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Who Is Shayla Hacker
Five strangers touch each other's lives because of a girl they have never met, and it remains to be seen how Shayla Hacker will help make them whole and change their lives forever.
- GenresMystery
339 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 2007
16 people want to read
About the author
Evan Kilgore
8 books22 followersEvan Kilgore graduated from the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts with a fine arts degree in Writing for the Screen and Television. Who is Shayla Hacker, his debut novel, was first published by Bleak House Books in the following year. His second novel, The Children of Black Valley, was released one year later, followed by his third, Made in China, in 2013, his fourth, The Last March of Nine, in 2014, and his fifth, Snowbound, in 2020.
Evan has also written or co-written a variety of motion picture screenplays, including shorts such as MJMW and feature films including The Butterflies of Bill Baker. After making the Black List in 2015 with the screenplay that he wrote with his screenwriting partner, Mayday 109, the duo scored a sale on their next script, Keeper of the Diary, to Searchlight Pictures in a competitive studio bidding situation, and went on to sell two television pilots to FX Networks and Peacock. They are in development on a wide array of film and television projects. Evan lives and works in Los Angeles.
Visit www.evankilgore.com to stay up-to-date on Evan's latest work.
Evan has also written or co-written a variety of motion picture screenplays, including shorts such as MJMW and feature films including The Butterflies of Bill Baker. After making the Black List in 2015 with the screenplay that he wrote with his screenwriting partner, Mayday 109, the duo scored a sale on their next script, Keeper of the Diary, to Searchlight Pictures in a competitive studio bidding situation, and went on to sell two television pilots to FX Networks and Peacock. They are in development on a wide array of film and television projects. Evan lives and works in Los Angeles.
Visit www.evankilgore.com to stay up-to-date on Evan's latest work.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 18, 2009
There are people who order meat and potatoes at a restaurant and those with fine taste who check the menue closely and then order Scalloppine Di Vitello Saltimbocca. Evan Kilgore's fine novel "Who Killed Shayal Hacker" belongs in the second category. If the reader wants to read something extra special, pick it up, settle into your easy chair and tell the people around you that you don't want to be bothered.
How do you connect the dots?
Greg Klein, a loner, receives a call from a strange young woman, pleading for his help.
Jackie Savage is left stranded at her high school by her brother. She sets out on a hunt to see what happened to him.
Terry Young is about to get married but goes to his attick picks up a photo and after staring at it, it will haunt him for the rest of his life.
Det. Joe Malloy is finally retiring and his replacement asks him about the one case that really bothered him. He had her photo, but who was she?
Debbie Wendell, a construction worker, finds a jewelry box in a ventillation duct at the airport, realizes it has significant value and she could get money for it, but who did it belong to?
This is a different novel from the plain vanella that we may be used to. Characters appear and disappear, a person sits on the plane next to Debbin and then vanishes. Greg gets phone calls from the stranger and officials know immediately and want to know how he knows her.
More and more, throughout the story characters become mesmerized when they see a photo of Shayla Hacker and become determined to find her, at whatever price. It is a steady moving mystery which unravels cleverly. At the finish, the reader will be exhausted but rewarded for the effort.
Recommended!
How do you connect the dots?
Greg Klein, a loner, receives a call from a strange young woman, pleading for his help.
Jackie Savage is left stranded at her high school by her brother. She sets out on a hunt to see what happened to him.
Terry Young is about to get married but goes to his attick picks up a photo and after staring at it, it will haunt him for the rest of his life.
Det. Joe Malloy is finally retiring and his replacement asks him about the one case that really bothered him. He had her photo, but who was she?
Debbie Wendell, a construction worker, finds a jewelry box in a ventillation duct at the airport, realizes it has significant value and she could get money for it, but who did it belong to?
This is a different novel from the plain vanella that we may be used to. Characters appear and disappear, a person sits on the plane next to Debbin and then vanishes. Greg gets phone calls from the stranger and officials know immediately and want to know how he knows her.
More and more, throughout the story characters become mesmerized when they see a photo of Shayla Hacker and become determined to find her, at whatever price. It is a steady moving mystery which unravels cleverly. At the finish, the reader will be exhausted but rewarded for the effort.
Recommended!
May 13, 2011
I really don't get this book. It started off with such promise. I liked each of the five characters and was drawn in to their individual stories. And then... the weird shit started to happen. All five became obsessed with finding the mysterious Shayla Hacker. Why, I don't know. Who is she? Really, I don't care. The five travel the globe meeting more and more people who are also obsessed with finding her, being chased or attacked along the way to prevent them from finding her.
When the mystery is finally revealed, all I can think is 'seriously? did the author start this story and have no concept of what the point of it was?' Because there was no point. No resolution. And the big reveal?? So out of left field it is just plain laughable.
I have had this book on my shelf for like 3 years and have kept meaning to get to it. I wish I waited longer...
Gets an extra star because it actually intrigued me for the first 50 or so pages...
When the mystery is finally revealed, all I can think is 'seriously? did the author start this story and have no concept of what the point of it was?' Because there was no point. No resolution. And the big reveal?? So out of left field it is just plain laughable.
I have had this book on my shelf for like 3 years and have kept meaning to get to it. I wish I waited longer...
Gets an extra star because it actually intrigued me for the first 50 or so pages...
August 19, 2007
My friend Evan wrote this book! It's a great read...check it out!
May 18, 2008
Diary of the Reviewer
Part One- The Hook
Have 2 books going but just casually glance into first couple of pages of Who is Shayla Hacker, the book which arrived in the mail unexpectedly yesterday. After the first couple pages the hook has been set, the other books get set aside. The fascinating plot premise evolves as 5 different people, in different parts of the country, for different reasons, become obsessed with a girl they have never met. A loner accidentally calls a number and gets her on the phone. A groom to be finds an old picture of her in the bottom of a trunk. A strong willed, female construction boss becomes taken with a box found in the walls of a building job. A brother does not show up at school to meet his sister. Each person sets off to find the girl they never met without any idea the direction or location they seek.
Part Two- The Plot
Up late into the night, not able to put the book down. The plot evolves into a complex system as the five characters set off to find this girl. Each comes from a different place, both physically and mentally. But each one is focused on the haunting image or voice that has driven them on a journey to locate Shayla Hacker. They each leave behind everything that has mattered up to this point in their lives, a fiancé, a job, a wife, a career.
Part Three- The
Headache. The plot becomes convoluted and contrived. The characters stay interesting, quirky and honest, but the convolutions of the plot loses my ability to follow it comfortably. I reread sections, wondering if I have missed basic information that would lead to some of the places the plot has gone.
Part Four- The Ending
The ending barrels into confusion. The plot stretches from the unbelievable to the absurd. I am breathless and confused by the ending. Not sure that is a bad thing though. My mind lingers over this as I close the book, set in on the shelf and walk away, sure that I will return to it if only to marvel over the final result of the characters' quests. The epilogue was an unfortunate way to summarize the effect of the quest on the characters. This might have been able to be explored without this literary artifice, the results were worth another chapter or two since the development of the characters is as much a focus of the book as the physical quest to find Shayla.
Part Five- The Future
Now I must work on the review, try to explore my mixed reaction. Probably will reread the entire thing. But late, need to walk away for a bit. Note to self- try to convince author to do an interview.
Final Thoughts
This book is well worth the energy to follow the characters on their quest to find the elusive Shayla Hacker. As a mix of mystery, thriller, sci fi and adventure, Evan Kilgore seems to be creating a new genre. With the tinges of paranormal so intertwined with characters that at first appeared commonplace, it takes concentration to decide if it the characters or the reader that has lost a sense of the normal and the real. Kilgore is able to elevate the mundane thriller into a work of thoughtful activity that forces the reader to examine it from all directions. The writing maintains the pace of the story without letting the suspense fade throughout. The well worn concept of the journey into the unknown to rescue the maiden is brought into the modern age with innate talent and creativity. This is an author whose writing progress will be interesting and, probably, noteworthy.
Note to readers- please read this book and let me know what you think! Would happily include further discussion on this page. Let the diary continue...
Part One- The Hook
Have 2 books going but just casually glance into first couple of pages of Who is Shayla Hacker, the book which arrived in the mail unexpectedly yesterday. After the first couple pages the hook has been set, the other books get set aside. The fascinating plot premise evolves as 5 different people, in different parts of the country, for different reasons, become obsessed with a girl they have never met. A loner accidentally calls a number and gets her on the phone. A groom to be finds an old picture of her in the bottom of a trunk. A strong willed, female construction boss becomes taken with a box found in the walls of a building job. A brother does not show up at school to meet his sister. Each person sets off to find the girl they never met without any idea the direction or location they seek.
Part Two- The Plot
Up late into the night, not able to put the book down. The plot evolves into a complex system as the five characters set off to find this girl. Each comes from a different place, both physically and mentally. But each one is focused on the haunting image or voice that has driven them on a journey to locate Shayla Hacker. They each leave behind everything that has mattered up to this point in their lives, a fiancé, a job, a wife, a career.
Part Three- The
Headache. The plot becomes convoluted and contrived. The characters stay interesting, quirky and honest, but the convolutions of the plot loses my ability to follow it comfortably. I reread sections, wondering if I have missed basic information that would lead to some of the places the plot has gone.
Part Four- The Ending
The ending barrels into confusion. The plot stretches from the unbelievable to the absurd. I am breathless and confused by the ending. Not sure that is a bad thing though. My mind lingers over this as I close the book, set in on the shelf and walk away, sure that I will return to it if only to marvel over the final result of the characters' quests. The epilogue was an unfortunate way to summarize the effect of the quest on the characters. This might have been able to be explored without this literary artifice, the results were worth another chapter or two since the development of the characters is as much a focus of the book as the physical quest to find Shayla.
Part Five- The Future
Now I must work on the review, try to explore my mixed reaction. Probably will reread the entire thing. But late, need to walk away for a bit. Note to self- try to convince author to do an interview.
Final Thoughts
This book is well worth the energy to follow the characters on their quest to find the elusive Shayla Hacker. As a mix of mystery, thriller, sci fi and adventure, Evan Kilgore seems to be creating a new genre. With the tinges of paranormal so intertwined with characters that at first appeared commonplace, it takes concentration to decide if it the characters or the reader that has lost a sense of the normal and the real. Kilgore is able to elevate the mundane thriller into a work of thoughtful activity that forces the reader to examine it from all directions. The writing maintains the pace of the story without letting the suspense fade throughout. The well worn concept of the journey into the unknown to rescue the maiden is brought into the modern age with innate talent and creativity. This is an author whose writing progress will be interesting and, probably, noteworthy.
Note to readers- please read this book and let me know what you think! Would happily include further discussion on this page. Let the diary continue...
August 19, 2007
Hayley, your 23 year old friend is certainly getting a lot of publicity for this first book of his about a girl that five people are looking for around the globe. I'll have to give it a 3 star as well for his writing ability.
November 30, 2007
I couldn't put this book down. I read it in 1 day
September 25, 2009
its really good so far
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews