated. Anton's son had just died and Nidia had been his caregiver and lover. Anton wants the baby. Badly.
This novel was a stay up all nighter! Hailey's time in East L.A. with Serena and her gang was written so well that I could close my eyes and picture the house in its entirety. The West Point issue keeps arising in some odd places but the focus of the story is Hailey and friends against mobsters with nasty pruning shears and large guns. The ending will leave you staring into space for awhile and believe me, it's not what you'd expect. Great job, Ms. Compton!
Being the independent person she is, with CJ's help, Hailey moves on up the coast to San Francisco where she becomes a bike messenger. Not a safe job, but it pays fair and keeps her in shape. She receives an unexpected call from a high school friend asking for a small favor - would she help one of Serena's friends get home to Mexico to see her ailing grandmother? The pay is great and Hailey takes a few days off to drive Nidia home.
And that's when a simple act becomes the larger cross that Hailey must bare. Nidia managed to leave a out a few things when she wanted to travel back home. Like that fact that she is pregnant with the only grandchild of Anton Skouras, devil reincarnated. Anton's son had just died and Nidia had been his caregiver and lover. Anton wants the baby. Badly.
This novel was a stay up all nighter! Hailey's time in East L.A. with Serena and her gang was written so well that I could close my eyes and picture the house in its entirety. The West Point issue keeps arising in some odd places but the focus of the story is Hailey and friends against mobsters with nasty pruning shears and large guns. The ending will leave you staring into space for awhile and believe me, it's not what you'd expect. Great job, Ms. Compton!
July 13, 2011
Hailey’s War by Jodi Compton
Hailey is a bike courier with a secret. She left West Point under unknown circumstances but what she learned there, keeps her alive through some harrowing circumstances. She truly believes in honor, respect and loyalty.
Hailey is an enigma in this story to both her friends and her enemies. She has a secret that she refuses to share. The author did a great job in maintaining mystery regarding that secret until the final conclusion.
There is artful misdirection in much of the book. Ms. Compton does a great job keeping you guessing. I admired Hailey’s tenacity and her willingness to face daunting odds.
The book holds your attention and educates you in regards to intercity gang behavior.
I recommend the book.
Hailey is a bike courier with a secret. She left West Point under unknown circumstances but what she learned there, keeps her alive through some harrowing circumstances. She truly believes in honor, respect and loyalty.
Hailey is an enigma in this story to both her friends and her enemies. She has a secret that she refuses to share. The author did a great job in maintaining mystery regarding that secret until the final conclusion.
There is artful misdirection in much of the book. Ms. Compton does a great job keeping you guessing. I admired Hailey’s tenacity and her willingness to face daunting odds.
The book holds your attention and educates you in regards to intercity gang behavior.
I recommend the book.
April 11, 2012
This story was very well-written but it took me a while to get into it. At first, I thought it might not be something I wanted to finish - the main character too foreign from me in her view of the world, the plot too urban L.A., the driving force behind the story too acerbic. But, I was drawn in by Compton's expertise in threading the subtlety of the characters' "faults" with certain virtues and taking the simple who-done-it mystery genre into whole new territory. Excellent writing there.
I would definitely recommend this book to readers who like strong women who don't fit into neat little boxes which isn't afraid of complicated issues about morality and ethics, all in a good, tightly woven mystery.
I would definitely recommend this book to readers who like strong women who don't fit into neat little boxes which isn't afraid of complicated issues about morality and ethics, all in a good, tightly woven mystery.
March 29, 2011
As a first-person narrator, Hailey is a smart, spunky, and entertaining raconteur. She knows her own strengths, but is also funny and self-deprecating. To enjoy this book, one must have a great deal of tolerance for gang-slang, since Serena and her male and female compatriots speak a particular lingo that is indigenous to those living "la vida loca" in Los Angeles. Although the adventure on which Hailey embarks is action-packed and engrossing, the characters are thinly drawn and, as the story progresses, the plot becomes increasingly implausible and melodramatic. In addition, the author introduces too many unconvincing developments that enable her to wrap matters up neatly.
July 26, 2011
This was a very fast read for me and a nice change from the chick lit I normally read. I had the same basic issues that I do with most suspense/thrillers in that I find the whole plot hard to believe and that the characters all can do what they do in the book. That said, I enjoyed the story and the fact that it was set in CA only added to my enjoyment.
BTW - the Barnes and Nobles synopsis that Goodread shows for this book is NOT for this story. This one is about a kidnapped girl and the gangs in LA
BTW - the Barnes and Nobles synopsis that Goodread shows for this book is NOT for this story. This one is about a kidnapped girl and the gangs in LA
August 1, 2010
ARC from Read-it-Forward.com
After dropping out of West Point four months before graduation, Hailey gets to play soldier while directing a reconnaissance mission between a Latino gang and a Greek organized crime boss. An unexpected ending, something I've never read before. I don't want to use the clichéd “she's facing her inner self,” but I'm glad she finds direction in the end.
After dropping out of West Point four months before graduation, Hailey gets to play soldier while directing a reconnaissance mission between a Latino gang and a Greek organized crime boss. An unexpected ending, something I've never read before. I don't want to use the clichéd “she's facing her inner self,” but I'm glad she finds direction in the end.
June 8, 2011
Loved this book! Never wanted to put it down. It's action-packed and you really get sucked in. You care about the characters immediately. I was actually really mad at the abrupt ending though! Glad the sequel will be out next month!!!
November 1, 2012
i thought this was a good book, it was interesting and i liked the suspense of what was to come. Hailey made for an interesting character and i liked reading about how her life was progressing whilst some parts of the book made me cringe at its graphic description it made for a fantastic read.
June 13, 2016
I listened to the audio version of this book and the narrators definitely did a great job!! I found the story had a good flow which is important to me. I didn't love this book but I did think it was above average.
August 12, 2016
This was a pretty good book. It had a lot of action in it. This was an I uncorrected proof that I received
August 5, 2010
This is a gritty story, but the writing is very compelling. I enjoyed the suspense and the twists of the story.
September 2, 2010
It was okay. Not one of my favorites.
November 27, 2010
i loved hailey. i loved all of the characters in this book. particularly good characterization over all. i was a bit disappointed in the ending, but am hoping there is a sequal:)
October 29, 2010
First person, very entertaining character.
November 2, 2010
This is one I didn't want to put down. It moves quickly but certainly not quietly.
January 13, 2011
Good suspense, surprising conclusion.
February 6, 2011
Sucked me right in...likely won't come back up for air until I finish. Best kind of book for a winter storm warning night.
January 17, 2012
Absolutely not what I expected, but I ended up really enjoying this one. I was sitting on the edge of my seat. The ending held a few surprises that made me reevaluate the entire story.
August 3, 2012
Interesting characters and unexpected story line.
January 30, 2013
made a nice change from my normal choices. not too long and easy reading, felt the ending was a little abrupt though.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews