Bøger af Lou Berney

FINALIST FOR THE LA TIMES BOOK PRIZE!From Lou Berney, the acclaimed, multi award-winning author of November Road and The Long and Faraway Gone, comes a Dark RideSometimes the person you least expect is just the hero you needTwenty-one-year-old Hardy "Hardly" Reed--good-natured, easygoing, usually stoned--is drifting through life. A minimum-wage scare actor at an amusement park, he avoids unnecessary effort and unrealistic ambitions. Then one day he notices two children, around six or seven, sitting all alone on a bench. Hardly checks if they're okay and sees injuries on both children. Someone is hurting these kids.He reports the incident to Child Protective Service.That should be the end of it. After all, Hardly's not even good at looking out for himself so the last thing he wants to do is look out for anyone else. But he's haunted by the two kids, his heart breaking for them. And the more research he does the less he trusts that Child Protective Services --understaffed and overworked--will do anything about it.That leaves...Hardly. He is probably the last person you'd ever want to count on. But those two kids have nobody else but him. Hardly has to do what's right and help them.For the first time in his life, Hardly decides to fight for something. This might be the one point in his entire life, he realizes, that is the entire point of his life. He will help those kids.At first, trying to gather evidence that will force the proper authorities to intervene, Hardly is a total disaster. Gradually, with assistance from unexpected allies, he develops investigative skills and discovers he's smarter and more capable than he ever imagined.But Hardly also discovers that the situation is more dangerous than he ever expected. The abusive father who has been hurting these children isn't just a lawyer--he also runs a violent drug-dealing operation. The mother claims she wants to escape with the kids--but Hardly isn't sure he can trust her.Faced with a different version of himself than he has ever known, Hardly refuses to give up. But his commitment to saving these kids from further harm might end up getting the kids, and Hardly himself, killed.

Multi-award winning and USA Today bestselling crime writer Lou Berney returns to his critically acclaimed thriller series starring former mob wheelman Shake Bouchon, who finds himself dragged into a high-stakes hostage rescue, among the mighty temples and shadowy underground of Cambodia. During his years as a wheelman for the Armenian mob in Los Angeles, Shake Bouchon didn't think of himself as the settling-down type. But now he's happily married to Gina, the love of his life-and former adversary-in Indiana, of all places. The great thing about Bloomington, for two people with checkered pasts, is that everyone is nice and no one knows them. Until the day a brutal Armenian thug who has always hated Shake shows up in his backyard. He demands that Shake help him find his missing mob boss, the pakhan-the dangerous and beautiful Alexandra "Lexy" Ilandryan, who also happens to be Shake's ex-girlfriend. Shake's got a lot of history with Lexy, so he reluctantly agrees to travel to Siem Reap, Cambodia, where she was last seen. Once there, he finds himself tangled in an underworld of Cambodian gangsters, mob politics, and opportunistic expats, where the stakes aren't clear and everyone is looking to score. With only the help of a clairvoyant hippie and the Armenian thug, Shake becomes involved in a high-stakes negotiation for Lexy that might cost him his own life. But perhaps most threatening of all is Gina's wrath when she arrives in Cambodia intent on saving Shake from himself-and from all the people trying to kill him. With Lou Berney's trademark wit, flawless plotting, vibrant locale, and memorable characters, Double Barrel Bluff is another unputdownable, globe-trotting adventure.

La suerte de Frank Guidry se ha terminado.Un teniente leal al jefe de la mafia de Nueva Orleans, Carlos Marcello, uno de los hombres más poderosos y peligrosos en los Estados Unidos, Guidry ha aprendido que cada persona es prescindible. Pero ahora es su turno, él sabe demasiado acerca del crimen del siglo, el asesinato del presidente John F. Kennedy.A horas del asesinato, la gente relacionada con Marcello empieza a aparecer muerta y Guidry sospecha que es el siguiente: estaba en Dallas haciendo un encargo del jefe, menos de dos semanas antes de que le dispararan al presidente. Con pocas opciones, Guidry emprende el camino hacia Las Vegas para ver a un viejo conocido, un hombre implacable que odia a Marcello tanto como para ayudar a Guidry a desaparecer. Tal vez.Guidry sabe que la primera regla de huir es «no detenerse», pero cuando ve a una mujer al costado de la carretera con el auto descompuesto, dos pequeñas y un perro en el asiento trasero, ve el disfraz perfecto, la forma de cubrir sus huellas y escapar de los sicarios que siguen su rastro. Aparentando ser un vendedor de seguros, Guidry ofrece ayudar a Charlotte a llegar a su destino, California. Si lo acompaña a Las Vegas, la puede ayudar a obtener un auto nuevo.Para Charlotte, es más que un auto ?es un escape. Ella va huyendo también de una existencia sofocante en un pequeño pueblo en Oklahoma y un esposo que es un borracho empedernido. Es una historia americana: dos extraños que se conocen para compartir el camino hacia el oeste, un sueño, una esperanza y encontrarse el uno al otro en el camino. Charlotte se siente atraída hacia un hombre de mente abierta y amable; a Guidry lo atrae una mujer inteligente y graciosa. Él ve que ella está determinada en darse, a sí misma y a sus hijas, una nueva vida; ella no puede saber jamás que él está desesperado por dejar la suya atrás.

When an aimless drifter witnesses a case of child endangerment, he finds his purpose in seeking justice suspenseful and heart-wrenching thriller from the award-winning author of November Road.

JFK is dead, and Frank Guidry is running for his life. A long-time lieutenant to notorious New Orleans mob boss Carlos Marcello, Frank knows too much about the crime of the century: the assassination of the president. Within hours of the murder, everyone with ties to Marcello is disappearing, and Guidry knows he’s next. With no good options, he hits the road.The first rule of running is “don’t stop,” but when Guidry sees a housewife on the side of the road with a broken-down car and two young daughters in the back seat, he sees the perfect disguise to cover his tracks. Charlotte is on the run too, from a stifling small-town life and a hopeless marriage. Posing as an insurance man, Guidry offers to help Charlotte reach her destination, and desperate, she accepts. It’s an American story: two strangers meet to share the open road west, a dream, a hope—and find each other on the way. But Guidry’s ruthless hunters are closing in on him. And if he can’t bring himself to leave the woman he’s come to love, it might get them all killed.

Set against the assassination of JFK, a poignant and evocative crime novel that centers on a desperate cat-and-mouse chase across 1960s America?a story of unexpected connections, daring possibilities, and the hope of second chances from the Edgar Award?winning author of The Long and Faraway GoneFrank Guidry's luck has finally run out.A loyal lieutenant to New Orleans mob boss Carlos Marcello, one of the most powerful and dangerous men in America, Guidry has learned that everybody is expendable. But now it's his turn?he knows too much about the crime of the century, the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.Within hours of JFK's murder, people with ties to Marcello are turning up dead and Guidry suspects he's next: he was in Dallas on an errand for the boss less than two weeks before the president was shot. With few good options, Guidry hits the road to Las Vegas to see an old acquaintance, a ruthless man who hates Marcello enough to help Guidry vanish. Maybe.Guidry knows that the first rule of running is ?don't stop,? but when he catches sight of a woman on the side of the road with a broken-down car, two young daughters and a dog in the backseat, he sees the perfect disguise, a way to cover his tracks and outrun the hit men on his tail. Posing as an insurance salesman, Guidry offers to help Charlotte reach her destination, California. If she accompanies him to Vegas, he can help her get a new car.For Charlotte, it's more than a car?it's an escape. She's on the run, too, from a stifling existence in small-town Oklahoma and a husband who's a hopeless drunk. It's an American story: two strangers meet to share the open road west, a dream, a hope?and find each other on the way. Charlotte is drawn to a man who's open-minded and kind; Guidry is attracted to a woman who's smart and funny. He learns that she's determined to give herself and her kids a new life; she can't ever know that he's desperate to leave his old one behind.But fugitives shouldn't fall in love, especially with each other. A road isn't just a road: it's a trail, and Guidry's relentless and murderous hunters are closing in on him. Guidry discovers that he doesn't just want to survive, he wants to really live, maybe for the first time.Everyone's expendable, or they should be, but now Guidry can't abandon the woman and two little girls he's come to love.And it might get all of them killed.

"Enestående!"- Stephen KingFrank Guidry er løbet tør for held.Som loyal fikser for New Orleans’ mafiaboss Carlos Marcello ved Guidry bedre end nogen, at ingen er uundværlige, men nu er turen kommet til ham, for han ved for meget om århundredets forbrydelse: mordet på præsident John F. Kennedy.Få timer efter attentatet på JFK er alle med bånd til Marcello døde, og Guidry har en stærk mistanke om, at han er den næste på listen. Han var nemlig i Dallas i et ærinde for bossen, mindre end to uger før præsidenten blev skudt. Guidry ser ingen anden udvej end at tage benene på nakken og flygte til Las Vegas, hvor en gammel forretningspartner – som hader Marcello af et godt hjerte – måske er den eneste, han nu kan stole på vil hjælpe ham med at gå i skjul.Guidry ved udmærket godt, at den første regel, når man er på flugt, er aldrig at stoppe op, men da han ser en smuk husmor i vejsiden med en skadet bil, to små døtre og en hund på bagsædet, øjner han den perfekte forklædning og en oplagt måde til at dække sine spor fra de håndlangere, som Marcello har sendt efter ham. Guidry udgiver sig for at være forsikringsmand, og han tilbyder Charlotte at hjælpe hende frem til deres fælles destination.For Charlotte er der også meget på spil, og hun er ligeledes på flugt. Væk fra en kvælende og stillestående eksistens som husmor i Oklahoma City, og væk fra en alkoholiseret ægtemand.Og mens de hensynsløse forfølgere nærmer sig bagfra, rykker Guidry og Charlotte tættere sammen i en alliance, som kan koste dem begge livet.En klassisk amerikansk historie: To fremmede mødes og rejser mod vest i håbet om et nyt liv – og finder hinanden undervejs.

Like Carl Hiaasen, Berney delights in the cartoonish. Like Elmore Leonard, he can drive a plot. What sets him apart is how well he evokes love, making the romanceas compelling as the mystery.Boston GlobeLou Berney immediately earned a seat of honor at the mystery masters table with his crackling caper novel, Gutshot Straighta lightning-fast, fiendishly clever suspenser that screamed for a sequel. And here it is. Former professional wheel man Charles Shake Bouchon is back, living in the Caribbean paradise of Belize with his lawless past far behind himuntil a gunshot tears through his beachside restaurant and hes on the run again. A twisting tale filled with lawmen, con men, and hit men; a beautiful but deadly FBI agent; and a murderous thug named Baby Jesus, Whiplash River recalls the best of the off-the-wall crime fiction impresariosElmore Leonard, Carl Hiaasen, James W. Hall, Robert Ferrigno, Tim Dorseywhile establishing its own unique orbit in the noir universe.

Professional wheel man Charles "Shake" Bouchon is too nice a guy for the life he's led and not nice enough for any other. Fresh out of prison, he's supposed to deliver a package to Vegas strip-club owner Dick "the Whale" Moby and pick up a briefcase for Shake's former boss and lover, Alexandra Ilandryan, pakhan of L.A.'s Armenian mob. But when the "package" turns out to be Gina, a wholesome young housewife, Shake decides to set her free?a move as noble as it is boneheaded. Now Shake and Gina are on the run in Panama?looking to unload the briefcase's unusual contents while outmaneuvering two angry crime bosses, a heartbroken ex-linebacker, and a sadistic thug plagued by erectile superfunction. And Shake's learning that Gina is less wholesome and more complicated than he initially imagined.

In the summer of 1986, two tragedies rocked Oklahoma City. Six movie-theater employees were brutally killed in an armed robbery. Then a teenage girl vanished from the annual state fair. Neither crime was ever solved.Twenty-five years later, the reverberations of those unsolved cases continue to echo through the lives of those devastated by the crimes. Wyatt, the one teenage employee who inexplicably survived the movie-theater massacre, is now a private investigator in Las Vegas. A case unexpectedly brings him back to a hometown and a past he's tried to escape?and drags him deeper into the harrowing mystery of the movie-house robbery that left six of his friends dead.Like Wyatt, Julianna struggles with the past?specifically the day her beautiful older sister, Genevieve, disappeared at the fair. When Julianna discovers that one of the original suspects has resurfaced, she'll stop at nothing to find answers.As Wyatt's case becomes more complicated and dangerous, and Julianna seeks answers from a ghost, their obsessive quests not only stir memories of youth and first love, but also begin to illuminate dark secrets of the past. Even if they find the truth, will it help them understand what happened and why they were left behind that long and faraway gone summer? Will it set them free?or ultimately destroy them?