The #1 New York Times bestselling author of Seeing Red “charges her characters and their relationships with electricity” (San Francisco Book Review) in this sizzling, sleep-with-the-lights-on novel of suspense. When a deranged stalker attempts to murder her daughter Berry, Caroline King has no doubts who to contact for help: Berry’s father, the cagey private investigator Dodge Hanley. It’s been … private investigator Dodge Hanley. It’s been thirty years since Dodge last saw Caroline, but the savvy real estate mogul still haunts his dreams. He has a whole bagful of grudging excuses for ignoring Caroline’s call–and one compelling reason to drop everything and fly down to Texas to protect the daughter he’s never met: guilt. As always, Dodge’s perseverance knows no bounds as he teams with a small-town sheriff, but the alarming situation worsens when the stalker claims other victims, leaving a trail of clues lethally pointing toward Berry. And Dodge–a street-smart fighter who has always put his life on the line–realizes that this time, he’s risking his heart as well…
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I like Sandra Brown’s books but this book was tragic. After 30 years of loving each other, it’s tragic that it doesn’t end as HEA as I would have liked. I like HEA endings.
This is number 2 in a series about an ex-cop turned investigator named Dodge Hanley. Dodge receives a phone call from a former girlfriend whom he has not seen or spoken to in 30 years. She needs his help with something involving their daughter, Berry – whom he has also not seen since in 30 years. While staying at her mother’s lake house working with a co-worker on a project, the house is broken into and her co-worker is shot. He is brought to the hospital and the investigation starts into why the shooting took place and they start looking for the shooter – a former co-worker.
This is the first book I’ve read by Sandra Brown. I like the way she wrote the book. It was told in “current” time and then in the past by retelling the story of Dodge and Berry’s mother and what led up to them not speaking to or seeing each other for 30 years. It was very well written and there was a nice little twist at the end.
Great story! Characters are so interesting, that you just can’t put the book down.
Love her books, she creates characters you care about and get to care for……then she takes them & you…….on a wild adventure…..with a little romance thrown in.
Her books are all set in different places…….adding interest by the local….. she does it again here……..pulling you in….and fooling you once again……….
Sandra Brown’s usual gritty, tough characters from unhappy backgrounds. No easy lives in this book; just lives full of challenges. That’s what makes Brown’s novels such satisfyingly interesting reads.
I just went through Sandra Brown’s list of books and realized, with one exception, I’ve read every one. In the case of this book, Tough Customer, I read this nearly straight through.
I loved the characters and the way she weaved their lives together. The characters, throughout a rather intricate plot, were intertwined, which made the suspense and surprise of this book that much better. I would highly recommend to a Brown fan!
Audio book
Better than average suspense that actually surprised me on more than one occasion. The book alternates between the parallel stories of the heroine’s mother and father’s relationship in 1978 and the current day manhunt and semi-romance of the heroine and the Dudley Do Right Sheriff investigating the attempted murder and subsequent murders.
Confused?
An evil doer has become infatuated with his co-worker, the younger heroine in the story, has shot what he thought was her lover and has fled. He then goes on a psycho rampage.
This incident inspires the heroine’s mother to call her ex, a PI and the heroine’s unknown father, to help handle the problem.
Sandra Brown does a good job with the man hunt and the pyscho killer elements of the plot. She introduces some interesting side characters that she drops the ball on, but overall good job. I was surprised on a couple of occasions which was nice and then not so nice.
The suspense story is primary, but the romance of the older heroine and hero is by far the more interesting story. In fact, the daughter, Berry, is pretty insufferable. (view spoiler)
Reviewing suspense stories is hard to do as SPOILERS. This is one of SB’s better ones. The narration is well done especially for the male characters and there is some humor. Best character is Dodge the foul-mouthed, chain smoking curmudgeon that can still charm the women. All the women. SB is much better at writing male characters, and it shows in this book.