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Evan Delaney #3
Jericho Point
From award-winning author Meg Gardiner, co-author of Michael Mann’s Heat 2 --When a woman’s body washes up on the shore of California’s Jericho Point, she’s identified as Evan Delaney.
Except that Evan is very much alive—apparently the victim of an identity thief who’d been scamming Hollywood elite. The thief may be dead, but the crimes she was murdered for—committed in Evan’s name—are turning Evan’s life into a nightmare. Now it’s all Evan can do to survive in the shadow of a dead woman’s lies.
Except that Evan is very much alive—apparently the victim of an identity thief who’d been scamming Hollywood elite. The thief may be dead, but the crimes she was murdered for—committed in Evan’s name—are turning Evan’s life into a nightmare. Now it’s all Evan can do to survive in the shadow of a dead woman’s lies.
384 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published July 19, 2004
76 people are currently reading
661 people want to read
About the author
Meg Gardiner
35 books2,246 followersMeg Gardiner is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of seventeen thrillers. Shadowheart, her latest novel, is part of the UNSUB series featuring FBI agent Caitlin Hendrix. The Real Book Spy calls it “A mind-trip of a story.” Booklist says, “As always, the writing is exquisite and the story is perfectly crafted.” UNSUB, the first novel in the series, won the 2018 Barry Award for Best Thriller. The Dark Corners of the Night was bought by Amazon Studios for development as an hour-long television drama.
Heat 2 is a prequel/sequel to the film Heat, co-authored with the film’s writer/director, Michael Mann. Booklist’s starred review calls it “Riveting… the fully fleshed human stories support and even transcend the often-breathtaking action.” The Associated Press says, “Slick as a Neil McCauley heist and as intense as a Vincent Hanna chase, ‘Heat 2’ is just dynamite.” It debuted at #1 on the NYT best seller list.
Meg is the author of the Evan Delaney series, the Jo Beckett novels, and several stand alones. China Lake won the 2009 Edgar award for Best Paperback Original. The Nightmare Thief won the 2012 Audie Award for Thriller/Suspense audiobook of the year. Phantom Instinct was one of O, the Oprah magazine's "Best Books of Summer."
Meg was born in Oklahoma and raised in Santa Barbara, California. A graduate of Stanford Law School, she practiced law in Los Angeles and taught writing at the University of California Santa Barbara. She's also a three-time Jeopardy! champion. She lives in Austin, Texas.
Find Meg on Facebook: Facebook.com/MegGardinerBooks Twitter: @MegGardiner1 and Instagram: @Meggardiner1.
Series:
* UNSUB
* Evan Delaney
* Jo Beckett
Heat 2 is a prequel/sequel to the film Heat, co-authored with the film’s writer/director, Michael Mann. Booklist’s starred review calls it “Riveting… the fully fleshed human stories support and even transcend the often-breathtaking action.” The Associated Press says, “Slick as a Neil McCauley heist and as intense as a Vincent Hanna chase, ‘Heat 2’ is just dynamite.” It debuted at #1 on the NYT best seller list.
Meg is the author of the Evan Delaney series, the Jo Beckett novels, and several stand alones. China Lake won the 2009 Edgar award for Best Paperback Original. The Nightmare Thief won the 2012 Audie Award for Thriller/Suspense audiobook of the year. Phantom Instinct was one of O, the Oprah magazine's "Best Books of Summer."
Meg was born in Oklahoma and raised in Santa Barbara, California. A graduate of Stanford Law School, she practiced law in Los Angeles and taught writing at the University of California Santa Barbara. She's also a three-time Jeopardy! champion. She lives in Austin, Texas.
Find Meg on Facebook: Facebook.com/MegGardinerBooks Twitter: @MegGardiner1 and Instagram: @Meggardiner1.
Series:
* UNSUB
* Evan Delaney
* Jo Beckett
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
July 5, 2019
The storyline will keep you turning pages and reading until the end. It's full of murderers, legalise, rock stars, romance, & death.
Evan Delaney is a victim of identity theft. The thief has racked up thousands of dollars in debt but that's not the worst. Evan Delaney has two henchmen threatening to kill her if she doesn't return money she never stolen. On top of that, she's a suspect in the murder of a woman found with credit cards in Delaney's name.
Similar to a Sue Grafton novel but with more intricate parts in the story.
Evan Delaney is a victim of identity theft. The thief has racked up thousands of dollars in debt but that's not the worst. Evan Delaney has two henchmen threatening to kill her if she doesn't return money she never stolen. On top of that, she's a suspect in the murder of a woman found with credit cards in Delaney's name.
Similar to a Sue Grafton novel but with more intricate parts in the story.
July 31, 2012
The worst book ever......the starting is boring as is the progression.
Wouldn't recommend to anyone.
Have given one star because there is no option of "0" stars
Wouldn't recommend to anyone.
Have given one star because there is no option of "0" stars
June 23, 2024
Viel Action, aber mit den Charakteren kann ich mich nicht so ganz anfreunden. Zu stereotyp. Ganz böse, ganz heldenhaft, unbrauchbare Waschlappen - es ist einfach zu übertrieben.
Der Plot selbst ist auch übertrieben, aber immerhin gut genug, dass man weiterliest, weil man neugierig ist. Insgesamt reicht es für drei Sterne, von der Tendenz aber eher Richting 2 als 4.
Der Plot selbst ist auch übertrieben, aber immerhin gut genug, dass man weiterliest, weil man neugierig ist. Insgesamt reicht es für drei Sterne, von der Tendenz aber eher Richting 2 als 4.
February 26, 2009
After hitting a series high point with "Mission Canyon," the Evan Delaney series comes back to earth a bit with the third installment in the series.
After two books to introduce Evan and her world to us, Meg Gardiner puts Evan and readers through the wringer in "Jericho Point." Evan finds out she's the victim of identity theft and the lead suspect is her fiancee's younger brother. Things get messy for Evan when the local loan shark starts calling in a loan made her in name and one of the suspects washes up on the beach, the apparent victim of a murder.
"Jericho Point" starts at a furious pace and never lets up, which may be part of the problem facing the book. We start the story on the run and it takes a few chapters to really figure out who everyone is and how they relate to the mystery plot slowly unfolding in the story. There's a huge amount of plot thrust on readers in the first fifty pages and while I don't want to sit around and read a plot summary of the first two books, it would be nice to have a moment or two to get warmed up before events start coming fast and furious.
The book proceeds at a good clip with Evan being put through the wringer both physically and emotionally. Eventually, the elements begin to slowly unravel as the pieces begin to fall into place. Readers are treated to some details before Evan, to both add to the suspense and, in some ways, take away from the driving force of the narrative in the last third of the book. And it's the last third of the book where the problems really come into play. Things suddenly go into hyperdrive with logic and reason thrown out the window. Yes, the mystery fits together in the end, but there are still some things in the final third of the book that come about simply to service the plot and not actually to move things forward in a natural way. I ended up spending the last third of the book rolling my eyes far too many times and wondering how much more we could pile on before things reached a resolution.
Not a good sign.
I wanted to love this novel a lot more than I did. The first two-thirds are good, the last third will leave you scratching your head.
After two books to introduce Evan and her world to us, Meg Gardiner puts Evan and readers through the wringer in "Jericho Point." Evan finds out she's the victim of identity theft and the lead suspect is her fiancee's younger brother. Things get messy for Evan when the local loan shark starts calling in a loan made her in name and one of the suspects washes up on the beach, the apparent victim of a murder.
"Jericho Point" starts at a furious pace and never lets up, which may be part of the problem facing the book. We start the story on the run and it takes a few chapters to really figure out who everyone is and how they relate to the mystery plot slowly unfolding in the story. There's a huge amount of plot thrust on readers in the first fifty pages and while I don't want to sit around and read a plot summary of the first two books, it would be nice to have a moment or two to get warmed up before events start coming fast and furious.
The book proceeds at a good clip with Evan being put through the wringer both physically and emotionally. Eventually, the elements begin to slowly unravel as the pieces begin to fall into place. Readers are treated to some details before Evan, to both add to the suspense and, in some ways, take away from the driving force of the narrative in the last third of the book. And it's the last third of the book where the problems really come into play. Things suddenly go into hyperdrive with logic and reason thrown out the window. Yes, the mystery fits together in the end, but there are still some things in the final third of the book that come about simply to service the plot and not actually to move things forward in a natural way. I ended up spending the last third of the book rolling my eyes far too many times and wondering how much more we could pile on before things reached a resolution.
Not a good sign.
I wanted to love this novel a lot more than I did. The first two-thirds are good, the last third will leave you scratching your head.
March 16, 2015
3.5 Stars
Lawyer and Sci-Fi author, Evan Delaney is having a bad 24 hours. She is called to a Frat house and finds her boyfriend's brother, P.J. Blackburn, high in a locked bathroom. He claims he saw a girl falling to her death before a fire breaks out at the house. The Police don't believe her, especially when the girl's body washes up on the beach with Evan's credit cards. Evan was on that beach beaten up by some muscle who claims she owes their boss big money. Earlier that morning her boss demands an explanation as to why their biggest client - Karen and her Rock and Roll husband Ricky Jimson - believe that Evan stole some checks from them and they are made out to Kathleen Evan Delaney. P.J. works for the Jimsons. Evan is a murder suspect and an Identity Theft victim.
The beginning of the novel is shaky as well as chaotic. That might have been on purpose by Meg Gardiner to emphasize the drug high of P.J. or the confusion of the dead girl's identity. But I didn't like the beginning. Jesse is acting erratic also throughout the novel. Marc Dupree surprised me, though. I didn't like how the author treated the puppy, either. I'm an animal lover.
But Gardiner tells a spot on suspenseful story that kept me guessing throughout its pages.
Lawyer and Sci-Fi author, Evan Delaney is having a bad 24 hours. She is called to a Frat house and finds her boyfriend's brother, P.J. Blackburn, high in a locked bathroom. He claims he saw a girl falling to her death before a fire breaks out at the house. The Police don't believe her, especially when the girl's body washes up on the beach with Evan's credit cards. Evan was on that beach beaten up by some muscle who claims she owes their boss big money. Earlier that morning her boss demands an explanation as to why their biggest client - Karen and her Rock and Roll husband Ricky Jimson - believe that Evan stole some checks from them and they are made out to Kathleen Evan Delaney. P.J. works for the Jimsons. Evan is a murder suspect and an Identity Theft victim.
The beginning of the novel is shaky as well as chaotic. That might have been on purpose by Meg Gardiner to emphasize the drug high of P.J. or the confusion of the dead girl's identity. But I didn't like the beginning. Jesse is acting erratic also throughout the novel. Marc Dupree surprised me, though. I didn't like how the author treated the puppy, either. I'm an animal lover.
But Gardiner tells a spot on suspenseful story that kept me guessing throughout its pages.
March 14, 2020
Meg Gardiner is excellent at writing action scenes. If you enjoy a complicated mystery and non-stop fights, this is the writer for you!
In Jericho Point, Evan is a victim of identity theft and calls 911 about a woman falling into the water. This results in several groups of bad guys being after her - one of them is particularly terrifying. However, they don't stop her from getting to the bottom of it.
I also love how complicated and non-stereotypical Jesse's character is. I have learned a lot about disabilities from his storyline, and when I'm done with the Evan Delaney series, I'm going to try to find out what inspired Gardiner to write him. He is a romantic hero, and in my reading experience, people with disabilities are not portrayed that way. It's fantastic.
Trigger warning: A dog passes away traumatically.
In Jericho Point, Evan is a victim of identity theft and calls 911 about a woman falling into the water. This results in several groups of bad guys being after her - one of them is particularly terrifying. However, they don't stop her from getting to the bottom of it.
I also love how complicated and non-stereotypical Jesse's character is. I have learned a lot about disabilities from his storyline, and when I'm done with the Evan Delaney series, I'm going to try to find out what inspired Gardiner to write him. He is a romantic hero, and in my reading experience, people with disabilities are not portrayed that way. It's fantastic.
Trigger warning: A dog passes away traumatically.
August 3, 2024
The way Gardner develops her stories about Evan Delaney’s constant trials, mortal perils and tangles with the law - and for that matter - her tribulations with almost everyone she bumps into, you’d have to think she was cursed. But Gardiner also refers to God as the bad-tempered joker as He brings down the almighty worst on her favourite characters.
However, in spite of the pace and non-stop action , this story crossed the boundary into the ridiculous. Not her best work. At times I thought of saying, “oh c’mon - give me a break!” I‘m done with her zany, coincidence filled, convoluted tall tales, for now, at least.
However, in spite of the pace and non-stop action , this story crossed the boundary into the ridiculous. Not her best work. At times I thought of saying, “oh c’mon - give me a break!” I‘m done with her zany, coincidence filled, convoluted tall tales, for now, at least.
November 19, 2015
fast paced with an evolving plot and some good sub-plots - not bad for it's type
April 10, 2020
Exciting and full of emotions, really exhilarating read.
Book begins like a wrecking ball and doesnt stop wrecking everything apart in Evans life and you're along the road to feel along with the stress and fear that the story evokes.
It has a a lot of action, but very well delivered with neatly flowing storyline. Interesting characters that stay in mind. And I like how its almost thriller like or even horrorish at places. Now and then its a bit confusing related to details of these characters, but not so much to put you out of the reading pace.
Book begins like a wrecking ball and doesnt stop wrecking everything apart in Evans life and you're along the road to feel along with the stress and fear that the story evokes.
It has a a lot of action, but very well delivered with neatly flowing storyline. Interesting characters that stay in mind. And I like how its almost thriller like or even horrorish at places. Now and then its a bit confusing related to details of these characters, but not so much to put you out of the reading pace.
October 11, 2017
Not a bad crime thriller but it took me a while to get through it. Perhaps I should have started with the first book in the series because I felt like I had jumped into the middle of a story and it took a while for me to work out the backstories of all of the characters. I kept putting it down for days at a time and then picking it back up to read a few more chapters. I finished it but it felt like a bit of a chore.
January 30, 2019
I didn't like this book but read it anyway. It was rather 'brutal' . I was surprised it was written by a woman. The theme was stolen identity and scamming. The main character, a young woman lawyer, was the victim who was compromised but it wasn't just stolen money. The victims who had allegedly been scammed were wanting their money back , one of whom was a drug-baron. The lawyer soon finds herself harassed by drug runners and suspected of murder........
March 3, 2020
+Evan Delaney is called to rescue Jesse Blackburn from being out of it at a party on the coast, except it isn't Jesse, it's P. J. That is just the beginning of numerous false identity crises. They develop into credit, financial and safety problems, including threats, assaults, vandalism, kidnapping and murders. Some very unlikely events take place, but the story will definitely keep your attention.+
January 2, 2021
When I read #4 in the series, I hadn't realized I had inadvertently skipped this book. While it did fill in a few pieces in the series-long arc, this one might be my least favorite. I like a page-turner as much as the next person, but this one felt extremely OTT for me. It was as if I had wandered into a MI or Terminator-type movie. On to #5, though, to see how the series wraps up.
February 18, 2018
Another excellent read, identity theft is no laughing matter. Of course most of us experience minor irritation, not this hair raising thrill ride involving drugs, rock stars, & their spoiled vengeful murderious kids. This author continues to deliver action packed page after page. Again weak ending in my opinion, but still clever ending note.
December 28, 2017
A thrilling and exciting entry in the ongoing Delaney series, finding the protagonist against the walls of injustice on several fronts. Strings characters and vivid descriptions paint a great picture of an exciting thrill ride.
October 8, 2023
not my favorite so far, mostly because it was hard to follow and really hard to read in terms of trigger warnings. didn’t get through it as easily as some of her others and honestly the main character is starting to piss me off a little lol
September 24, 2017
Evan is dealing with finanacial identity theft that puts her in the crosshairs of some very bad people.
August 25, 2018
Unprobable (sic) stuff.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 1, 2020
Kind of Die Hard with a woman protagonist, but it was still good listening.
July 16, 2020
Excellent
March 24, 2021
3.5 stars!
May 1, 2022
3,5 Sterne. Die Story hat mich nicht mitgenommen. Wenig spannende Phasen, MG kann das eindeutig besser
July 23, 2022
what the fuck? even the blurb doesn't make sense let alone the story
January 6, 2025
Gardiner is endlessly astounding, blurring death threats and arrests with extra-virgin-oil-stained ruffles and overwhelming devotion. What a thrill ride!
June 11, 2025
At first, it was difficult to keep track of all the characters , but eventually it was not an issue. Fast-paced ed thriller.
July 5, 2025
Couldn't get in to it. I didn't realize this was a series and I felt like the characters weren't introduced at all but just thrown at you expecting you should know who they are.
December 31, 2020
3.5. Audible
November 25, 2009
Evan Delaney is having a very bad week. Her boyfriend Jessie’s brother PJ is wasted again, and he seems to think he saw a woman thrown into the ocean. Jessie’s a mess too, dealing with his family and PJ’s troubles. There’s a job offer on the table at Jessie’s Law Firm, but it’s on hold since she’s being accused of check fraud by a washed up rocker’s wife; both important clients.
And she’s got to be a bride’s maid for Jessie’s cousin on Saturday…
Meg Gardiner’s third Evan Delaney novel is a non-stop roller-coaster ride into chaos and mayhem. Written with an eye toward making the reader part of the heroine’s struggle, Gardiner again succeeds at creating character’s on both sides of the line who embody both subtle and overt draw. The good guys are good, but not super heroes. They get hurt, fall when they need to run, get depressed and don’t think of everything; just like real people. The bad guys are scary, unreasonable, without compassion, and easy to despise.
One of the most noticeable things for me is that I find myself feeling the frustration that Evan is experiencing. The situations unfold in a way that brings the reader right into the midst of the story. I find this one of the most telling traits of great writing, as I become part of the story, not just an observer.
Even more, I have really come to appreciate that the heroine is a Sci-Fi writer and part time lawyer, and not a cop. Because she’s not a cop, she doesn’t think like a cop, act like a cop, fight like a cop… She acts like a lover, sister, aunt, or friend would in overwhelming, out of control situations.
The physical descriptions of Evan’s world are vivid and colorful, and transport the reader into the midst of it. The Santa Barbara setting is beautiful and presents the perfect backdrop to the story.
I highly recommend Jericho Point to anyone who enjoys a great suspense novel. I do suggest that you read the previous books in the series first, as there is a great deal of development and background that makes this book more understandable.
And she’s got to be a bride’s maid for Jessie’s cousin on Saturday…
Meg Gardiner’s third Evan Delaney novel is a non-stop roller-coaster ride into chaos and mayhem. Written with an eye toward making the reader part of the heroine’s struggle, Gardiner again succeeds at creating character’s on both sides of the line who embody both subtle and overt draw. The good guys are good, but not super heroes. They get hurt, fall when they need to run, get depressed and don’t think of everything; just like real people. The bad guys are scary, unreasonable, without compassion, and easy to despise.
One of the most noticeable things for me is that I find myself feeling the frustration that Evan is experiencing. The situations unfold in a way that brings the reader right into the midst of the story. I find this one of the most telling traits of great writing, as I become part of the story, not just an observer.
Even more, I have really come to appreciate that the heroine is a Sci-Fi writer and part time lawyer, and not a cop. Because she’s not a cop, she doesn’t think like a cop, act like a cop, fight like a cop… She acts like a lover, sister, aunt, or friend would in overwhelming, out of control situations.
The physical descriptions of Evan’s world are vivid and colorful, and transport the reader into the midst of it. The Santa Barbara setting is beautiful and presents the perfect backdrop to the story.
I highly recommend Jericho Point to anyone who enjoys a great suspense novel. I do suggest that you read the previous books in the series first, as there is a great deal of development and background that makes this book more understandable.
August 16, 2014
ahhh! it never rains but pours. - is there another idiom i can think of... - no. although... things are never so bad it cannot be worse... there's a good one to describe this book.
i know why i like to read the evan delaney series - it's super easy to read and so super fast because there are so many events and so many injustices that enrage the reader (well, me anyway) and cliffhangers that it is nigh impossible to put down.
i am wondering though, surely meg gardiner must run out of family members at some point. first book was evan's brother, then it was her boyfriend jesse and now it's herself and some other family member of her boyfriend's. that as an aside.
so, someone steals her identity and manages to get herself killed - problems ensue. big ones. at the same time there's a wedding. and boyfriend jesse's psychological state. and i don't know when evan is actually writing the books she's supposed to be writing? or go see a doctor? there's one catastrophe after the other... but good, a good read.
i read so fast that i wouldn't have noticed many flaws.
***ever so slight spoiler below***
ah. one more thing. how many crazy psychopath killers are there around to statistically justify one showing up every other week in evan's life? it's fiction, i suppose. and i loved it.
i know why i like to read the evan delaney series - it's super easy to read and so super fast because there are so many events and so many injustices that enrage the reader (well, me anyway) and cliffhangers that it is nigh impossible to put down.
i am wondering though, surely meg gardiner must run out of family members at some point. first book was evan's brother, then it was her boyfriend jesse and now it's herself and some other family member of her boyfriend's. that as an aside.
so, someone steals her identity and manages to get herself killed - problems ensue. big ones. at the same time there's a wedding. and boyfriend jesse's psychological state. and i don't know when evan is actually writing the books she's supposed to be writing? or go see a doctor? there's one catastrophe after the other... but good, a good read.
i read so fast that i wouldn't have noticed many flaws.
***ever so slight spoiler below***
ah. one more thing. how many crazy psychopath killers are there around to statistically justify one showing up every other week in evan's life? it's fiction, i suppose. and i loved it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews