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The Warlord of Willow Ridge #2
The Haul: A Heist Novel
A professional thief takes the chance of a lifetime when he agrees to mastermind the raid of a tech billionaire’s secret bunker in this action-packed heist thriller set in the heart of contemporary Los Angeles, from master of West Coast noir Gary Phillips. Perfect for fans of Sara Paretsky and Michael Connelly.
After years of close calls, O’Conner—the former “Warlord of Willow Ridge”—spends most of his time in semi-retirement, running his legitimate businesses and playing pickleball. Except for his longtime girlfriend, no one in his middle-class neighborhood is the wiser to his double life.
But O’Conner’s past refuses to stay dead. When he’s approached with a job he can’t resist, he agrees to mastermind his biggest heist yet: a multi-million-dollar raid of a tech billionaire’s secret bunker, hidden beneath his newly constructed basketball arena. As the job goes down, testing O’Conner’s mettle with new challenges, the promise of the score attracts ghosts from his past he thought were long buried.
Interwoven with flashbacks to O’Conner’s coming-of-age as an orphan in Los Angeles, this pulse-pounding story is both an homage to Donald Westlake’s Parker series and a rich portrait of a morally gray thief at a crossroads.
After years of close calls, O’Conner—the former “Warlord of Willow Ridge”—spends most of his time in semi-retirement, running his legitimate businesses and playing pickleball. Except for his longtime girlfriend, no one in his middle-class neighborhood is the wiser to his double life.
But O’Conner’s past refuses to stay dead. When he’s approached with a job he can’t resist, he agrees to mastermind his biggest heist yet: a multi-million-dollar raid of a tech billionaire’s secret bunker, hidden beneath his newly constructed basketball arena. As the job goes down, testing O’Conner’s mettle with new challenges, the promise of the score attracts ghosts from his past he thought were long buried.
Interwoven with flashbacks to O’Conner’s coming-of-age as an orphan in Los Angeles, this pulse-pounding story is both an homage to Donald Westlake’s Parker series and a rich portrait of a morally gray thief at a crossroads.
304 pages, Hardcover
Published July 14, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 31, 2026
Interesting but there were random details that did not pertain or enhance the story at all, like what the protagonist considered ordering at a diner before ordering something different. The more random details, the more I was taken out of the story.
August 10, 2026
O'Conner saw his opportunity and was quick to take it, as the money he was grabbing was ill-gotten and its previous owner lay bullet-ridden in the nearby streets. He had been asked to search for a key on the body of the late Anthony “Long Box” Tolles. But when he saw the duffel bag crammed with bills of various denominations, he seized as many dollars as he could hold and booked it before the police’s delayed arrival.
Tolles had pulled off a brazen robbery and triggered his own demise at the hands of the rival criminal he robbed. In addition to some seed money, his death provided O'Conner with an early life lesson in crime: how not to get caught.
Decades removed from his first heist, O’Conner is, by all appearances, a respectable business owner. In reality, he is a sophisticated thief who has pulled off more than a few capers since his teenage years, yet his intelligence and keen insight have kept him out of jail and still breathing. An associate has referred a potential client/co-conspirator to O’Conner, a young woman named Mavis Joyner, who wants to get revenge on tech titan Palmer Van Noy for stealing her technology. A prominent billionaire, Van Noy has built doomsday bunkers in and around Los Angeles. In addition to rooms and supplies, a large cache of money is secreted in a vault in one of the bunkers. By agreeing to take the job, O’Conner will need to assemble a worthy crew to help fleece one of the world’s richest men.
Generally, O’Conner doesn’t operate on the fly when planning a job. There is a need for research and reconnaissance so everything goes off without a hitch. However, his latest crime involves wrinkles with unavailable personnel and timeline issues for which he will need to adapt quickly to continue plotting his daring theft. As the countdown to zero hour approaches, equipment and nerve must be in abundance to pull off a lucrative crime. The break-in is merely the beginning of a complex operation that won’t be considered successful until O’Conner and every crew member is out of the bunker and miles away from law enforcement scrutiny.
THE HAUL is a first-rate crime story about an exceptional thief who knows how to survive as well as he knows how to beat a high-line security system. O’Conner is an antihero with style, an honest crook who retains a loyalty to those closest to him. While the thrilling drama unfolds as the arrangements for the break-in progress, there are revealing flashbacks to O'Conner’s youth and how his formative years were shaped by friendships with those in both the legitimate and illegitimate worlds.
Gary Phillips has written a sharp and intelligent crime drama with well-developed characters, as well as a rich and satisfying plot. There are some excellent surprises on the way to a thrilling denouement in this action-packed novel.
Reviewed by Philip Zozzaro
Tolles had pulled off a brazen robbery and triggered his own demise at the hands of the rival criminal he robbed. In addition to some seed money, his death provided O'Conner with an early life lesson in crime: how not to get caught.
Decades removed from his first heist, O’Conner is, by all appearances, a respectable business owner. In reality, he is a sophisticated thief who has pulled off more than a few capers since his teenage years, yet his intelligence and keen insight have kept him out of jail and still breathing. An associate has referred a potential client/co-conspirator to O’Conner, a young woman named Mavis Joyner, who wants to get revenge on tech titan Palmer Van Noy for stealing her technology. A prominent billionaire, Van Noy has built doomsday bunkers in and around Los Angeles. In addition to rooms and supplies, a large cache of money is secreted in a vault in one of the bunkers. By agreeing to take the job, O’Conner will need to assemble a worthy crew to help fleece one of the world’s richest men.
Generally, O’Conner doesn’t operate on the fly when planning a job. There is a need for research and reconnaissance so everything goes off without a hitch. However, his latest crime involves wrinkles with unavailable personnel and timeline issues for which he will need to adapt quickly to continue plotting his daring theft. As the countdown to zero hour approaches, equipment and nerve must be in abundance to pull off a lucrative crime. The break-in is merely the beginning of a complex operation that won’t be considered successful until O’Conner and every crew member is out of the bunker and miles away from law enforcement scrutiny.
THE HAUL is a first-rate crime story about an exceptional thief who knows how to survive as well as he knows how to beat a high-line security system. O’Conner is an antihero with style, an honest crook who retains a loyalty to those closest to him. While the thrilling drama unfolds as the arrangements for the break-in progress, there are revealing flashbacks to O'Conner’s youth and how his formative years were shaped by friendships with those in both the legitimate and illegitimate worlds.
Gary Phillips has written a sharp and intelligent crime drama with well-developed characters, as well as a rich and satisfying plot. There are some excellent surprises on the way to a thrilling denouement in this action-packed novel.
Reviewed by Philip Zozzaro
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Gary Phillips’ The Haul brings back professional thief O’Conner, who, in the great traditions of the heist novel, is tempted out of semi-retirement for one last job.
After years of close calls, O’Conner spends most of his time running his legitimate businesses and playing pickleball. Except for his longtime girlfriend, no one in his middle-class neighbourhood is the wiser to his double life. However, in typical genre fashion, O’Conner’s past refuses to stay dead. When he is approached by a former disgruntled employee of a tech billionaire with a proposal to heist millions of dollars, he cannot resist.
The billionaire has secreted away the cash, in case society crashes, in a secret bunker hidden beneath his newly constructed basketball arena. With the help of the billionaire’s former insider, O’Conner puts together a solid team of professionals to undertake the operation and sets about the planning. The promise of a big score, however, attracts unwanted attention and dangerous ghosts from O’Conner’s past that he thought were long buried. Of course, as is always the case, complications and violence soon ensue.
The Haul is an attention grabbing robbery novel that is given more substance with flashbacks to O’Conner’s coming-of-age as a young black orphan in the backstreets of Los Angeles. The story flows at a very good pace, with the planning of the robbery quickly sketched in and the actual theft itself unfolding with good tension. The main focus of the book is on the individuals caught up in the robbery, and Phillips neatly crafts a good array of characters, all with their quirks and treacherous ways. After several flashes of violence and a twist, or two, the story builds to the obligatory exciting, and violent, conclusion.
Phillips says that O’Conner is inspired by Richard Stark’s Parker, and there is a strong 1960s and 70s paperback feel to the story, but it has been brought up to date with the latest technology and an understandable sense of rage against the wealth of tech billionaires. There are also subtle racial themes woven into the story.
Overall, The Haul is highly entertaining. The story is greatly enhanced by some interesting side vignettes, and Phillip’s ability to do quick character studies, as well as a solid dose of violence. Fans of old and new heist stories will love this one. It also has a pretty cool cover.
4.5 rounded up
see full review and more at: https://murdermayhemandlongdogs.com/o...
After years of close calls, O’Conner spends most of his time running his legitimate businesses and playing pickleball. Except for his longtime girlfriend, no one in his middle-class neighbourhood is the wiser to his double life. However, in typical genre fashion, O’Conner’s past refuses to stay dead. When he is approached by a former disgruntled employee of a tech billionaire with a proposal to heist millions of dollars, he cannot resist.
The billionaire has secreted away the cash, in case society crashes, in a secret bunker hidden beneath his newly constructed basketball arena. With the help of the billionaire’s former insider, O’Conner puts together a solid team of professionals to undertake the operation and sets about the planning. The promise of a big score, however, attracts unwanted attention and dangerous ghosts from O’Conner’s past that he thought were long buried. Of course, as is always the case, complications and violence soon ensue.
The Haul is an attention grabbing robbery novel that is given more substance with flashbacks to O’Conner’s coming-of-age as a young black orphan in the backstreets of Los Angeles. The story flows at a very good pace, with the planning of the robbery quickly sketched in and the actual theft itself unfolding with good tension. The main focus of the book is on the individuals caught up in the robbery, and Phillips neatly crafts a good array of characters, all with their quirks and treacherous ways. After several flashes of violence and a twist, or two, the story builds to the obligatory exciting, and violent, conclusion.
Phillips says that O’Conner is inspired by Richard Stark’s Parker, and there is a strong 1960s and 70s paperback feel to the story, but it has been brought up to date with the latest technology and an understandable sense of rage against the wealth of tech billionaires. There are also subtle racial themes woven into the story.
Overall, The Haul is highly entertaining. The story is greatly enhanced by some interesting side vignettes, and Phillip’s ability to do quick character studies, as well as a solid dose of violence. Fans of old and new heist stories will love this one. It also has a pretty cool cover.
4.5 rounded up
see full review and more at: https://murdermayhemandlongdogs.com/o...
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
Been circling around Gary Phillips for a few years now, finally got a chance to dive into one of his novels and now I’m hooked. About to go on an extended Gary Phillips extended run. This one is a fast paced crime novel centered around a life-long thief, who has somewhat settled into a post crime modus vivendi. He is pulled back into his criminal ways to pull off an improbable heist, cracking a safe in a bunker below a grand opening of a basketball arena. So, while you can imagine this would be close to impossible in the real world, in the crime fiction world Gary Phillips makes it seem and feel not only possible but plausible and the action keeps the reader plugged in. Mr. Phillips does a good job of fully fleshing out the main protagonist, OC. O’Connor is a thief with a moral compass pointing towards righteousness. But he always operates with an understanding of the rules of the criminal underground. So can a thieving criminal be ethical? Well, yes, in a well written crime novel with magnetic action and intrigue anything is possible. Great thanks to Edelweiss and SoHo Crime for an advanced DRC, book drops July 7, 2026.
September 9, 2026
DNF. Just found myself not caring. It jumps between time periods. It jumps between people. But it is written as though it is paying homage to a familiar protagonist (and it is a sequel). But that first book was published 14 years ago and isn't available at any of the 4 libraries I use. So that leaves The Haul as a standalone novel. And it just doesn't stand on its own.
It has details and side bits that bored me. Maybe they become pertinent later in the novel? But you have to do something to draw me in at the beginning, since this really doesn't function well as a sequel. And everything is so earnest, yet there isn't any tension being built. It feels like the beginning of the plot a Donald E. Westlake novel, but without any of the fun.
I made it 20% in and realized I couldn't really care less about the story or the characters.
It has details and side bits that bored me. Maybe they become pertinent later in the novel? But you have to do something to draw me in at the beginning, since this really doesn't function well as a sequel. And everything is so earnest, yet there isn't any tension being built. It feels like the beginning of the plot a Donald E. Westlake novel, but without any of the fun.
I made it 20% in and realized I couldn't really care less about the story or the characters.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
The Haul delivers exactly what I want from a heist novel: a clever setup, a cast of memorable characters, and enough twists to keep me guessing. Gary Phillips wastes no time pulling readers into the action, and the story moves at a brisk pace without sacrificing character development. I found myself constantly wondering who was really in control and how everything was going to come together.
What I enjoyed most was the way the characters drove the story. Everyone has their own motivations, secrets, and agendas, which makes the tension feel real from beginning to end. The dialogue is sharp, the stakes stay high, and the payoff is well worth the ride. If you enjoy crime fiction with strong personalities and plenty of surprises, this one is a lot of fun.
What I enjoyed most was the way the characters drove the story. Everyone has their own motivations, secrets, and agendas, which makes the tension feel real from beginning to end. The dialogue is sharp, the stakes stay high, and the payoff is well worth the ride. If you enjoy crime fiction with strong personalities and plenty of surprises, this one is a lot of fun.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
What's better than a great heist? One inspired by the great Richard Stark.
Review of advance copy received from Goodreads Giveaways
It was a fun book to read. Sort of like a modern Ocean's Eleven style heist.
July 26, 2026
Excellent story. I devoured the book in three days. O'Conner is my kind of anti-hero — he might as well be wearing a cape! Looking forward to the next installment.
Did Not Finish
August 19, 2026D N F
too much timeline playing and too many characters
getting 'named' . Not nice.
too much timeline playing and too many characters
getting 'named' . Not nice.
September 14, 2026
Action packed, OC has a great back story but can't get out of the game. Isn't he getting too old for this?
July 14, 2026
Absolutely dug this novel. Gary Phillips brings his legendary hardboiled sensibilities to the heist genre and the result is one hell of a fun ride. I really enjoyed the structure, the themes, and the insights into Black Los Angeles. What I loved most, though, were the characters. Every one of them is fleshed out, real, and their motivations, right or wrong, clear. O’Conner is an excellent character and one I look forward to seeing in more of Phillips’ work. Highly recommend The Haul.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews