Kill the Messenger

When Los Angeles bike messenger Jace Damon tries to make his last drop of the day for sleazy attorney Lenny Lowell, he is chased, shot at, and barely escapes with the package - and his life. Lenny isn't quite as lucky; and Jace becomes a 'person of interest' to the police. Kev Parker, the detective of record, also wonders why the death of bottom feeder Lenny is of interest to LAPD's elite homicide squad.

These are interesting, well-developed characters, in life-or-death action; the story moves fast, the tension builds, and the characters become people that the reader cares about. Spotting the villian in this one isn't easy.

Kill the Messenger is a fast paced thriller with an interesting lead character, Jace, a bicycle messenger. Both Jace and his brother Tyler are well developed characters. After their mother died, Jace at age 14 strikes out on his own so that he and his brother's won't be orphans, getting an apartment in Chinatown and working at a fish market. Jace is at the wrong place at the wrong time, while sending a message on his bike, someone attempts to kill him. From there, he gets embroiled in a murder investigation and has to do his best to escape the authorities and the people who are trying to kill him. The book is well written. It moves along quickly and has good characters. I've read other Tami Hoag novels that have fallen short, and this show more is the best of her novels I've read.
Carl Alves - author of Two For Eternity show less

Who would have thought a day in the life of an inner city bike courier could end so badly? Jace Damon knows his routes and knows his customers, considering himself privately to be a bit of mean messenger on wheels as many of his compadres on bike seats do as well. His company sends him out to do a late day pickup from Leonard Lowell, oily attorney-at-law, to go to a delivery address that turns out to be a dud. While wondering why he has to deliver to an empty parking lot Jace is set upon. The local knowledge every good bike courier has in spades helps Jace to escape, sadly dragging his mangled bike with him. It would make a guy want to know what's going on. It's a pity Lowell can't tell him, as the guy is now dead. There's not much show more inside the package but it must be worth killing for. Jace has much he needs to protect, being the sole guardian of his little brother. The two of them have long evaded the clutches of the welfare authorities and are masters at living under the radar. Being a suspect in a murder is the last thing Jace needs right now. How does he run and hide when the person he loves the most is left behind, defenseless?

Kill the Messenger is suspenseful and the ending packs a nice surprise, but Hoag’s usual dark tone is missing. This novel is a lighter thriller that entertains from first page to last, but might disappoint long-time fans.

At times, Kill The Messenger switches points of view so frequently, it is difficult to keep up. For this reason, it makes getting to know and identify with the characters a challenge. However, the likeable characters and the pace of action make it easy to forgive minor flaws in the story.

It is easy to imagine some Hollywood film-maker turning it into a star vehicle. show less

The characters felt a little wooden at times (and Ruiz is a caricature rather than a portrayal of a human being), but other than that, I thought the plot was good and the action moved right along. It was easy to root for the orphaned Jace and Tyler as they tried to navigate the situation and Parker as he tried to redeem himself to solve the case. A good read that doesn't require much brain power.

A formulaic crime procedural, set in LA, brushing up against celebrities so if has a touch of noir. If you like this kind of thing, you'll enjoy this, even though it doesn't break any molds.

What I did really like about it was that it was a departure from earlier books by Hoag I've read. About 15 years ago, I started reading Tami Hoag regularly. I liked them, but... it seemed like the strong female lead always needed some kind of saving by the strong silent slightly-dangerous guy in the story. It was always my least favorite part of her books. There is none of that here, probably because the main characters are all men. Whatever the reason, it works.

Jace Damon is a bicycle messenger who ends up in the wrong place at the wrong time. Jace is raising his younger brother Tyler after the death of their mother. They live over a fish store in Chinatown thanks to the grace of Madame Chen. Jace is working 2 jobs and going to school part time. When he gets a call to do one last delivery on a rainy night he can't turn "Eta" down. He picks up the package at a lawyer's office and heads off to the address given. The address is an empty lot and the only thing there is a large car waiting to run him down. He barely escapes with his life and when he opens the package, he sees that it contains negatives. He later finds out the lawyer who gave him the package has been murdered. He can't go to the show more police because he is afraid he will be locked up and Tyler will end up in foster care, never to be seen again. A thrilling story with lots of twists. Very enjoyable. show less

Jace Damon is a bike messenger. His last call of the day is a package for an attorney, Leonard Lowell. His destination isnt what Jace was expecting, empty, so he goes back to find Lenny dead. Then begins a cat and mouse game for the package that Jacd still has.

I like books by Tami Hoag and have read many of them. My favourites are her romantic suspense. This book was more of a thriller, no romance building between hero and heroine. It does however have a very likeable detective Kev Parker.

The book was ok. The premise was good and there was a lot going on. Not perhaps edge of seat but enough. I felt however the book was missing something. I think for me I pick up a Tami Hoag because I want a romantic suspense to read so when I dont get show more it im disappointed. This book seems a change from what I expected.

However the book was ok with enough to hold a readers interest and I didn't guess who was behind it all. I would like to see Kev Parker again perhaps with a heroine to add something to the story. show less