Synopses & Reviews
#1 New York Times bestselling author Tami Hoag returns with her second thriller in the Deeper than the Dead microseries, exploring the early days of forensic investigation, the characteristics of innocence-and the nature of evil. Marissa Fordham had a past full of secrets, a present full of lies. Everyone knew of her, but no one knew her.
When Marissa is found brutally murdered, with her young daughter, Haley, resting her head on her mother's bloody breast, she sends the idyllic California town of Oak Knoll into a tailspin. Already on edge with the upcoming trial of the See- No-Evil killer, residents are shocked by reports of the crime scene, which might not have been discovered for days had it not been for a chilling 911 call: a small child's voice saying, "My daddy hurt my mommy."
Sheriff's detective Tony Mendez faces a puzzle with nothing but pieces that won't fit. To assist with his witness, Haley, he calls teacher-turned-child advocate Anne Leone. Anne's life is hectic enough-she's a newlywed and a part- time student in child psychology, and she's the star witness in the See-No-Evil trial. But one look at Haley, alone and terrified, and Anne's heart is stolen.
As Tony and Anne begin to peel back the layers of Marissa Fordham's life, they find a clue fragment here, another there. And just when it seems Marissa has taken her secrets to the grave, they uncover a fact that puts Anne and Haley directly in the sights of a killer: Marissa Fordham never existed.
Review
"This book is a blast -- a gutsy, funny heroine and a story that's a pulse-pounding thrill ride."-Janet Evanovich "I fell in love with the people, the place and most of all the words."-Michael Connelly "Helen Knode's Wildcat Play is one of the freshest mysteries I've read in a long time, and sleuth Ann Whitehead is an original. A fine writer, Knode brings the edgy, colorful, and dangerous world of oil and gas drilling to life for her readers. She also manages to salt in fascinating tidbits of oilfield history without slowing down the action. Get ready to feel as if you've stepped out onto the rig, where you'll meet a set of unforgettable characters facing hard work, long odds, and high risk."-Jan Burke, Edgar-winning author of Bones and Disturbance. “Drawing on her family's history in oil exploration, Helen Knode has created a riveting mystery that blends elements of Upton Sinclair and There Will Be Blood with a hard-edged heroine who isn't afraid to get grease under her fingernails. Best of all, WILDCAT PLAY explores the literary terra incognita of East-Central California, a land of transplanted Okie roughnecks, blue-collar millionaires, wildcat rigs and the scheming, double-crossing and murder that seethes beneath the placid surface.” -Denise Hamilton, author of Damage Control and the Eve Diamond mystery series Knodes ponderous second mystery featuring L.A. movie critic Ann Whitehead (after 2003s The Ticket Out) takes Ann to oil country. Anns familys business was oil, and her fathers friend Joe Balch is happy to hire her on his wildcat gas drilling operation in the San Joaquin Valley. Despite pressure from her grandmother and Joes estranged wife to do something more genteel, Ann is soon enmeshed in the dangerous world of the drilling rig. When a hand is murdered on the rig, Ann investigates, putting herself at risk in a life-and-death situation with big money at stake. Even her LAPD love, Det. Doug Lockwood, eventually becomes involved in the race to find the killer. Conspiracy, murder, and family secrets eventually explode in an exciting conclusion, though some readers may feel theyve learned more about the down-and-dirty world of the oil fields than they need to along the way. Agent: Nat Sobel, Sobel Weber Associates. (Apr.)--Publishers Weekly
Synopsis
A #1 "New York Times"-bestselling author returns with her second thriller in the Deeper Than the Dead microseries, exploring the early days of forensic investigation, the characteristics of innocence--and the nature of evil.
Synopsis
Marissa Fordham is dead, but her daughter is found at the crime scene, injured but alive. Now sheriff's detective Tony Mendez and child advocate Anne Leone begin to peel back the layers of Marissa's life. And the shocking truth they discover puts them directly in the sights of a killer with a stunning secret to keep; because Marissa Fordham never existed...
Synopsis
A nomad writer finds herself roughnecking it on a wildcat drilling operation in a meth-ridden former boom town in San Joaquin Valley. When a coworker turns up dead, she suspects foul play and sets out to solve a murder mystery - but will she be the next victim?
Synopsis
Hipster movie critic Ann Whitehead pushed a Hollywood murder case to a bloody climax and almost died herself. Changed forever—less stupid and more fun—she has moved on to a place she knows well: the San Joaquin Valley, where her grandfathers closest friend, Joe Balch, owns the oil company that keeps one town alive.
Balch gets Ann a job with the Oklahoma contractor drilling his wildcat well. Its hard work, but Ann loves both it and her crusty old boss, Emmet. Then a guy on her crew is killed by a falling hammer. Sheriffs rule it an accident but Anns LAPD squeeze, Detective Doug Lockwood, says its murder. Ann cant resist the challenge of chasing a killer—and then the killer starts chasing her . . .
From a writer whose first novel was praised as “highly literate, exceptionally action-packed and occasionally harrowing” (Chicago Tribune), this is a wild ride full of bad behavior and laughs, oil-field characters, and small-town atmosphere, starring a heroine who never does anything halfway.
About the Author
Helen Knode put her experiences as a staff writer and film critic for the L.A. Weekly into her first novel, The Ticket Out. She was born in Calgary, Alberta, heart of the Canadian oil business, and Knodes have worked in oil since the nineteenth century, a history that inspired Wildcat Play. She lives in Austin, Texas.