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In her latest thriller, New York Times bestselling author Tami Hoag takes readers on a suspense-filled ride of shocks and twists leading to an explosive finish. It is the story of an ex-cop, a missing girl, and a killer locked in a race where there can be only one winner—and the losers die trying.
In a trailer in a Florida swamp, time is running out for eighteen year-old 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 horse 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 BackTop 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 twelve 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. But Molly is convinced Erin is in danger. Estes has no P.I. license, no interest in a new career, 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 show grounds where Erin worked as a groom, and Estes is quickly pulled to the dark side of a glamorous sport. Behind the glittering, ultra-rich facade is an ultra-ruthless world of drugs, payoffs, and dirty deals. A world of dissolute playboys and crooked horse-dealers, of royalty and rabble, of rivals and enemies. An obscenely wealthy world where anything can be had for a price—including a life.
And in that world stalks a killer who will lead Estes down a dark, twisted trail of decadence and deceit, mayhem and murder—from the gilded life of Palm Beach to the darkest corners of the Florida swamps, to a final show-down 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.
Bestselling author Tami Hoag’s novels have appeared regularly on national bestseller lists since the publication of her first book in 1988. She lives in Los Angeles.
Chapter One
Elena
Life can change in a heartbeat. I’ve always known that. I’ve lived the truth of that statement literally from the day I was born. I sometimes see those moments coming, sense them, anticipate them. I see one coming now. Adrenaline runs through my bloodstream like rocket fuel. My heart pounds like a piston. I’m ready to launch.
I’ve been told to stay put, to wait, but I know that’s not the right decision. If I go in first, if I go in now, I’ve got the Golam brothers dead-bang.They think they know me.Their guard will be down. I’ve worked this case three months. I know what I’m doing. I know that I’m right. I know the Golam brothers are already twitching. I know I want this bust and deserve it. I know Sikes is here for the show, to put a feather in his cap when the news vans arrive and make the public think they should vote for him in the next election for sheriff.
He stuck me on the side of the trailer and told me to wait. He doesn’t know his ass. He doesn’t even know the side door is the door the brothers use most. While Sikes and Ramirez are watching the front, the brothers are dumping their money into duffel bags and getting ready to bolt out the side. Billy Golam’s 4 X 4 is parked ten feet away, covered in mud. If they run, they’ll take the truck, not the Corvette parked in front.The truck can go off-road.
Sikes is wasting precious time.The Golam brothers have two girls in the trailer with them.This could easily turn into a hostage situation. But if I go in now, while their guard is down . . .
Screw Sikes. I’m going in before these twitches freak. It’s my case. I know what I’m doing. I hit the button on my radio. “This is stupid. They’re going to break for the truck. I’m going in.”
“Goddamnit, Estes—” Sikes.
I click the radio off and drop it into the weeds growing beside the trailer. It’s my case. It’s my bust. I know what I’m doing.
I go to the side door and knock the way all the Golam brothers’ customers knock: two knocks, one knock, two knocks.“Hey, Billy, it’s El. I need some.”
Billy Golam jerks open the door, wild-eyed, high on his own home cooking—crystal meth. He’s breathing hard. He’s got a gun in his hand.
Shit.
The front door explodes inward. One of the girls screams.
Buddy Golam shouts:“Cops!”
Billy Golam swings the .357 up in my face. I suck in my last breath.
He turns abruptly and fires. The sound is deafening and yet I hear someone shout:“Officer down!”
Billy Golam knocks me aside, bolts down the stairs and runs forthe truck.
I scramble to get my feet under me. I pull my weapon. I try to run before I’m upright, stumble and hit the ground with one knee. Gunfire pops at the front of the trailer.The truck engine roars to life.
“Billy!” I scream, running for the truck, my only thought that I can’t let him get away.
The truck lurches forward. I leap at it, grabbing the side mirror with my free hand. One foot hits the running board and skids out from under me. Golam hits the gas hard. He’s shooting out the passenger window, screaming:“Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!”
I try to bring my gun up as the truck hits the pavement and makes a hard left. I’m like a rag doll clinging to the door.
Billy Golam screams like a madman. He looks right at me, mouth wide open, eyes bugging from his head. He cranks the wheel hard left again and kicks the door open as the truck squeals into a U-turn. Horns are honking, tires screeching. I’m hanging in space. I can’t hold on. I hit the pavement and darkness sweeps over me in the form of a three-quarter-ton truck.
Life can change in a heartbeat. In a heartbeat I’m dead.
And then I opened my eyes and felt sick at the knowledge that I was still alive. This was the way I had greeted every day for the past two years. I had relived that memory so many times, it was like replaying a movie over and over and over. No part of it changed, not a word, not an image. I wouldn’t allow it.
I lay in the bed and thought about slitting my wrists. Not in an abstract way. Specifically. I looked at my wrists in the soft lamplight—delicate, as fine-boned as the wing of a bird, skin as thin as tissue, blue-lined with veins—and thought about how I would do it. I looked at those thin blue lines and thought of them as lines of demarcation. Guidelines. Cut here. I pictured the needle-nose point of a boning knife. The lamplight would catch on the blade. Blood would rise to the surface in its wake as the blade skated along the vein. Red. My favorite color.
The image didn’t frighten me. That truth frightened me most of all.
I looked at the clock. 4:38 A.M. Rise and whine. I’d had my usual fitful four and a half hours of sleep. Trying for more was an exercise in futility.
Trembling, I forced my legs over the edge of the bed and got up, pulling a deep blue chenille throw around my shoulders. The fabric was soft, luxurious, warm. I made special note of the sensations. You’re always more intensely alive the closer you come to looking death in the face.
I wondered if Hector Ramirez had realized that the split second before I got him killed.
I wondered that every day.
I dropped the throw and went into the bathroom.
“Good morning, Elena. You look like shit.”
Too thin. Hair a wild black tangle. Eyes too large, too dark, as if there was nothing within to shine outward. The crux of my problem: lack of substance. There was—-is—a vague asymmetry to my face, like a porcelain vase that has been broken, then painstakingly restored. The same vase it was before, and yet not the same. The same face I was born with, yet not the same. Slightly skewed and strangely expressionless. I was beautiful once.
I reached for a comb on the counter, knocked it to the floor, grabbed a brush instead. Start at the bottom, work upward. Like combing a horse’s tail. Work the knots out gently. But I had already tired of looking at myself. Anger and resentment bubbled up through me, and I tore the brush through the hair, shoving the snarls together and tangling the brush in the midst of the mess. I tried maybe forty-five seconds to extricate the thing, yanking at the brush, tearing at the hair above the snarl, not caring that I was pulling hairs out of my head by the roots. I swore aloud, swatted at my image in the mirror, swept the tumbler and soap dish off the counter in a tantrum, and they smashed on the tile floor. Then I jerked open a drawer in the vanity and pulled out a scissors.
Furious, shaking, breathing hard, I cut the brush free. It dropped to the floor with a mass of black hair wrapped around it. The pressure in my chest eased. Numbness trickled down through me like rain. Calm.
Without emotion, I proceeded to hack away at the rest of my mane, cutting it boy-short in ten minutes. The end result was ragged, with a finger-in-the-light-socket quality. Still, I’d seen worse in Vogue.
I swept up the mess—-the discarded hair, the broken glass—tossed it in the trash and walked out of the room.
I’d worn my hair long as long as I could remember.
Anonymous
Posted May 6, 2007
i spent one day flipping through this gripping page turner.the unmentionable romance, the twists in the plot, they keep you wondering till the very last page. 569645 thumbs up
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.LynnMI
Posted October 14, 2008
I usually don't read mysteries. Ever. I picked this up because of the tie-in to the horse world. It was captivating and held my interest page after page. I usually "speed read" and skip the unimportant trivial words in some novels but I loved Tami Hoag's style of writing so much, I read every single word. I found myself sneaking in time to read more of the book when I should have been doing other things! Just couldn't put it down! I highly recommend.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted June 1, 2006
This is by far the best story I have read by Tami Hoag. The main character had such a personality that will forever be memorable, she should write a series about Elana Estes. A recommended read for everyone.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted May 15, 2005
As a Tami Hoag fan, I was thrilled by this book. It follows the equestrian life closely and gives wonderful insight into that world. The plot was good and the characters even better. The main character is someone that I would like to read more about. Don't miss this book.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted October 26, 2004
This was my first book by her and I was so looking forward to it But I have to say that I was disappointed greatly The plot kept repeating itself over and over and there were so many bad people and then a quick final twist that left you thinking what?? It could have been a good short story but to waste all that time reading a book that just doesnt draw you in was a disappointment I will read another and give her another try but couldnt recommend this one
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted May 4, 2011
Could not stop laughing. Took few month to finish up
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted March 27, 2010
This is my favorite Tami Hoag book!
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Posted July 14, 2005
I usually rip voraciously through Hoag's books and enjoy every minute, but this one was a chore to get through. Her love of the equestrian world is obvious, but much too cumbersomely emphasized in this book. The horsey details got in the way of the plot and seriously slowed down her normally fast-paced story-telling. Sadly, her worst effort to date.
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Posted September 19, 2004
I love Tami Hoag's writing. This book was a little different than her others like Ashes to Ashes, Night sins, Guilty of Sins, Dark thin line. This book starts telling you a little bit about equestrian, dressage and the competition between riders and grooms getting involved. Anyway, this was something i got to learn as I had no clue what goes on in the equestrain competitions. Elena, who is an ex-cop, ends up taking this case when a 12 year old Molly hires her to find her sister, Erin who was a groom to Jade. When Det. Landry gets into the picture, Elena who is not suppose to be involved in police investigation because of her past, refuses to back away as she feels an obligation to Molly to help find her sister. Landry and Elena try to solve the kidnapping case of Erin and find who killed Jill who is also another groom to Jade. A few suspects but who done it? Good Suspense and the ending was interesting.
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Posted June 28, 2004
Dark Horse is one of my favorite Hoag novels, and with good reason. The plot sucks you in, as does the characterization of protagonist Elena Estes. She's one of the more interesting of Hoag's creations. Full of twists and turns, this book will keep you guessing up until the hair-raising finish!
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Posted July 22, 2004
Someone recommended this book. It's the first I have read of hers. I lived in Wellington, FL for 15 years and it's fun to read about my old stomping grounds!
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Posted June 16, 2004
This was the first of Hoag's books that I read and I found it very interesting. It keeps you guessing. I am looking forward to reading her others! The author has a great style of writing.
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Posted June 17, 2004
Like another reviewer said, I was stunned by all the negative things said about this book. Elena is someone I found to be intriguing, and even more so since she was flawed. I guess maybe I liked her because she is strong and sassy, like my best friend, who also happens to be in law enforcement. The first person thing can bug me if used in some instances, but it seemed right for Elena. I think that any potential readers might not buy this book due to the early reviews, which is why I never bought it right away, but when I started reading it, I knew I had been wrong to wait. Tami Hoag has never had a bad book yet, and I eagerly await the next one!
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Posted July 4, 2004
NOT A GOOD BOOK VERY DISAPPOINTING. THE STORIES IN THE BOOK IS REPEATING ITSELF. I LIKE HER OTHERS BOOKS BETTERS I WISH YOU CAN GO BACK TO THE MINNEAPOLIS POLICE STORY.
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Posted December 10, 2003
I totally enjoyed this book, it was so good,just like her other ones, kept my interest totally!!!!!!!
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Posted August 31, 2003
I'VE READ ALL HOAG'S BOOKS,THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I WAS DISAPPOINTED. THE STORY AND CHARACTERS NEVER PULL YOU IN. AFTER WAITING TWO YEARS FOR HOAG TO WRITE A NEW BOOK, DARK HORSE WAS A TRUE LET DOWN.
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Posted August 5, 2003
Like watching a movie. This was the firs book I read by Tami Hoag, and now I am deturmined to get through most of her novels. She writes beautifully; tightly weaving characters that are life-like and believable.
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Posted July 6, 2003
The book will suck you in on the beginning, takes you through a lot and then spit you out at the end in a way that will ready get you. There is no romance, no passion - in contrary: there is a lot of running away, hiding and being hero against your own will... But the thrill didn't let go until you got to the last page. This was the first Tami Hoag's novel I've read and it made me read more!!!
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Posted February 17, 2003
I loved all of Tami Hoags previous books and couldn't wait for this one to come out it seemed like forever since she had a book out. I was surprised to read all of these horrible reviews about this book. It is a different departure from her usual style, she uses the first person in the book which put me off. It is a hard book to get into but it picks up about a hundred pages into the book. I wouldn't say it is a bad book, but it is not the authors best book. I enjoyed reading it but I hope she goes back to her original style of writing. Anyone who is a fan of the author will enjoy the book if they give it a chance.
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Posted March 26, 2003
I love Tami Hoag and I have read all her books, but Dark Horse was very different from her usual writing. There was no real passion in it. I think the romance part of her novel is what makes a thriller more exciting!!!! This one had none of her usual romance in it. I was disappointed....
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Overview
In her latest thriller, New York Times bestselling author Tami Hoag takes readers on a suspense-filled ride of shocks and twists leading to an explosive finish. It is the story of an ex-cop, a missing girl, and a killer locked in a race where there can be only one winner—and the losers die trying.
In a trailer in a Florida swamp, time is running out for eighteen year-old 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 horse set seems a long way from a cop's world ...