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ABOVE IT ALL

A delightful romp through the dark, twisted lives of drug dealers, pilots and their lovers.

Awards & Accolades

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A darkly comical tale of one man’s poor choice and the resulting fallout.

A steamy beach read, Hunt’s debut novel will appeal to men and women alike. Sex, drugs and intrigue intertwine as Ian MacAran, a young, good-looking pilot, struggles to navigate his life with the same precision he uses in the air. He’s eager to move on from his last relationship and desperate to sell a house he can no longer afford when his door is opened one day by a quirky, energetic man named Mick Dale. Mick, a contractor, has his eye on Ian’s house as a fixer-upper, but upon learning that Ian is a pilot, he suddenly has his eye on a lot more. After convincing Ian to give him a few flying lessons, Mick finally reveals the truth behind his pursuit: He’s an accomplished drug dealer, and via Ian’s plane, the two would be able to transport cocaine directly from Mexico at a tremendous profit. Initially, the thought horrifies Ian, but Mick is persuasive, and soon Ian is addicted to the thrill of the scam—not to mention the money that allows him to keep the house and live well beyond his standard. As Ian gets embroiled in drug trafficking, his love life gets complicated, too. After meeting the quiet, trusting and beautiful Sandra, Ian feels that he has, perhaps, at last found love. But another woman, Bernie Selleca, comes onto the scene, determined to seduce Ian away from Sandra to suit her own purposes. Hunt’s novel twists through various perspectives and plot shifts, leaving readers almost breathless. With the surprising ups and downs, the always-entertaining story takes on a feeling much like the plane rides described in its pages. Characters are memorable for their zany antics, especially Ian, who, though flawed, proves to be a likable, sympathetic hero. As he plummets further into his mistakes, his misadventures make for a high-flying, action-packed read.

A delightful romp through the dark, twisted lives of drug dealers, pilots and their lovers.

Pub Date: June 13, 2013

ISBN: 978-0615722979

Page Count: 672

Publisher: 1rpm Press

Review Posted Online: Aug. 21, 2013

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MAGIC HOUR

Wacky plot keeps the pages turning and enduring schmaltzy romantic sequences.

Sisters work together to solve a child-abandonment case.

Ellie and Julia Cates have never been close. Julia is shy and brainy; Ellie gets by on charm and looks. Their differences must be tossed aside when a traumatized young girl wanders in from the forest into their hometown in Washington. The sisters’ professional skills are put to the test. Julia is a world-renowned child psychologist who has lost her edge. She is reeling from a case that went publicly sour. Though she was cleared of all wrongdoing, Julia’s name was tarnished, forcing her to shutter her Beverly Hills practice. Ellie Barton is the local police chief in Rain Valley, who’s never faced a tougher case. This is her chance to prove she is more than just a fading homecoming queen, but a scarcity of clues and a reluctant victim make locating the girl’s parents nearly impossible. Ellie places an SOS call to her sister; she needs an expert to rehabilitate this wild-child who has been living outside of civilization for years. Confronted with her professional demons, Julia once again has the opportunity to display her talents and salvage her reputation. Hannah (The Things We Do for Love, 2004, etc.) is at her best when writing from the girl’s perspective. The feral wolf-child keeps the reader interested long after the other, transparent characters have grown tiresome. Hannah’s torturously over-written romance passages are stale, but there are surprises in store as the sisters set about unearthing Alice’s past and creating a home for her.

Wacky plot keeps the pages turning and enduring schmaltzy romantic sequences.

Pub Date: March 1, 2006

ISBN: 0-345-46752-3

Page Count: 400

Publisher: Ballantine

Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2005

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THE CATCHER IN THE RYE

A strict report, worthy of sympathy.

A violent surfacing of adolescence (which has little in common with Tarkington's earlier, broadly comic, Seventeen) has a compulsive impact.

"Nobody big except me" is the dream world of Holden Caulfield and his first person story is down to the basic, drab English of the pre-collegiate. For Holden is now being bounced from fancy prep, and, after a vicious evening with hall- and roommates, heads for New York to try to keep his latest failure from his parents. He tries to have a wild evening (all he does is pay the check), is terrorized by the hotel elevator man and his on-call whore, has a date with a girl he likes—and hates, sees his 10 year old sister, Phoebe. He also visits a sympathetic English teacher after trying on a drunken session, and when he keeps his date with Phoebe, who turns up with her suitcase to join him on his flight, he heads home to a hospital siege. This is tender and true, and impossible, in its picture of the old hells of young boys, the lonesomeness and tentative attempts to be mature and secure, the awful block between youth and being grown-up, the fright and sickness that humans and their behavior cause the challenging, the dramatization of the big bang. It is a sorry little worm's view of the off-beat of adult pressure, of contemporary strictures and conformity, of sentiment….

A strict report, worthy of sympathy.

Pub Date: June 15, 1951

ISBN: 0316769177

Page Count: -

Publisher: Little, Brown

Review Posted Online: Nov. 2, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1951

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