Dark Horse

By: Tami Hoag

Narrated by: Beth McDonald

Length: 14 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's summary

In a trailer in a Florida swamp, time is running out for Erin Seabright. A pawn in a kidnapper's terrifying game for a ransom no one can pay, her last hope is a washed-up ex-cop who has already lost it all - not once, but twice.

The wealthy world of the Palm Beach horsey set seems a long way from a cop's world in the narcotics division. A lifetime ago, undercover sheriff's detective Elena Estes worked the mean streets and back alleys, living by her wits and playing the long odds until she took one risk too many. Now Estes lives on the ragged edge of lost hope and self-hatred, hiding from the past and believing she doesn't deserve to have a future. But the past is about to come back with a vengeance, and the future is about to become a race between life and death.

A young woman is missing and her 12-year-old stepsister comes to Estes for help. No one but serious, studious Molly Seabright seems concerned about what's happened to her troubled older sister. Estes has no P.I. license, and no desire to break her self-imposed exile. But the more she learns about the people Erin Seabright was involved with, the more her long-dormant cop instincts come back to life.

One trip to the showgrounds where Erin worked as a groom, and Estes is quickly pulled to the dark side of a glamorous sport. Behind the ultra-rich facade is an ultra-ruthless world of drugs, payoffs, and dirty deals. And in that world stalks a killer who will lead Estes down a twisted trail of mayhem and murder to a final showdown that could cost her everything. A race against time and evil. A race in which Estes is the dark horse...and no one is betting on her to win.

©2002 Tami Hoag (P)2002 Random House Inc., Random House Audio, a Division of Random House Inc.

Critic reviews

"A definite winner." (Booklist)

Something original

Protagonist Elena Estes IS surly,tough and chip-on-the-shoulder but she's not a cardboard cutout. She's not a cop (anymore) and not (really)a private detective. She's youngish and attractive enough, but not a knock-out. She's hurting but somehow deserves to, making her very vulnerably human. The hinted maybe-someday romance with the detective on the case plays surprisingly unforced, tenative and very credible. The language is good, the characters diverse. There are quite a few you'd love to shove down the stairs so just who's the biggest bad guy is not obvious. I very much enjoyed the story and the horsey-set ambiance.

A Little Too Trite

As with Luis, I hesitate to disagree with the previous reviewers but I was a little disappointed with this book. The characters (with the exception of the "heroine") were too one-dimensional for my liking. They possessed no redeeming qualities which may work for one truly "sick" individual but this major lack of dimension holds true for almost ALL of the characters.

I felt the first half of the novel bordered on a Janet Evanovich novel and the last half was entirely too overbearing. The plot however, did hold my interest and made the book worth listening too.
As long as you are not looking for a Lawrence Block or Michael Connelly novel you will enjoy this trip into a dark and disturbing world.

Horse about face

Has Tammi Hoag ever written a dud? If so, I haven’t found it yet! This is yet another well-constructed thriller, with interesting characters. Hoag manages that delicate balance of keeping the plot steaming ahead, while taking enough time to develop her characters, and create atmosphere. The narrator, Beth McDonald, is a perfect fit, and handles the wide range of characters with ease and accomplishment. The backdrop of showjumping and dressage is well sketched without dominating the narrative – again, a sign of good balance. If you’ve read any of Hoag’s other books, I don’t need to convince you. If you haven’t, try this one. You’ll be hooked!

Brilliant!

This is one of the best books I've ever 'read'. The narrator is fantastic and the story will keep your attention! The horsey details are very accurate and the characters are perfectly nasty! A book/horse nuts perfect read!

Great story bad narration

The story is great. Kept me hooked until the last minute. But narrator was a distraction. While channeling the internal anger of the main character, the anger and antagonistic tone was over used and didn’t ring true. Overly dramatic, the narrator was a detractor for me.

A Bit Ridiculous

I didn't see much imaginative about this book. Instead of throwing in some red herrings and misdirection, it was more like "let's make everyone a killer of some kind or another." I wouldn't listen to it again, and somewhat wasted my time listening to it the first time.

Pretty apt.

Enjoyed the book very much. As I too work at a racetrack I can "feel" where she is coming from. So far we have not encountered any murders thank God, however the "backside" can be a very rough and clandestine place. I think anyone who loves horses or horse-racing or works in the field might enjoy this book.

Save your credit - Very Slow

The Oak Knoll series from Tami Hoag is wonderful however this one just doesn’t measure up. The main character is difficult to like and the dialog is childish throughout. Take a pass.

Couldn't finish the first chapter

Graphic descriptions of torturing & murdering horses. I wasted a credit on this one.

Bad, bad

I used to like Tami Hoag so much but it feels as though she is two different writers, one great and the other the opposite.