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Sully Carter #3
Only the Hunted Run
A Kirkus Reviews Best Thriller of 2016
“The test of a crime series is its main character, and Sully is someone we'll want to read about again and again.” —Lisa Scottoline, The Washington Post
“Fast-moving and suspenseful with an explosively violent conclusion.” — Bruce DeSilva, Associated Press
“Tucker’s Sully Carter novels have quickly sneaked up on me as one of my favorite new series.” —Sarah Weinman, “The Crime Lady”
The riveting third novel in the Sully Carter series finds the gutsy reporter investigating a shooting at the Capitol and the violent world of the nation’s most corrupt mental institution
In the doldrums of a broiling Washington summer, a madman goes on a shooting rampage in the Capitol building. Sully Carter is at the scene and witnesses the carnage firsthand and files the first and most detailed account of the massacre. The shooter, Terry Waters, is still on the loose and becomes obsessed with Sully, luring the reporter into the streets of D.C. during the manhunt. Not much is known about Waters when he is finally caught, except that he hails from the Indian reservations of Oklahoma. His rants in the courtroom quickly earn him a stay at Saint Elizabeth’s mental hospital, and the paper sends Sully out west to find out what has led a man to such a horrific act of violence.
As Sully hits the road to see what he can dig up on Waters back in Oklahoma, he leaves his friend Alexis to watch over his nephew, Josh, who is visiting DC for the summer. Traversing central Oklahoma, Sully discovers that a shadow lurks behind the Waters family history and that the ghosts of the past have pursued the shooter for far longer than Sully could have known. When a local sheriff reveals the Waterses’ deep connection with Saint Elizabeth’s, Sully realizes he must find a way to gain access to the asylum, no matter the consequences.
“The test of a crime series is its main character, and Sully is someone we'll want to read about again and again.” —Lisa Scottoline, The Washington Post
“Fast-moving and suspenseful with an explosively violent conclusion.” — Bruce DeSilva, Associated Press
“Tucker’s Sully Carter novels have quickly sneaked up on me as one of my favorite new series.” —Sarah Weinman, “The Crime Lady”
The riveting third novel in the Sully Carter series finds the gutsy reporter investigating a shooting at the Capitol and the violent world of the nation’s most corrupt mental institution
In the doldrums of a broiling Washington summer, a madman goes on a shooting rampage in the Capitol building. Sully Carter is at the scene and witnesses the carnage firsthand and files the first and most detailed account of the massacre. The shooter, Terry Waters, is still on the loose and becomes obsessed with Sully, luring the reporter into the streets of D.C. during the manhunt. Not much is known about Waters when he is finally caught, except that he hails from the Indian reservations of Oklahoma. His rants in the courtroom quickly earn him a stay at Saint Elizabeth’s mental hospital, and the paper sends Sully out west to find out what has led a man to such a horrific act of violence.
As Sully hits the road to see what he can dig up on Waters back in Oklahoma, he leaves his friend Alexis to watch over his nephew, Josh, who is visiting DC for the summer. Traversing central Oklahoma, Sully discovers that a shadow lurks behind the Waters family history and that the ghosts of the past have pursued the shooter for far longer than Sully could have known. When a local sheriff reveals the Waterses’ deep connection with Saint Elizabeth’s, Sully realizes he must find a way to gain access to the asylum, no matter the consequences.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published August 30, 2016
3 people are currently reading
514 people want to read
About the author
Neely Tucker
13 books113 followersThe third novel in the Sully Carter series, "Only the Hunted Run," publishes on Aug. 30, from Viking. Publishers Weekly, the first to file a review, dubs it "provocative...a terrifying thriller."
Sully, one of the few reporters stuck in Washington in the August doldrums in the summer of 2000, is filling in for a colleague when shooting breaks out in the Capitol building. The killer, Terry Waters, kills a congressman from Oklahoma by stabbing him through the eyes with a pair of ice picks. He also manages to escape.
Sully, the only surviving witness, soon finds himself being tracked down by Waters. This pursuit eventually leads both men to St. Elizabeths, the gothic mental hospital in Southeast D.C, which scars everyone it touches -- if it doesn't bury them.
Based on a real-life shooting at the Capitol in 1997, "Hunted" follows "The Ways of the Dead" and "Murder, D.C." As always, the streets of the city, from the power of K Street to the deadly avenues just a few blocks away, are as central to the story as the characters.
The previous Sully novels have drawn extensive praise. The Daily Mail (U.K.) dubbed "Murder" one of 2015's Best Three Crime Novels. Kirkus: "There’s no more satisfying sight than a writer who knows exactly what he’s doing—and only gets better at what he does.” The Miami Herald, said of "Ways, "This book is worthy of Elmore Leonard’s legacy…an exciting first novel that echoes the best writing of Pete Hamill and George Pelecanos, mixed with a bit of The Wire and True Detective.”
Tucker was born in Lexington, Miss., one of the poorest places in America, in 1963. He has filed stories from more than 60 countries or territories and is currently assigned to the 2016 Presidential campaign.
His memoir, "Love in the Driest Season," was named one of the Top 25 Books of 2004 by Publishers Weekly. It has been published in the U.K., Germany, Australia and Brazil. It has twice been optioned for film development in Los Angeles.
Sully, one of the few reporters stuck in Washington in the August doldrums in the summer of 2000, is filling in for a colleague when shooting breaks out in the Capitol building. The killer, Terry Waters, kills a congressman from Oklahoma by stabbing him through the eyes with a pair of ice picks. He also manages to escape.
Sully, the only surviving witness, soon finds himself being tracked down by Waters. This pursuit eventually leads both men to St. Elizabeths, the gothic mental hospital in Southeast D.C, which scars everyone it touches -- if it doesn't bury them.
Based on a real-life shooting at the Capitol in 1997, "Hunted" follows "The Ways of the Dead" and "Murder, D.C." As always, the streets of the city, from the power of K Street to the deadly avenues just a few blocks away, are as central to the story as the characters.
The previous Sully novels have drawn extensive praise. The Daily Mail (U.K.) dubbed "Murder" one of 2015's Best Three Crime Novels. Kirkus: "There’s no more satisfying sight than a writer who knows exactly what he’s doing—and only gets better at what he does.” The Miami Herald, said of "Ways, "This book is worthy of Elmore Leonard’s legacy…an exciting first novel that echoes the best writing of Pete Hamill and George Pelecanos, mixed with a bit of The Wire and True Detective.”
Tucker was born in Lexington, Miss., one of the poorest places in America, in 1963. He has filed stories from more than 60 countries or territories and is currently assigned to the 2016 Presidential campaign.
His memoir, "Love in the Driest Season," was named one of the Top 25 Books of 2004 by Publishers Weekly. It has been published in the U.K., Germany, Australia and Brazil. It has twice been optioned for film development in Los Angeles.
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February 10, 2017
This story, set in 2002, takes place in Washington, D.C., where Sullivan “Sully” Carter, a former foreign war correspondent for "The Paper" (presumably "The Washington Post”), now works on the metro beat. His traumatic wartime experiences left him with serious PTSD and a bad drinking problem. Still, he manages to solve crimes that elude the police.
As the book begins, Sully is at the U.S. Capitol chasing a story about environmental regulations when he hears the burst of an automatic weapon and runs over to find a number of dead and wounded. It is, he muses, the new American nightmare:
“The national anxiety during the Cold War had been a Russian nuclear strike, millions of god-fearing Americans vaporized in an instant. By the turn of the century, the national anxiety had devolved into a crazy man with a gun, god-fearing Americans picked off half a dozen at a time. Slow motion suicide instead of instant annihilation.”
Instead of hiding, Sully, a self-admitted chaos junkie, looks for the shooter, eventually finding the mutilated body of a congressman from Oklahoma who was apparently the main intended victim. He also overhears the killer calling 911 and identifying himself as Terry Waters of Oklahoma.
Sully, first on the scene, gets the exclusive and continues to follow the story after the shooter, on the run, calls Sully and wants to talk. When Waters follows Sully and shoots at him and his date - fellow reporter Alexis di Rossi - Waters is taken into custody and put in St. Elizabeths, the famous mental hospital in Southeast D.C. Sully then heads out to Oklahoma to see what he can find out about this man and why he went ballistic. As Sully tells the FBI:
“That’s the problem with victims and perps . . . . ‘Line’s so thin. Stop the clock yesterday morning, he’s a sad story. By nightfall, he’s a monster. I don’t buy he made the transition in the afternoon. Grief is a patient bastard. It’ll take it’s time, twist you into something you never were.”
What Sully finds is shocking (and based on real historical facts), and leads to a crazily tense and exciting denouement.
Discussion: I love this series, for several reasons. One is that Sully is a great character - damaged, with a mix of ruthlessness and compassion, and an ability to cross back and forth over the borders in D.C. in a way most inhabitants there don’t. That there are two worlds within D.C. is not commonly known by tourists:
“It never failed to astonish him how vast the seat of power on the Hill was, a center of clout, senators and representatives who could change the lives of the entire nation, if not the world . . . and, one lousy block east, you crossed a two-lane and you were in a Washington neighborhood of row houses and corner markets and alleyways, where streetlights didn’t work, air-conditioning units hung out of most of the windows, you could buy dope in the parks, and nobody gave a rat’s ass about who you knew.”
In each book in the series so far, Tucker takes pains to expose the very interesting and stark contrast between the class and race divides in D.C. (As Atlantic Magazine reported in 2012: "The top 5 percent of households in Washington, D.C., made more than $500,000 on average last year, while the bottom 20 percent earned less than $9,500 - a ratio of 54 to 1.")
I also like that Tucker’s writing is so adept and evocative, as indeed you might expect from an actual staff writer at “The Washington Post,” as with this passage:
“The deputy clerk, seated just in front of the judge, scarcely looked up. Her monotone, born of a thousand days and a million defendants, had all the spontaneity and excitement of a washing machine clicking over to the rinse cycle.”
Evaluation: This third book in the series featuring reporter Sully Carter keeps you turning the pages. I especially like the way in which the author integrates local history and color into the plot. The dialogue is a good mix of insider jargon, cynical shorthand, and gritty realism. Fans of hard-boiled crime fiction, especially those who like D.C. settings, will welcome this latest installment.
As the book begins, Sully is at the U.S. Capitol chasing a story about environmental regulations when he hears the burst of an automatic weapon and runs over to find a number of dead and wounded. It is, he muses, the new American nightmare:
“The national anxiety during the Cold War had been a Russian nuclear strike, millions of god-fearing Americans vaporized in an instant. By the turn of the century, the national anxiety had devolved into a crazy man with a gun, god-fearing Americans picked off half a dozen at a time. Slow motion suicide instead of instant annihilation.”
Instead of hiding, Sully, a self-admitted chaos junkie, looks for the shooter, eventually finding the mutilated body of a congressman from Oklahoma who was apparently the main intended victim. He also overhears the killer calling 911 and identifying himself as Terry Waters of Oklahoma.
Sully, first on the scene, gets the exclusive and continues to follow the story after the shooter, on the run, calls Sully and wants to talk. When Waters follows Sully and shoots at him and his date - fellow reporter Alexis di Rossi - Waters is taken into custody and put in St. Elizabeths, the famous mental hospital in Southeast D.C. Sully then heads out to Oklahoma to see what he can find out about this man and why he went ballistic. As Sully tells the FBI:
“That’s the problem with victims and perps . . . . ‘Line’s so thin. Stop the clock yesterday morning, he’s a sad story. By nightfall, he’s a monster. I don’t buy he made the transition in the afternoon. Grief is a patient bastard. It’ll take it’s time, twist you into something you never were.”
What Sully finds is shocking (and based on real historical facts), and leads to a crazily tense and exciting denouement.
Discussion: I love this series, for several reasons. One is that Sully is a great character - damaged, with a mix of ruthlessness and compassion, and an ability to cross back and forth over the borders in D.C. in a way most inhabitants there don’t. That there are two worlds within D.C. is not commonly known by tourists:
“It never failed to astonish him how vast the seat of power on the Hill was, a center of clout, senators and representatives who could change the lives of the entire nation, if not the world . . . and, one lousy block east, you crossed a two-lane and you were in a Washington neighborhood of row houses and corner markets and alleyways, where streetlights didn’t work, air-conditioning units hung out of most of the windows, you could buy dope in the parks, and nobody gave a rat’s ass about who you knew.”
In each book in the series so far, Tucker takes pains to expose the very interesting and stark contrast between the class and race divides in D.C. (As Atlantic Magazine reported in 2012: "The top 5 percent of households in Washington, D.C., made more than $500,000 on average last year, while the bottom 20 percent earned less than $9,500 - a ratio of 54 to 1.")
I also like that Tucker’s writing is so adept and evocative, as indeed you might expect from an actual staff writer at “The Washington Post,” as with this passage:
“The deputy clerk, seated just in front of the judge, scarcely looked up. Her monotone, born of a thousand days and a million defendants, had all the spontaneity and excitement of a washing machine clicking over to the rinse cycle.”
Evaluation: This third book in the series featuring reporter Sully Carter keeps you turning the pages. I especially like the way in which the author integrates local history and color into the plot. The dialogue is a good mix of insider jargon, cynical shorthand, and gritty realism. Fans of hard-boiled crime fiction, especially those who like D.C. settings, will welcome this latest installment.
September 5, 2016
A special thank you to Viking Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. 5 stars +
Enthralling! Movie-Worthy. Please, please - small or big screen. Another great Harry Bosch character . . I love "edgy" Sully Carter!
In talented, Neely Tuckers’ highly anticipated follow-up to The Ways of the Dead (Sully Carter #1) 2014 and Murder, D.C. (Sully Carter #2) 2015 with:
Sully Carter’s third and most intense case ONLY THE HUNTED RUN —a brilliant blending of historical, fact and fiction-taking him from the US Capitol, to the rural areas of Oklahoma.
Age old dark secrets, abuse, corruption, and violence of St. Elizabeth’s federal psychiatric hospital—for a complex, multi-layered "gritty" page-turner psychological crime thriller (literary fiction).
Landing on my Top Books of 2016 - a flawed, driven, razor-sharp and witty investigative reporter who never lets up, in this action-packed suspense adventure.
For fans of Michael Connelly (Harry Bosch), John Hart, John Grisham, Greg Iles, Lisa Scottoline, and David Baldacci.
Bourbon lover, reporter, Sully had been assigned a bullshit story about environmental regulations governing oil drilling in the Gulf. Then in the sagging hours of this afternoon errand, there had come the burst of automatic weapons fire, the bleeding and screaming, everything going out of focus and off kilter—the modern American nightmare.
The US Capitol --Sully alone in the core of the building that symbolized America’s allegedly invincible power. And his isolation telling him with every step that something had gone terribly wrong. Shooting, screaming, dead bodies, blown open – one gunman. An attack unlike any other in the nation’s history. Sully is in the center of the investigation.
Sully stumbles on the body of Barry Edmonds, an Oklahoma representative with stainless steel ice picks driven though each eye, plus he had been shot.
What the heck? Terry Waters the gunman, is calling it in, personally-- to 911 stating he had to kill him. It had gotten messy. The man was now gone.
When later running the guy, through the system, he had been certifiable since high school at the local Native American reservation, which appears to be the Sac and Fox. He dropped out in 1982. As a junior, in and out of wards and the local jailhouse for a year of two, then apparently kept at home. Also a suspect in some animal mutilations. No one has seen him in years. Why now?
A manhunt. The gunman had killed US Rep. Barry Edmonds and eight others (turns out to be ten in the end). Sully did not let him into the Capital or did he let him get out. He had gotten within ten feet of him without a gun, pistol, or badge.
Waters later becomes obsessed with Carter, and calls him directly, to commiserate about the fact that both their mothers were murdered years earlier, after reading his story in the paper or online. (at first I was thinking similar to Bosch’s mom connection); however, goes much, much deeper, and sinister.
Waters: “You’ve got to understand this. It’s key. Only the hunted run. I, me. I’m not the hunted. I’m not running. I hunt. I am the hunter.”
The most hunted man in American thinks he’s the predator? How did he know about his mom? Now this guy has his own reporter at his disposal.
Sully’s mom was shot to death in Tulsa, Louisiana. In her hair salon. Cash was left in the register. No apparent motive, no suspects. Three shots, two to the head. A pistol, not a shotgun. His girlfriend was also killed by shrapnel to the head in Bosnia. More to be uncovered here.
Grief, shrinks, doctors, counselors. The guy was a sad story, by nightfall he’s a monster. A thin line.
“Grief is a patient bastard. It’ll take its time, twist you into something you never were.”
The guy had to get attention. He was scattered and he stuttered. What is his story, and is this guy who he claims to be? When searching the history of Waters in Oklahoma, he uncovers danger, eccentric characters, horrors, abuse, and violence. A family of mental illness. The Thing in the Dark.
The great dream of peace, corrupted by the American nightmare of murder and blood. Who can he trust?
"Millions of lives teeming on the head of a pin, the universe neither concerned nor vindictive nor compassionate. People-they were just one little self-regarding species on one planet. They died and the universe was indifferent. It didn’t mean anything. It was like drowning in the ocean. The ocean wasn’t trying to drown you. It was just being the ocean. You got out of the water, fine; you got eaten by sharks, fine; you drowned, fine. It didn’t matter as far as the ocean went. That was life on Earth. It killed you without thinking."
If we are all so insignificant, why did settling the accounts of the dead matter so much?
A possibly mentally disturbed Native American, lightly educated and living in rural squalor, and yet he’s broken into the Capital, killed his target, escaped, and now he’s calling reporters and chatting about dead moms and obscure poetry. The FBI want to know from Carter, how he explains this?
Once Waters is apprehended in yet another shoot-out, Carter travels to the Oklahoma Indian reservation where Waters claims to hail from, hoping to learn what has driven the man to kill.
What Carter finds is a shocker, leading him on another dangerous mission. The man is charged with killing ten people in the US Capitol, four of them officers, one of them a woman. Meanwhile, Waters is being held at St. Elizabeths, a real-life mental hospital in southeast D.C., with which he’s obsessed.
Sully is on deadline, and his trip to Oklahoma really drives the story, when he learns Waters has been dead for nearly eight years, or so some say. . So who is the guy in St. Elizabeths? That means someone is locked up in DC who has assumed his identify—what do they have in common? This complicates their story.
"People did not walk off the face of the Earth. They left traces, fingerprints, property, financial transactions. What had Faulkner called it? A scratch mark on the face of oblivion?"
What is the link to the killing?
From friends, neighbors, father’s, mother’s, grandparents, the boy is being held in the heavily secured grounds of one of the most notorious mental hospitals in the US. Furthermore, in the most secured building on the godforsaken campus, on the lockdown ward of the hall for the criminally insane. How are they going to get to this guy (the ice-picker) to get their answers?
Ghosts and lunatics, the long halls of madness. Sully was the perfect witness. Who better to tell the tale?
Lobotomies. Walter Jackson Freeman. An insane asylum. Before Thorazine. Schizophrenics. Violence. Mental illness in America. Brains destroyed. Suicide. St. Elizabeths. Children caught up in the history.
One of Washington’s toughest, sexy, edgy and gutsy reporters – (and witty), Sully Carter, a seasoned foreign correspondent, gets in and out of jams while covering local D.C. – the fictional brainchild of one of D.C.’s most versatile reporters, Neely Tucker (man, can he write, and have never laughed so hard at his best one-liners).
Impressive! An excellent writer- At the Washington Post, Tucker has worked a lot of beats, writing everything from presidential profiles to poignant glimpses into lives touched by crime. He also writes fiction that is very much of this region and of this cultural moment, exploring themes of race, mental health care, crime and history through his Sully Carter series.
Wow, ONLY THE HUNTED RUN -is mind-blowing! His best yet. From twists and turns you do not see coming, and the personal and professional life of Sully, keeps readers glued to the pages.
Not for the faint of heart, Tucker explores the darkest evil places. History and legal buffs will enjoy the factual events inspired by the 1998 Russell Weston story, and the history of St E’s. Loved the relationship with Sully, Alexis, and nephew Josh on a personal level.
In addition to the hardcover supplied by the publisher (bookmarked so many pages)—"Thank you so much"- read in one sitting; I also purchased the audiobook, narrated by Scott Sowers (sexy, bold, powerful), a perfect match for Neely’s Sully. (he is outstanding-always enjoy performances with Hart and Grisham, and other top author's audios).
Cannot wait to continue the journey with Sully Carter! Will Sully be able to let go of the voices, murder, violence, and horror? Highly recommend the author and this extraordinary "must read"series!
JDCMustReadBooks
Having read the other books in the Sully Carter series (highly recommend), I realized I had not read Neely Tucker’s Love in the Driest Season (read by the author)- his award-winning memoir. Immediately, purchased the audiobook, currently listening. Am mesmerized by his inspirational story!
Enthralling! Movie-Worthy. Please, please - small or big screen. Another great Harry Bosch character . . I love "edgy" Sully Carter!
In talented, Neely Tuckers’ highly anticipated follow-up to The Ways of the Dead (Sully Carter #1) 2014 and Murder, D.C. (Sully Carter #2) 2015 with:
Sully Carter’s third and most intense case ONLY THE HUNTED RUN —a brilliant blending of historical, fact and fiction-taking him from the US Capitol, to the rural areas of Oklahoma.
Age old dark secrets, abuse, corruption, and violence of St. Elizabeth’s federal psychiatric hospital—for a complex, multi-layered "gritty" page-turner psychological crime thriller (literary fiction).
Landing on my Top Books of 2016 - a flawed, driven, razor-sharp and witty investigative reporter who never lets up, in this action-packed suspense adventure.
For fans of Michael Connelly (Harry Bosch), John Hart, John Grisham, Greg Iles, Lisa Scottoline, and David Baldacci.
Bourbon lover, reporter, Sully had been assigned a bullshit story about environmental regulations governing oil drilling in the Gulf. Then in the sagging hours of this afternoon errand, there had come the burst of automatic weapons fire, the bleeding and screaming, everything going out of focus and off kilter—the modern American nightmare.
The US Capitol --Sully alone in the core of the building that symbolized America’s allegedly invincible power. And his isolation telling him with every step that something had gone terribly wrong. Shooting, screaming, dead bodies, blown open – one gunman. An attack unlike any other in the nation’s history. Sully is in the center of the investigation.
Sully stumbles on the body of Barry Edmonds, an Oklahoma representative with stainless steel ice picks driven though each eye, plus he had been shot.
What the heck? Terry Waters the gunman, is calling it in, personally-- to 911 stating he had to kill him. It had gotten messy. The man was now gone.
"And indeed there will be time
For the yellow smoke that slides along the street,
Rubbing in back upon the window-panes;
There will be time, there will be time
To prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet;
There will be time to murder and create . . .
--TS. Eliot, "The Love Song of J. Alfred Purfrock"
When later running the guy, through the system, he had been certifiable since high school at the local Native American reservation, which appears to be the Sac and Fox. He dropped out in 1982. As a junior, in and out of wards and the local jailhouse for a year of two, then apparently kept at home. Also a suspect in some animal mutilations. No one has seen him in years. Why now?
A manhunt. The gunman had killed US Rep. Barry Edmonds and eight others (turns out to be ten in the end). Sully did not let him into the Capital or did he let him get out. He had gotten within ten feet of him without a gun, pistol, or badge.
Waters later becomes obsessed with Carter, and calls him directly, to commiserate about the fact that both their mothers were murdered years earlier, after reading his story in the paper or online. (at first I was thinking similar to Bosch’s mom connection); however, goes much, much deeper, and sinister.
Waters: “You’ve got to understand this. It’s key. Only the hunted run. I, me. I’m not the hunted. I’m not running. I hunt. I am the hunter.”
The most hunted man in American thinks he’s the predator? How did he know about his mom? Now this guy has his own reporter at his disposal.
Sully’s mom was shot to death in Tulsa, Louisiana. In her hair salon. Cash was left in the register. No apparent motive, no suspects. Three shots, two to the head. A pistol, not a shotgun. His girlfriend was also killed by shrapnel to the head in Bosnia. More to be uncovered here.
Grief, shrinks, doctors, counselors. The guy was a sad story, by nightfall he’s a monster. A thin line.
“Grief is a patient bastard. It’ll take its time, twist you into something you never were.”
The guy had to get attention. He was scattered and he stuttered. What is his story, and is this guy who he claims to be? When searching the history of Waters in Oklahoma, he uncovers danger, eccentric characters, horrors, abuse, and violence. A family of mental illness. The Thing in the Dark.
The great dream of peace, corrupted by the American nightmare of murder and blood. Who can he trust?
"Millions of lives teeming on the head of a pin, the universe neither concerned nor vindictive nor compassionate. People-they were just one little self-regarding species on one planet. They died and the universe was indifferent. It didn’t mean anything. It was like drowning in the ocean. The ocean wasn’t trying to drown you. It was just being the ocean. You got out of the water, fine; you got eaten by sharks, fine; you drowned, fine. It didn’t matter as far as the ocean went. That was life on Earth. It killed you without thinking."
If we are all so insignificant, why did settling the accounts of the dead matter so much?
A possibly mentally disturbed Native American, lightly educated and living in rural squalor, and yet he’s broken into the Capital, killed his target, escaped, and now he’s calling reporters and chatting about dead moms and obscure poetry. The FBI want to know from Carter, how he explains this?
Once Waters is apprehended in yet another shoot-out, Carter travels to the Oklahoma Indian reservation where Waters claims to hail from, hoping to learn what has driven the man to kill.
What Carter finds is a shocker, leading him on another dangerous mission. The man is charged with killing ten people in the US Capitol, four of them officers, one of them a woman. Meanwhile, Waters is being held at St. Elizabeths, a real-life mental hospital in southeast D.C., with which he’s obsessed.
Sully is on deadline, and his trip to Oklahoma really drives the story, when he learns Waters has been dead for nearly eight years, or so some say. . So who is the guy in St. Elizabeths? That means someone is locked up in DC who has assumed his identify—what do they have in common? This complicates their story.
"People did not walk off the face of the Earth. They left traces, fingerprints, property, financial transactions. What had Faulkner called it? A scratch mark on the face of oblivion?"
What is the link to the killing?
From friends, neighbors, father’s, mother’s, grandparents, the boy is being held in the heavily secured grounds of one of the most notorious mental hospitals in the US. Furthermore, in the most secured building on the godforsaken campus, on the lockdown ward of the hall for the criminally insane. How are they going to get to this guy (the ice-picker) to get their answers?
Ghosts and lunatics, the long halls of madness. Sully was the perfect witness. Who better to tell the tale?
Lobotomies. Walter Jackson Freeman. An insane asylum. Before Thorazine. Schizophrenics. Violence. Mental illness in America. Brains destroyed. Suicide. St. Elizabeths. Children caught up in the history.
One of Washington’s toughest, sexy, edgy and gutsy reporters – (and witty), Sully Carter, a seasoned foreign correspondent, gets in and out of jams while covering local D.C. – the fictional brainchild of one of D.C.’s most versatile reporters, Neely Tucker (man, can he write, and have never laughed so hard at his best one-liners).
Impressive! An excellent writer- At the Washington Post, Tucker has worked a lot of beats, writing everything from presidential profiles to poignant glimpses into lives touched by crime. He also writes fiction that is very much of this region and of this cultural moment, exploring themes of race, mental health care, crime and history through his Sully Carter series.
Wow, ONLY THE HUNTED RUN -is mind-blowing! His best yet. From twists and turns you do not see coming, and the personal and professional life of Sully, keeps readers glued to the pages.
Not for the faint of heart, Tucker explores the darkest evil places. History and legal buffs will enjoy the factual events inspired by the 1998 Russell Weston story, and the history of St E’s. Loved the relationship with Sully, Alexis, and nephew Josh on a personal level.
In addition to the hardcover supplied by the publisher (bookmarked so many pages)—"Thank you so much"- read in one sitting; I also purchased the audiobook, narrated by Scott Sowers (sexy, bold, powerful), a perfect match for Neely’s Sully. (he is outstanding-always enjoy performances with Hart and Grisham, and other top author's audios).
Cannot wait to continue the journey with Sully Carter! Will Sully be able to let go of the voices, murder, violence, and horror? Highly recommend the author and this extraordinary "must read"series!
JDCMustReadBooks
Having read the other books in the Sully Carter series (highly recommend), I realized I had not read Neely Tucker’s Love in the Driest Season (read by the author)- his award-winning memoir. Immediately, purchased the audiobook, currently listening. Am mesmerized by his inspirational story!
July 26, 2016
It's a quiet summer Sunday and Sully Carter finds himself in the middle of a shooting rampage in the U.S. Capitol basement in 2000. Rather than run away, as the other folks do when given half a chance, Sully decides to get closer and cover the story. He is, after all, always a reporter. And with that wild opening, the third installment of the Sully Carter stories begins and the story really never lets up. It moves from one tense moment to the next, unraveling a story fraught with years of pain, hubris and malevolence as only a story tied up with Washington DC can be. Neely Tucker writes from years of experience tempered with research and a hefty dose of imagination. It's a powerful mix and makes a memorable tale come alive. This is a great book. I received my copy from Penguin's First to Read Program (lucky me.)
July 11, 2022
The third in the series that features Sully, a crime reporter for a major DC newspaper, whose backstory is that of a war reporter, damaged by his time in Bosnia. This was much better than the 2d in the series, Murder, D.C., and here Sully is in the Capitol building when a shooter is there, killing aides and bystanders. Though one major aspect of the story was left unanswered - or I missed it - this was an intriguing story set, in part, in real life St. Elizabeths, a mental hospital in DC, that once housed wealthy and white mentally ill patients, and now is rundown, a place once used by an infamous doctor to carry out lobotomies.
September 6, 2016
Only the Hunted Run is the newest book in Neely Tucker's Sully Carter series.
I've read the first two books and really enjoyed them, so I happily picked up this newly released third entry.
Sully is a newspaper reporter in Washington, DC. I'm going to borrow from one of my previous descriptions of Sully:
"The best protagonists for crime books are the walking wounded, the ones who buck authority, the ones who just can't let things be or let justice go unserved. Sully Carter fills the bill on every count. He's battling PTSD, alcohol and anger issues, his bosses and manages to step on toes everywhere he goes. He's also a confidant of the one of DC's crime lords. Flawed but driven."
Sully is in the Capitol building on an assignment when a shooter goes on a rampage. Sully, instead of running, moves further into the building, chasing the story. He gets close, manages to hide, and is a first hand witness to the carnage. The shooter himself makes the 911 call, but manages to walk out without being apprehended. After reading Sully's story, he calls him, insisting they have similarities in their lives. And that they should talk.....
I always love keeping an eye out for the title cue as I read. In this case, it comes from Terry Waters, the shooter:
"Sully, okay. You've got to understand this. It's key. Only the hunted run. I, me, I'm not the hunted. I'm not running. I hunt. I am the hunter."
But Sully too is hunting - hunting for who Terry Waters is and the whys and wherefores of his killing spree.
The journey for those answers makes for addictive reading. It was only when I finished the book that I discovered that Neely had (again) woven in fact with fiction. It was hard to believe that these horrific historical details were sickeningly real.
What makes this such a great series? Well, I love the main character, flaws and all. Sully is making progress on the anger, drinking and PTSD, but it's two steps forward, one step back. Tucker has given Sully an expanded personal life with Alexis that I hope lasts - I quite like her. There seems to be an exit for one supporting character that I will be sad to see leave. But I am looking forward to seeing what his replacement will bring to the series.
The writing is fantastic - great pacing, dialogue, setting and plotting. And no wonder - Tucker himself is a writer at The Washington Post. He's also been a war correspondent in over sixty countries. Tucker brings that experience and knowledge to his writing. And to Sully as well - I do wonder how much of Tucker himself is woven into the character?
Only the Hunted Run was another great read for me. I look forward to number four.
I've read the first two books and really enjoyed them, so I happily picked up this newly released third entry.
Sully is a newspaper reporter in Washington, DC. I'm going to borrow from one of my previous descriptions of Sully:
"The best protagonists for crime books are the walking wounded, the ones who buck authority, the ones who just can't let things be or let justice go unserved. Sully Carter fills the bill on every count. He's battling PTSD, alcohol and anger issues, his bosses and manages to step on toes everywhere he goes. He's also a confidant of the one of DC's crime lords. Flawed but driven."
Sully is in the Capitol building on an assignment when a shooter goes on a rampage. Sully, instead of running, moves further into the building, chasing the story. He gets close, manages to hide, and is a first hand witness to the carnage. The shooter himself makes the 911 call, but manages to walk out without being apprehended. After reading Sully's story, he calls him, insisting they have similarities in their lives. And that they should talk.....
I always love keeping an eye out for the title cue as I read. In this case, it comes from Terry Waters, the shooter:
"Sully, okay. You've got to understand this. It's key. Only the hunted run. I, me, I'm not the hunted. I'm not running. I hunt. I am the hunter."
But Sully too is hunting - hunting for who Terry Waters is and the whys and wherefores of his killing spree.
The journey for those answers makes for addictive reading. It was only when I finished the book that I discovered that Neely had (again) woven in fact with fiction. It was hard to believe that these horrific historical details were sickeningly real.
What makes this such a great series? Well, I love the main character, flaws and all. Sully is making progress on the anger, drinking and PTSD, but it's two steps forward, one step back. Tucker has given Sully an expanded personal life with Alexis that I hope lasts - I quite like her. There seems to be an exit for one supporting character that I will be sad to see leave. But I am looking forward to seeing what his replacement will bring to the series.
The writing is fantastic - great pacing, dialogue, setting and plotting. And no wonder - Tucker himself is a writer at The Washington Post. He's also been a war correspondent in over sixty countries. Tucker brings that experience and knowledge to his writing. And to Sully as well - I do wonder how much of Tucker himself is woven into the character?
Only the Hunted Run was another great read for me. I look forward to number four.
March 13, 2017
Another engrossing story following intrepid reporter, Sully Carter. This time around Sully unwittingly finds himself in the center of the action when an armed gunman opens fire at the Capitol building, killing several, including his intended target. Poor man should start getting hazard pay, or at least get a raise. As Sully tries to track the mind of a killer, meanwhile playing host to his 15 year old nephew, he stumbles into the types of twists and turns that are a hallmark of this series. I could have done without the nephew, Josh, since his existence seemed to come out of nowhere (though, to be fair, a sister was mentioned in the last book), but he really didn't play a big part. Criminal underlord, Sly Hastings, is once again in play but there were some interesting developments on that front. But even better, Alexis is back and considering taking on a position at the newspaper as a photo editor. That's Sully's hope anyway and it was nice to see him have some normal moments with her considering everything else that happens in this book. As I said before, the man should demand hazard pay. I don't know if there will be any more Sully books (though I certainly hope so!) but the ending of this one could possibly serve as a series end, if needed. I could easily see this being adapted as a movie or, better yet, a tv show, complete with colorful characters, twisty plots, and steady pacing.
Read
April 8, 2017It's a quiet summer Sunday and Sully Carter, our journalist-protagonist, finds himself in the middle of a shooting rampage in the U.S. Capitol basement in 2000. Rather than run away, as the other folks do when given half a chance, Sully decides to get closer and cover the story. He is, after all, always a reporter. With that wild opening, the third in the series of Sully Carter stories begins and the tale never lets up. It moves from one tense moment to the next, unraveling a story fraught with years of pain, hubris and malevolence as only one tied up with Washington DC can be. Neely Tucker writes from years of experience tempered with research and a hefty dose of imagination. It's a powerful mix and makes a memorable tale come alive. This is a great book. - Suzanne R.
August 26, 2016
"Only The Hunted Run" the third installment in the Sully Carter mystery crime series which I won through Goodreads Giveaways opens with a shooting at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., the brutal murder of a Senator and the psychotic killer's obsession with a tragedy in Sully's past.
In an exciting and mesmerizing thriller the mystery widens when Sully finds no background information on the murderer Terry Waters who's finally been caught and after ranting insanely in court sent for an evaluation to St. Elizabeth's mental hospital. With dogged determination he sets out for Oklahoma to dig into the past of the Native American uncovering clues that link Terry Waters to inhumanity and corruption at St. Elizabeth's.
Fast-paced and action-packed the plot heats up when Sully begins to uncover clues to Terry's identity, damaged past and a connection to the mental hospital. Skilfully Neely Tucker builds intensity and suspense as Sully uncovers the truth beginning with Elaine Thornton, a native woman with inside information on Terry Waters and his father revealing a connection to the Harpers, a family that suffered traumatic loss. With every piece to the puzzle Sully opens a window to Terry's past as the plot twists and turns until ending in a violent confrontation. Yet even as the danger and heightens, and Terry Water's insanity and obsession with the reporter intensifies the horrifying reality of Sully's investigation is tempered by his witty banter and interaction with Josh, Alexis and his colleagues at work.
Sully Carter is the reckless, dogged and tough investigative reporter with an attitude who's determined to uncover the truth. Scarred while on assignment overseas and haunted by tragic loss in his past he gravitates towards Alexis the smart and self-confident foreign correspondent who's been hired as an editor. Alexis and his nephew the introverted and uncommunicative fifteen year old Josh give him a sense of grounding in an investigation that's dangerous and has him ducking bullets and fleeing a bomb. Neely Tucker's characters are complex and colourful infusing the story with high-energy and drama.
Based on a factual case, the author has woven a heart-pounding, thrilling story that keeps you on the edge of your seat until the end. Although the language is graphic at times I liked "Only The Hunted Run" and won't hesitate to read other novels in the Sully Carter series.
In an exciting and mesmerizing thriller the mystery widens when Sully finds no background information on the murderer Terry Waters who's finally been caught and after ranting insanely in court sent for an evaluation to St. Elizabeth's mental hospital. With dogged determination he sets out for Oklahoma to dig into the past of the Native American uncovering clues that link Terry Waters to inhumanity and corruption at St. Elizabeth's.
Fast-paced and action-packed the plot heats up when Sully begins to uncover clues to Terry's identity, damaged past and a connection to the mental hospital. Skilfully Neely Tucker builds intensity and suspense as Sully uncovers the truth beginning with Elaine Thornton, a native woman with inside information on Terry Waters and his father revealing a connection to the Harpers, a family that suffered traumatic loss. With every piece to the puzzle Sully opens a window to Terry's past as the plot twists and turns until ending in a violent confrontation. Yet even as the danger and heightens, and Terry Water's insanity and obsession with the reporter intensifies the horrifying reality of Sully's investigation is tempered by his witty banter and interaction with Josh, Alexis and his colleagues at work.
Sully Carter is the reckless, dogged and tough investigative reporter with an attitude who's determined to uncover the truth. Scarred while on assignment overseas and haunted by tragic loss in his past he gravitates towards Alexis the smart and self-confident foreign correspondent who's been hired as an editor. Alexis and his nephew the introverted and uncommunicative fifteen year old Josh give him a sense of grounding in an investigation that's dangerous and has him ducking bullets and fleeing a bomb. Neely Tucker's characters are complex and colourful infusing the story with high-energy and drama.
Based on a factual case, the author has woven a heart-pounding, thrilling story that keeps you on the edge of your seat until the end. Although the language is graphic at times I liked "Only The Hunted Run" and won't hesitate to read other novels in the Sully Carter series.
July 29, 2016
Before starting to read this book, I had never even heard of Neely Tucker or his series about the journalist Sully Carter, and I therefore had my doubts about getting into a series in book three. Well, no problems there. There are numerous references to his past life but none that ruins this third book.
Sully Carter is a no-nonsense reporter that keeps his head cool despite getting shot at, lied to and threatened with all kinds of things. He drinks a little too much, but he digs into his work with a ferocious determination that gives the story a drive and sets a breathtaking pace at times.
Neely Tucker doesn't make it too easy for his protagonist, which is a huge plus in my book, and Tucker's humor and style makes the book a pleasant and interesting read. When Tucker adds several major twists and turns, you have yourself a real page-turner that only loses its pace a couple of times.
I will definitely check out the first two books in the series and recommend this book to all fans of mysteries with humor and twists as add-ons.
[An ARC of this book was generously provided by the publisher through the First to Read program]
Sully Carter is a no-nonsense reporter that keeps his head cool despite getting shot at, lied to and threatened with all kinds of things. He drinks a little too much, but he digs into his work with a ferocious determination that gives the story a drive and sets a breathtaking pace at times.
Neely Tucker doesn't make it too easy for his protagonist, which is a huge plus in my book, and Tucker's humor and style makes the book a pleasant and interesting read. When Tucker adds several major twists and turns, you have yourself a real page-turner that only loses its pace a couple of times.
I will definitely check out the first two books in the series and recommend this book to all fans of mysteries with humor and twists as add-ons.
[An ARC of this book was generously provided by the publisher through the First to Read program]
August 16, 2016
In Neely Tucker's Only the Hunted Run, the third installment in the Sully Carter mystery series, he had interwoven a fascinating mystery with a hint of some historical facts. It all started at the mass shooting at the Capital, when Sully himself encountered a crazy psychopathic who killed the senator who was on the run. Now Sully had an exclusive story as a reporter in Washington D.C., when he had dug up this mass shooter named "Terry Waters" from Oklahoma. In a blink of an eye, they faced each other and had some kind of bond, since they both lost their mothers who were murdered. For Sully, he left his nephew Josh with his friend Alexis, while he took off to Oklahoma to dig up dirt on Waters himself. There, he discovered his true identity and his family life before he left it all behind. When he had uncovered almost everything, he went back to St. Elizabeth's a most notable hospital for the criminal insane to see for himself. But after he had blown his cover, his nemesis had a trick up his own sleeves to make ends meets in an explosive ending.
September 23, 2016
This book is my first introduction to this series. What a way to start a book. With a mass shooting. Sully won me over right away. Not sure if it was due to his stupidity or his dedication to his job...maybe it was a little of both. I mean you would have to be both if not a somewhat crazy to survive a shooting and then go chasing after the shooter to get the first exclusive scoop on the story with real first hand experience. From this moment on I was hooked to this story and Sully as he was not afraid to get his hands dirty to find the truth.
Additionally, what made this book a winner for me as well is the fact that the other character whether they be main, secondary, or minor roles all played a part and were intriguing. Sometimes this can be missed or downplayed in a book and thus I become only half interested in the story. The only place I will be running is to check out the prior novels in this series.
Additionally, what made this book a winner for me as well is the fact that the other character whether they be main, secondary, or minor roles all played a part and were intriguing. Sometimes this can be missed or downplayed in a book and thus I become only half interested in the story. The only place I will be running is to check out the prior novels in this series.
January 17, 2017
Great writing, suspenseful plot, alcoholic, hard bitten, PTSD driven reporter solving murders the overworked DC police can't, with racial, economic and class themes abounding. What's not to love. I'm addicted to Sully Carter
December 17, 2016
It's always great to read a book set in DC that seems to feature people who actually live here. Neely Tucker is a great writer, both in these Sully Carter books and for the WaPo. This book takes place in the summer of 2000. In an incident loosely based on an actual even in 1998, a gunman shoots up the Capitol. Sully Carter is inside and begins investigating. The gunman eventually gets caught and ends up in St Elizabeths, the notorious DC mental hospital. Sully's efforts to find out more take him to rural Oklahoma, where it turns out the gunman isn't who he says he is. Now Sully has to figure out the gunman's true identity and what his motive is for the shootings. It turns out that he has a family history with St E's and the history of the hospital and it's equally notorious lobotomy doctor are revealed. In the end, there is a very violent confrontation at the hospital, leading to explosions, fire, and more violent deaths.
Having lived on Oklahoma before I moved to DC, this book was right up my alley. It started a little slow, but soon became hard to put down. My only problem with it is the over-the-top ending. The rest of the book could easily be true and the gist of the parts about the hospital and the lobotomy doctor are true. He could have had a more realistic ending that would still have plenty of drama. Still it was a compelling and entertaining read.
Having lived on Oklahoma before I moved to DC, this book was right up my alley. It started a little slow, but soon became hard to put down. My only problem with it is the over-the-top ending. The rest of the book could easily be true and the gist of the parts about the hospital and the lobotomy doctor are true. He could have had a more realistic ending that would still have plenty of drama. Still it was a compelling and entertaining read.
October 31, 2019
Sully Carter is a throwback. He's a newspaper reporter at a time when newspapers are disappearing.
He's still recovering from the phsyical and mental wounds suffered in his last foreign assignment.
And as junior man on the office totem pole, that means he is filling in for longer tenured reporters as Washington, DC, descends into the hot, humid dog days of August.
So he finds himself pursuing a follow-up story for a vacationing Capitol reporter when a gunman shoots his way into the building. Carter, trained as a war correspondent, follows the sound of the gun to get the storty instead ofg flwwing the building.
He sees the gunman before the man escapes. He hears the man's name. But as he pursues the follow-up story and police search for the killer, Carter discovers everything may not be as it first appears.
This is a fast-paced good read, featuring one of the best reporter characters to come along in some time. This is by far the best in the series and augers well for the future -- both for Carter and his readers.
He's still recovering from the phsyical and mental wounds suffered in his last foreign assignment.
And as junior man on the office totem pole, that means he is filling in for longer tenured reporters as Washington, DC, descends into the hot, humid dog days of August.
So he finds himself pursuing a follow-up story for a vacationing Capitol reporter when a gunman shoots his way into the building. Carter, trained as a war correspondent, follows the sound of the gun to get the storty instead ofg flwwing the building.
He sees the gunman before the man escapes. He hears the man's name. But as he pursues the follow-up story and police search for the killer, Carter discovers everything may not be as it first appears.
This is a fast-paced good read, featuring one of the best reporter characters to come along in some time. This is by far the best in the series and augers well for the future -- both for Carter and his readers.
April 9, 2020
3.5 Stars: Action-packed! Starts out with a bang and doesn't let up until the devastating, explosive climax.
Intrepid investigative newspaper reporter Sullivan "Sully" Carter is in the Capital Building in D.C. when a mass murder occurs.
He tries to help some folks, including a senator from Oklahoma and then follows the shooter. He even gets a glimpse of the obviously troubled man.
The killer gets away and the unprecedented manhunt is on.
When the man calls Sully to talk to him about what they have in common, Carter find that the FBI also wants to have a conversation with him.
The paper goes into overdrive on a story that will send Sully across the country, to the heart of mental illness and into the bowels of an evil psychiatric institution.
Engrossing and fast-paced.
Intrepid investigative newspaper reporter Sullivan "Sully" Carter is in the Capital Building in D.C. when a mass murder occurs.
He tries to help some folks, including a senator from Oklahoma and then follows the shooter. He even gets a glimpse of the obviously troubled man.
The killer gets away and the unprecedented manhunt is on.
When the man calls Sully to talk to him about what they have in common, Carter find that the FBI also wants to have a conversation with him.
The paper goes into overdrive on a story that will send Sully across the country, to the heart of mental illness and into the bowels of an evil psychiatric institution.
Engrossing and fast-paced.
September 23, 2023
It wasn’t the title that caught my eye, but the author’s name. I remember reading Neely Tucker’s work years ago, when he was a reporter for the Detroit Free Press. He had a great style and definitely a way with words.
While this isn’t the first book in the Sully Carter series, Tucker does a good job of clearly identifying the main characters and the relationships. His use of dialogue, including the regional shifts, works well.
An excellent read. Now I’ll be watching for some of his other stories.
While this isn’t the first book in the Sully Carter series, Tucker does a good job of clearly identifying the main characters and the relationships. His use of dialogue, including the regional shifts, works well.
An excellent read. Now I’ll be watching for some of his other stories.
March 5, 2019
A story of madness and it's social implications
Sully the character continues to develop. The novel, definitely a thriller with well managed excitement and suspense is also an examination of how society deals with mental illness. Not offering a solution but questioning past attempts.
I need to leave the details to be discovered by the reader. It is a good read and thought provoking.
Sully the character continues to develop. The novel, definitely a thriller with well managed excitement and suspense is also an examination of how society deals with mental illness. Not offering a solution but questioning past attempts.
I need to leave the details to be discovered by the reader. It is a good read and thought provoking.
December 8, 2022
Gripping investigative work that will take you from DC to Oklahoma, to jail's and hospitals and everything in between! Large and small this is the strength of Tucker who can write about a big large issue and conclude with tiny historical details that wow. If his previous work was only good, he made it up in this one! Couldn't put it down and I'm sad that there isn't any next one. This writer deserves more readers. A gem in prose and journalistic account that is a dying industry. More Sully, Alexis, and Josh, please! What a fiery conclusion and now I've a hangover!
January 7, 2017
There's nothing like a good book for a cold, snowy day on the Eastern Shore! I have not read either of the other books in this series. This one starts with a shooter in the Capitol Building. Sully Carter, a smart but seriously flawed reporter witnesses some of the carnage and starts to investigate.
Highly recommended!
Highly recommended!
January 16, 2018
THIS IS A VERY COMPELLING STORY. SULLY DEFINITELY HAS HIS HANDS FULL TRYING TO UNRAVEL A MYSTERY AND WRITING THE STORY AS A REPORTER. YOU DEFINITELY FIND OUT THERE IS MORE TO THE STORY THAN WHAT YOU THOUGHT
April 4, 2025
I had a hard time reading the first book in this series and had to put it down after a couple of chapters. I'm glad to say Tucker's writing has improved dramatically. This is a thrilling story that held my attention right from the start. Worth reading.
December 11, 2018
Some excellent passages. Very good read.
July 14, 2021
Only took me five years to get to the review copy, but the opening scene of a shooter in the Capital is a helluva lot harder hitting after Jan 6. A really good DC noir
January 8, 2022
Roman Noir. bon suspens
May 23, 2022
I really enjoyed this book. Really unbelievable how much the mental people stuffed years ago. Still do. Great read.
July 20, 2022
A good one, worth reeading.
March 13, 2025
I enjoyed the twists in the plot.
December 22, 2017
Lots of twists and turns that kept me guessing. True Neely Tucker suspense. Can’t wait for the next in the series.
December 27, 2017
4.5
I think at first I was not as invested in this one as I was The Ways of the Dead, but it definitely got me and I was invested and there were so many things I didn't see coming and I enjoyed the ride. I did not read the 2nd book, which I feel I should because there were some things with Sly that I felt I was missing. And Alexis also. The writing, of course, was excellent and vivid. Will continue to read by this author.
I think at first I was not as invested in this one as I was The Ways of the Dead, but it definitely got me and I was invested and there were so many things I didn't see coming and I enjoyed the ride. I did not read the 2nd book, which I feel I should because there were some things with Sly that I felt I was missing. And Alexis also. The writing, of course, was excellent and vivid. Will continue to read by this author.
February 28, 2018
I LOVE thrillers! Only the Hunted Run certainly didn't disappoint.
Neely Tucker wastes no time getting started, dropping the reader right in the middle of a shooting at the U.S. Capitol.
Sully Carter happens to be in the building when the shooting starts. Being a newspaper reporter, instead of evacuating, he pursues the shooter and the story. We follow Sully throughout the book as he digs deeper into the story, trying to determine who the shooter was and their motivation for the crime. The novel is fast paced, and took a few turns I wasn't expecting along the way. It started out so quickly, I was hooked from page one. I liked that Sully is a reporter, giving him a different perspective and motivation for his inquiries than you see in a typical detective mystery. Without saying too much the shooter is soon captured and his apparently crazy rantings in courts send him to a mental hospital for evaluation while he is awaiting trial. Meanwhile Carter heads to Oklahoma, where the shooter hails from, and starts peeling layers off the onion and it soon turns out that things are a lot different from what they first appeared to be and this continues as Carter returns to Washington.
While the story line is fascinating and appealing, I didn't quite get as hooked as I had hoped to be. Sully Carter is an interesting character, a flawed persona with good instincts for reporting and investigating. Although right now I'm not sure, I may return to the earlier volumes in this series to learn more about Sully.
Only the Hunted Run by Neely Tucker is an outstanding story which hardcore thriller lovers will enjoy. Satisfying for a first read, but I'm not going back
All in all:
♥♥♥♥♥♥ and "B-"This book is good, and I liked it okay. There are several noticeable flaws.
Neely Tucker wastes no time getting started, dropping the reader right in the middle of a shooting at the U.S. Capitol.
Sully Carter happens to be in the building when the shooting starts. Being a newspaper reporter, instead of evacuating, he pursues the shooter and the story. We follow Sully throughout the book as he digs deeper into the story, trying to determine who the shooter was and their motivation for the crime. The novel is fast paced, and took a few turns I wasn't expecting along the way. It started out so quickly, I was hooked from page one. I liked that Sully is a reporter, giving him a different perspective and motivation for his inquiries than you see in a typical detective mystery. Without saying too much the shooter is soon captured and his apparently crazy rantings in courts send him to a mental hospital for evaluation while he is awaiting trial. Meanwhile Carter heads to Oklahoma, where the shooter hails from, and starts peeling layers off the onion and it soon turns out that things are a lot different from what they first appeared to be and this continues as Carter returns to Washington.
While the story line is fascinating and appealing, I didn't quite get as hooked as I had hoped to be. Sully Carter is an interesting character, a flawed persona with good instincts for reporting and investigating. Although right now I'm not sure, I may return to the earlier volumes in this series to learn more about Sully.
Only the Hunted Run by Neely Tucker is an outstanding story which hardcore thriller lovers will enjoy. Satisfying for a first read, but I'm not going back
All in all:
♥♥♥♥♥♥ and "B-"This book is good, and I liked it okay. There are several noticeable flaws.
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