Four old friends. Three dead girls. Two prized brothers. One wild ride.George Engle has lived in the long shadow of his superstar twin brothers since they died in a freak accident when he was thirteen. Now, in the spring of 1986, George and his childhood friends are living lives they never wanted. It’s easy to sleepwalk through insignificance, until a second freak accident jolts them awake–only … second freak accident jolts them awake–only it’s no accident.
One night, George regains consciousness just in time to watch an unfamiliar house explode, and finds evidence of the crime he didn’t commit planted on his back seat. He narrowly eludes what may or may not be police and subsequently learns the explosion was a cover-up for three baffling execution-style murders. George was supposed to take the fall, and now the killers are hunting him.
George and his friends reunite to probe the mysterious deaths, a murderous drug cartel, and their own self-deception. But in the process, they’ll discover they can trust no one and nothing–not even their own memories.
Fans of THE DROWNING GAME will love meeting Dekker’s Uncle Curt and George, the attorney he introduces Petty to, as young men in the 1980s.
more
So much tension! So many secrets! I wished I could read faster so I’d get all my questions answered. Great read!
Not very good
The Throwaways by L.S. Hawker is surprising… in a good way!
What it’s about: George is 28 and has never really been able to make anything of himself. He has big dreams that he never follows up on, and is a guy that generally just fades into the background. But when he wakes up outside of a house that has just exploded with a gun and a knife dripping in blood in the backseat of his car, he needs to make some quick decisions. The last thing he remembers is a girl named Stacia that he was giving a ride home to smiling at him, and then poof she was gone. Then the house exploded. Someone is trying to frame him, but who? And how is he going to get himself out of this mess?
The main plot of The Throwaways has to do with George, but we do get the viewpoints of his old friends Bill, Curt, and Travis as well. Everyone is dealing with their own issues, but they band together to help George. This novel is about the mystery of who is framing George and why, but it also speaks about addiction and old friendships being renewed.
The writing of this book was a little weird for me. I don’t know if it was the language Hawker uses or what, but I found it bugging me. It’s hard for me to explain, but I did want to mention it since that’s the only thing that really held me back from giving this a higher rating. Honestly, I want to read Hawker’s other work just to see if the way she writes is the same all the time, or if it was because this book has a male protagonist instead of female.
When I started The Throwaways I wasn’t sure how much I was going to like it because of the writing, but by the time I got to the end I was enjoying it a lot more. And the twist ended up being something I never saw coming. The heartfelt subjects of friendship and overcoming addiction were nice additions to the plot, and I think this is a very worthwhile read if you are looking for a mystery with some soul.
Final Thought: While The Throwaways didn’t completely blow me away or anything, I thought it was a very solid novel and I do want to read more of this author’s work. I heard at an event that The Drowning Game has some of the same characters (only older) even though it was written before this book, so at the very least I will be checking that one out.
I found this book fast paced and filled with action. The characters were well developed each with their own personal strengths and flaws. Seeing how these impacted their relationships with each other and how they contribute to the action-packed ending made me a very satisfied reader. Will definitely check out more books by this author. #netgalley #thethrowaways
My Review
Linda’s Book Obsession Reviews “The Throwaways” by L.S. Hawker, The Vanishing Point Press Ltd., January 22, 2019
L.S. Hawker, Author of “The Throwaways” has written an intense, intriguing, energetic adventure. The Genres for this story are Mystery, Suspense, Thriller and Fiction. The timeline for this story is around 1986 and goes to the past and future when it pertains to the characters or events in this story. The author describes her quirky and dysfunctional characters as dull, complex, and complicated.
George Engle has had 2 significant moments in his otherwise unnoticeable life. The first was when his idolized twin brothers were killed in an accident, when George was 13. The second was when he wakes up in a car , and sees a house explode. In the car with him are cocaine, and evidence of other significant items that fit with the crime. George doesn’t remember anything. George does realize that he has to do something.
George has always seemed like an “invisible” guy with no major motivation or inclination to achieve anything in his life. At this moment he is anything but. If he didn’t cause the explosion, who did? George seeks out his High School friends to help him solve this mystery. Only this mystery now has turned into three murders. George’s friends each have their own unique set of problems.
Who and why would anyone want to frame George for anything? There are twists and turns, and ups and downs, and danger from the get-co. The world George seems to be running from is involved with drugs and criminal activity. I would recommend this exciting thriller for readers who enjoy action and suspense.