Blood Money by Doug Richardson Narrator: Tim DeKay
Series: Lucky Dey #1
Published by the author on August 5, 2016
Source: the author
Genres: Thriller
Length: 9 hrs 34 mins
Format: Audiobook
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When Deputy Lucky Dey discovers his little brother has been murdered, he’ll stop at nothing until he takes down the cop-killer. Lucky finds himself in L.A., trapped in a storm of media and political interference. The entire city is whirling in the wake of a major star’s fatal accident and people want a story—a story that might be more tangled than anyone ever imagined. With peril and mayhem around every corner, the risk-addicted cop might not be so lucky this time around.
Blood Money is an action-packed thriller with plenty of violence—it’s not surprising to learn the author is also a screenwriter of action movies. The book is non-stop, it never gives you time to breathe.
There are several people whose lives intersect in disastrous ways. Few of the characters are likable, but you get their motives.
Lucky Dey is out for revenge against the man who killed his brother, if he can find him. He is relentless and is basically a renegade cop at this point. He is hard to like. He’s mean and single-minded and just a tough guy. He is joined by Lydia “Gonzo” Gonzalez, his “chaperone” from the LAPD, who is my favorite character. She’s a single mom who realizes how close to out of control Lucky is, but still hangs on for the ride. Lucky’s interactions with Gonzo and her son let you see his softer side a bit, which helps.
The man Lucky is hunting is a former marine with a plan to make some quick money by stealing frozen blood products; loading them up on a refrigerated tractor-trailer; driving the cargo from Reno to the Port of Long Beach; and collecting a million dollars. Of course, the plan runs amok, lots—and I mean lots—of people end up dead, property is destroyed. We see his thought process and actions the whole time and know the whole thing is not going to end well.
I was provided a download of the audiobook, which should be available through Audible soon. The narrator did a good job. There are a lot of characters and he made them all sound believable without overdoing the drama. In a book so full of over-the-top action, he keeps it from feeling overblown.
For the most part, I enjoyed Blood Money. It got a little long for me. Maybe long is the wrong word. I think the pacing could have varied a bit, constant action gets a little tiring. With so many characters and so much action, you never really got a chance to know any of them. All things considered though, it’s a gripping story and definitely worth picking up if you’re looking for a good thriller.
About Doug Richardson
Though Doug attended The USC School for Cinematic Arts with ambitions to become a movie director, while there he discovered his affection for writing screenplays. After leaving USC, Doug directed a few educational films, but his sights remained set on Hollywood. After reading some of his first screenplays, Warner Brothers offered Doug a two-year contract—one of the last “paid by the week” studio writer gigs.
In 1989 20th Century Fox hired Doug to adapt Walter Wager’s novel 58 Minutes into the first sequel to the hit franchise Die Hard. In 1990, it was released as Die Hard 2, Die Harder. Doug has since written and produced feature films including the box office smash Bad Boys (1995), Money Train (1995), and Hostage (2005). In 2004 Doug produced the comedy Welcome to Mooseport. While in between movie projects, Doug managed to finish his first novel, Dark Horse.
While Doug continues to work in Hollywood developing motion pictures and TV pilots, he finds writing novels provides him the greatest satisfaction and reward. His Lucky Dey books exist between the gutter and the glitter of a morally suspect landscape he calls Luckyland—aka Los Angeles—the city of Doug’s birth and where he lives with his wife, two children, four big mutts, and the dead body he’s still semi-convinced is buried in his San Fernando Valley back yard.
I am due for a action-y type book. Been a hot minute for me.
Good find!
It was definitely action-y.