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Blood Father
From the highly praised author of Hot Plastic, a gripping, suspenseful novel about a young woman being chased by her violent past, and the flawed father forced to come to the rescue.
It's been three years since Lydia Carson ran away from her privileged home in West Los Angeles. Just 17 years old, she's gotten involved with an older man who supplements his income with shady, mysterious activities. One afternoon Lydia finds herself guarding the back door of a house in Topanga Canyon during a shakedown. As murderous violence erupts, Lydia herself becomes a target. She escapes down a creek and through the hillsides to the shore--alone, destitute, and frightened. Her last option is John Link, her blood father, who has just come off a long prison sentence for violent crimes of his own.
Link jumps at the chance to rescue his daughter, but after several days he realizes that her situation is far more dangerous and complicated than he thought. Link is forced to return to his former wild lifestyle in order to protect his daughter, revisiting dangerous former allies and hideouts. In the process, a father and daughter begin to find each other--and the danger that might consume them.
It's been three years since Lydia Carson ran away from her privileged home in West Los Angeles. Just 17 years old, she's gotten involved with an older man who supplements his income with shady, mysterious activities. One afternoon Lydia finds herself guarding the back door of a house in Topanga Canyon during a shakedown. As murderous violence erupts, Lydia herself becomes a target. She escapes down a creek and through the hillsides to the shore--alone, destitute, and frightened. Her last option is John Link, her blood father, who has just come off a long prison sentence for violent crimes of his own.
Link jumps at the chance to rescue his daughter, but after several days he realizes that her situation is far more dangerous and complicated than he thought. Link is forced to return to his former wild lifestyle in order to protect his daughter, revisiting dangerous former allies and hideouts. In the process, a father and daughter begin to find each other--and the danger that might consume them.
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
15 people are currently reading
452 people want to read
About the author
Peter Craig
30 books22 followersPeter Craig is an American novelist and screenwriter.
Craig grew up in Southern California and Oregon. He is the son of actress Sally Field and Steve Craig. He has two daughters from his first marriage, to poet and food writer Amy Scattergood. He was remarried in 2008 to Jennifer DeFrancisco, with whom he has a son.
Craig's first novel, The Martini Shot, published in 1998, chronicles has-been action film star Charlie West's troubled relationship with his two children. His second novel, Hot Plastic, published in 2004, portrays the complex relationship between credit card con artist Jerry Swift and his genius son, both of whom are attracted to the same woman. His most recent novel, Blood Father, published in 2005, tells of aging biker John Link and his teenage daughter, caught up in a drug bust gone wrong.
As a screenwriter, Craig has written the Warner Bros. picture The Town with Ben Affleck and Aaron Stockard. He adapted the screenplays for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 with Danny Strong.
Craig grew up in Southern California and Oregon. He is the son of actress Sally Field and Steve Craig. He has two daughters from his first marriage, to poet and food writer Amy Scattergood. He was remarried in 2008 to Jennifer DeFrancisco, with whom he has a son.
Craig's first novel, The Martini Shot, published in 1998, chronicles has-been action film star Charlie West's troubled relationship with his two children. His second novel, Hot Plastic, published in 2004, portrays the complex relationship between credit card con artist Jerry Swift and his genius son, both of whom are attracted to the same woman. His most recent novel, Blood Father, published in 2005, tells of aging biker John Link and his teenage daughter, caught up in a drug bust gone wrong.
As a screenwriter, Craig has written the Warner Bros. picture The Town with Ben Affleck and Aaron Stockard. He adapted the screenplays for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 with Danny Strong.
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October 16, 2022
Set on the streets of LA among the violent gangs who mete out their own unforgiving brand of vengeance, this is a story of survival, regret, fear and hatred. Blood Father plunges fully into the twisted psyche of a twisted part of today's society, visiting with the seemingly hopeless plight of the drug addicted kids caught up in the LA street gangs. Peter Craig has given us an absorbing story featuring an estranged father / daughter relationship that has been brought back together in a grim fight for survival.
I found Blood Father to be a particularly moving story that is a modern day tragedy about a former Hells Angel who is just putting his life back together after a long stretch in prison and his daughter, a wild child rebel whose addiction to drugs and danger have thrown her into trouble way above her head.
This character-based story is dominated by Link and Lydia Jane, the father and daughter who have to learn and accept each other as they also try to evade an array of pursuers.
Link was a member of the Hells Angels, a biker who lived life on the absolute edge, often through a haze of drugs and alcohol. There can be no doubt, he was a loser on a one way ride to self-destruction and his imprisonment for manslaughter was not only inevitable but also partly his salvation. The other part came before he went to jail when his girlfriend gave birth to a baby girl. She was born very premature and it seemed unlikely that she would survive her first week. She did and Link named her Lydia Jane. Although Link loved her, he and her mother moved apart and he fell into trouble and a long prison stretch.
Through a series of marriages, Lydia's mother turned herself into a high society woman, part of the rich set leaving her days as a biker's woman well and truly behind her. Lydia however was a rebellious girl who was occasionally abused by her stepfathers and she turned to drugs at a young age. Gradually, she moved in with a smooth talking dealer, unaware just how dangerous he was until she made one mistake too many and had to run.
When Lydia joins Link they head for open country with the initial fear that the police were after them and then later, the cold realisation hits that someone with a grudge against Lydia was also on their trail. But this seems so much more than a simple grudge, her pursuers leaving behind a frightening trail of devastation leading Link to wonder what she had left behind her and how he was going to protect her.
Blood Father is a grim story oozing with hopelessness with both father and daughter in desperate need of support with one either picking up the pieces of his life and the other strung out on drugs. They are a couple who are simultaneously fighting their own demons, learning to love and respect each other while distracted by the terrible danger that seems to be a mere step behind them.
Although the second half of the book steams ahead with the frantic thrill of the chase, the pace is a lot more leisurely at the start with a great deal of groundwork put in place regarding the character backgrounds. I appreciated the background detail, finding it gave a greater feeling of depth and understanding for Link and Lydia, not to mention stark insight into the type of people who would be coming after them later.
Peter Craig has done an outstanding job of creating an extreme situation with a strong leaning towards tremendous violence and has made it seem entirely plausible. He has written a powerful story, filled it with flawed heroes and then has made us care about them. It gets into the dirty cracks of society, prising out the greedy, the needy and the vicious who thrive on the blooming drug culture. The focus for us is whether two people will be able to escape from that life unscathed.
Well-written and provocative, this is an excellent modern noir thriller with relevant themes that are portrayed all too realistically. Because happy endings are never assured in real life, nothing can be taken for granted her either other than the certainty that this book will move you.
I found Blood Father to be a particularly moving story that is a modern day tragedy about a former Hells Angel who is just putting his life back together after a long stretch in prison and his daughter, a wild child rebel whose addiction to drugs and danger have thrown her into trouble way above her head.
This character-based story is dominated by Link and Lydia Jane, the father and daughter who have to learn and accept each other as they also try to evade an array of pursuers.
Link was a member of the Hells Angels, a biker who lived life on the absolute edge, often through a haze of drugs and alcohol. There can be no doubt, he was a loser on a one way ride to self-destruction and his imprisonment for manslaughter was not only inevitable but also partly his salvation. The other part came before he went to jail when his girlfriend gave birth to a baby girl. She was born very premature and it seemed unlikely that she would survive her first week. She did and Link named her Lydia Jane. Although Link loved her, he and her mother moved apart and he fell into trouble and a long prison stretch.
Through a series of marriages, Lydia's mother turned herself into a high society woman, part of the rich set leaving her days as a biker's woman well and truly behind her. Lydia however was a rebellious girl who was occasionally abused by her stepfathers and she turned to drugs at a young age. Gradually, she moved in with a smooth talking dealer, unaware just how dangerous he was until she made one mistake too many and had to run.
When Lydia joins Link they head for open country with the initial fear that the police were after them and then later, the cold realisation hits that someone with a grudge against Lydia was also on their trail. But this seems so much more than a simple grudge, her pursuers leaving behind a frightening trail of devastation leading Link to wonder what she had left behind her and how he was going to protect her.
Blood Father is a grim story oozing with hopelessness with both father and daughter in desperate need of support with one either picking up the pieces of his life and the other strung out on drugs. They are a couple who are simultaneously fighting their own demons, learning to love and respect each other while distracted by the terrible danger that seems to be a mere step behind them.
Although the second half of the book steams ahead with the frantic thrill of the chase, the pace is a lot more leisurely at the start with a great deal of groundwork put in place regarding the character backgrounds. I appreciated the background detail, finding it gave a greater feeling of depth and understanding for Link and Lydia, not to mention stark insight into the type of people who would be coming after them later.
Peter Craig has done an outstanding job of creating an extreme situation with a strong leaning towards tremendous violence and has made it seem entirely plausible. He has written a powerful story, filled it with flawed heroes and then has made us care about them. It gets into the dirty cracks of society, prising out the greedy, the needy and the vicious who thrive on the blooming drug culture. The focus for us is whether two people will be able to escape from that life unscathed.
Well-written and provocative, this is an excellent modern noir thriller with relevant themes that are portrayed all too realistically. Because happy endings are never assured in real life, nothing can be taken for granted her either other than the certainty that this book will move you.
December 4, 2017
Antes de ver la película me propuse leer la novela. Ahora ya he hecho las dos cosas, y aunque parezca raro, me quedo con la película, donde creo que se refleja mejor el lirismo de la relación entre un padre exconvicto, (ex miembro de “Los ángeles del infierno”), que intenta mantenerse sobrio y ganarse la vida haciendo tatuajes, y su hija, a la que hace tiempo que no ve, y que acude a él en busca de ayuda cuando se ve perseguida por los miembros de la banda de su novio, tras haber cometido un asesinato.
Aunque la historia está bien contada por Peter Craig, especialmente todo lo relacionado con la dificil relación entre padre e hija, cómo intentan conectar de nuevo tras estar tanto tiempo separados, al mismo tiempo que intentan huir de la banda, tengo que confesar que me emocioné más con la película de Jean-François Richet, donde disfruté de una magnífica interpretación por parte de Mel Gibson. Estas cosas pasan a veces.
Aunque la historia está bien contada por Peter Craig, especialmente todo lo relacionado con la dificil relación entre padre e hija, cómo intentan conectar de nuevo tras estar tanto tiempo separados, al mismo tiempo que intentan huir de la banda, tengo que confesar que me emocioné más con la película de Jean-François Richet, donde disfruté de una magnífica interpretación por parte de Mel Gibson. Estas cosas pasan a veces.
March 3, 2018
Why didn't I review this before? I recently bought the blu ray adaptation and as I rewatched it my thoughts drifted back to how freaking awesome this story really is! I am a huge fan of Mad Mel and when I seen this movie was coming out I called my library and had them put a search out for this one. I have since I was a kid thought Mel Gibson was the modern day John Wayne, someone I always looked up to, and yes even with his transgressions laid out for the world to see I still admire the man! As you all know he directed the masterpiece "The Passion of the Christ" and showed the world the suffering JESUS endured for rotton human beings such as myself. Plus I have a soft spot for alcoholic believers as I was one for 15 years before I experienced GOD'S supernatural deliverance! So I went into this story knowing who would be portraying John Link in the movie adaptation. As great as the film is this book is so much better. We see the complexity of relationships and it goes so deep into the flawed and beautiful relationship between John and his daughter Lydia. John is an ex hells angel, an ex con, and a recovering alcoholic who makes a living as a tatoo artist operating out of his mobile home. His daughter has been missing for awhile and we read all about her exploits of falling in with the wrong crowd and dating a psycho from a drug cartel. Well long story short, when things go horribly wrong for her she calls up old dad. One thing leads to another and Daddy has to save the day, breaking probation in the process and having to call upon his old contacts from his past. John's resolve to stay off the booze in the face of the world raining crap down on him and his kid is so inspiring. A father's unshakable, love and devotion for his daughter in the face of so much danger after he failed as a good dad before he finally gave up the booze is beyond amazing! Give this one a try, 5 enthusiastic stars! Then go watch the movie!
March 1, 2017
Oh my God, why did it take over half this novel to get out of the backstory and into the actual story? This felt like two separate ideas for a novel that Peter Craig decided to splice together even though the on-the-run plot is sooo much more interesting than how the daughter got caught up with the cartel.
Watch the movie, basically.
Watch the movie, basically.
March 6, 2017
I loved this book, it had me completely sucked in. I loved the character relationships, I loved the developments and I was absolutely hooked in the entire time. This was a great story I highly recommend. Seldom do I come across books that keep me engaged through the entire book.
July 12, 2017
So, there's this reformed bad guy named Link. After many years in a motorcycle gang and a stint in prison, he has settled down near the Salton Sea. He has a small tattoo parlor - nothing fancy, but he gets by. I was roped into Link right from the start.
Sadly, it goes to crap.
Enter Link's complete fuckup of a daughter, Lydia. He hasn't seen her since she was 6 years old, or possibly 11. At the ripe age of 18 (or maybe 17?), she's already a runaway, a cokehead, a thief, drug runner, and a grifter extraordinaire. The only thing she draws the line at is murder, so I guess we're supposed to root for her?
Anyway, Lydia has screwed up to the point that some drug lords have a price on her head. She can't go to anyone else because she has run out of friends to mooch off of. Seriously, she's such a deadbeat but somehow manages to drift from rich friend to other rich friend for years. It's not that they wouldn't help her, but she is such a smartass and ingrate that they have to wash their hands of her. She contacts Link, who'd do anything for her. His honest little business is blown up - literally - and they go on the run.
Had this book just been about Link, I'd have enjoyed it. I liked the motorcycle gang and the setting in the miserable but oddly enticing area near Indio and Salvation Mountain.
But a useless scrap of DNA - Lydia -ruins it. She's had every privilege, but chooses to be a t*rd. I get it, Link loves her no matter what because he's her father, blah blah, we've heard that before and it's been done much more effectively by other writers.
February 17, 2018
Good story chock full of generally repellent characters - the angry, alcoholic, murdering, racist ex-Hell's Angel truly is the "good guy" of this story, so...obvious choice for a Mel Gibson comeback movie, right? And in fact, I really liked the movie. Gibson does a great job with the character of John Link, although the movie's short - only 88 minutes - and so leaves out a lot of detail from the book, which is both good and bad: good that it leaves out a lot of Lydia's overlong backstory, but bad in that it then races through the "present" story way too quickly. But yeah - real good book if you're a fan of SoCal noir genre.
So...Mel. Apparently, this is the kind of role he'll be playing now, as he hits the comeback trail with starring roles in less-than-blockbuster films like "Blood Father" and "Get the Gringo," or cameos in bigger action films like "The Expendables 3" and "Machete Kills" - bad/crazy villain or bad/crazy good guy. But when you think about it, if you put aside things like "Signs" and "What Women Want," that's pretty much who he's already been for some time now - "Mad Max," "Lethal Weapon," "Payback," even "Braveheart" and "The Patriot." I'm afraid that what we're not going to be seeing again anytime soon is the "cute/fun" or "sexy/inspiring" Mel of his early days - things like "Bird on a Wire," "Gallipoli," "The Bounty," "Air America," "The Year of Living Dangerously"...yeah, I'm afraid that Mel may be gone for good...
So...Mel. Apparently, this is the kind of role he'll be playing now, as he hits the comeback trail with starring roles in less-than-blockbuster films like "Blood Father" and "Get the Gringo," or cameos in bigger action films like "The Expendables 3" and "Machete Kills" - bad/crazy villain or bad/crazy good guy. But when you think about it, if you put aside things like "Signs" and "What Women Want," that's pretty much who he's already been for some time now - "Mad Max," "Lethal Weapon," "Payback," even "Braveheart" and "The Patriot." I'm afraid that what we're not going to be seeing again anytime soon is the "cute/fun" or "sexy/inspiring" Mel of his early days - things like "Bird on a Wire," "Gallipoli," "The Bounty," "Air America," "The Year of Living Dangerously"...yeah, I'm afraid that Mel may be gone for good...
November 25, 2024
A seventeen year old runaway named Lydia gets into a deadly situation during a "robbery" gone bad and reaches out to her estranged ex-biker gang father, Link, to help her escape her pursuers. On the surface this novel had everything I typically look for in a crime thriller, but on the inside it was far from an exciting read. I went into this expecting an action-thriller and instead got served 300 pages of bratty teenager with some action sprinkled here and there.
On the plus side, Link was a very likable character. I enjoyed most of the novel that revolved around him. His backstory was compelling and he was a diehard fighter with many flaws, but a solid heart. As the novel unfolded the action sequences involving Lydia's "mistake", Link's escape from Preacher, and the final crescendo were all very tense, page-turning action that was well written. The ending was a bit unexpected but I suppose the writing was on the wall throughout much of the novel. The dialogue was also well written, and there were a few lines that I found myself going back to reread for how well they were stated.
Outside of that, whew. The novel had a lot of potential, but was ultimately an unsatisfying read. The plot was weighed down by the boring history of an unlikable character that never did anything to impress anyone. I did not like Lydia at all. She was a spoiled brat, a terrible person, and had virtually no redeeming qualities. Literally she existed to ruin the lives of those around her. All of her backstory just further cemented this and I could not sympathize with her on any level. Funny enough... neither could her dad based upon their interaction in the hotel room after Preacher's. I did not care for any of the background stuff about her or her loser of a mom. The novel's pacing was all over the place, and even though it's only about 300 pages it was kind of a slog to finish. By the end of the novel I just kind of hoped she'd finally meet her maker to atone for her sins, but we see how that unfolded. And... what happened to Jonah; we just have to assume, I guess?
This is one of those rare situations where the movie was FAR better than the novel. The movie summarized Lydia's entire backstory in like 2 paragraphs' worth of dialogue and kept the action flowing in the right direction. Also, unsurprisingly, the movie made Lydia far more likeable than the novel did.
So, not much else to say. This novel is an absolute skip. Despite my overall dislike of Lydia I liked Link and his portion of the novel enough to keep the rating at 3/5. If it wasn't for Link this would have been a 2/5 or a DNF... yes, Lydia was that insufferable. Believe me when I recommend to just watch the movie instead, and then thank me later for saving you a bunch of time.
On the plus side, Link was a very likable character. I enjoyed most of the novel that revolved around him. His backstory was compelling and he was a diehard fighter with many flaws, but a solid heart. As the novel unfolded the action sequences involving Lydia's "mistake", Link's escape from Preacher, and the final crescendo were all very tense, page-turning action that was well written. The ending was a bit unexpected but I suppose the writing was on the wall throughout much of the novel. The dialogue was also well written, and there were a few lines that I found myself going back to reread for how well they were stated.
Outside of that, whew. The novel had a lot of potential, but was ultimately an unsatisfying read. The plot was weighed down by the boring history of an unlikable character that never did anything to impress anyone. I did not like Lydia at all. She was a spoiled brat, a terrible person, and had virtually no redeeming qualities. Literally she existed to ruin the lives of those around her. All of her backstory just further cemented this and I could not sympathize with her on any level. Funny enough... neither could her dad based upon their interaction in the hotel room after Preacher's. I did not care for any of the background stuff about her or her loser of a mom. The novel's pacing was all over the place, and even though it's only about 300 pages it was kind of a slog to finish. By the end of the novel I just kind of hoped she'd finally meet her maker to atone for her sins, but we see how that unfolded. And... what happened to Jonah; we just have to assume, I guess?
This is one of those rare situations where the movie was FAR better than the novel. The movie summarized Lydia's entire backstory in like 2 paragraphs' worth of dialogue and kept the action flowing in the right direction. Also, unsurprisingly, the movie made Lydia far more likeable than the novel did.
So, not much else to say. This novel is an absolute skip. Despite my overall dislike of Lydia I liked Link and his portion of the novel enough to keep the rating at 3/5. If it wasn't for Link this would have been a 2/5 or a DNF... yes, Lydia was that insufferable. Believe me when I recommend to just watch the movie instead, and then thank me later for saving you a bunch of time.
August 31, 2021
This book was part of a mystery box I bought three months ago. Would I have picked it off a library shelf? No. Did I enjoy it? "Enjoy" is not really a word appropriate to this tale of a teenage girl who gets mixed up with some extremely unsavoury characters (whose language I didn't always understand!) but who is saved by her ex-con, bikie father-with-a-big-heart. However, it became a compelling read and I could easily see how it could be turned into a film. Its author, after all, is also a screenwriter with credits on some huge blockbusters such as The Hunger Games.
I am slightly flummoxed when it comes to a rating. I initially gave it two stars but then thought that it was unfair. There is nothing wrong with the way the book is written. It does not purport to be a work of literary genius so it meets its own goals and criteria. Eventually, I increased the rating to three stars but then thought that it was unfair to other books I have rated as three stars so decreased it back down to two stars again. I leave it to other readers to judge for themselves.
I am slightly flummoxed when it comes to a rating. I initially gave it two stars but then thought that it was unfair. There is nothing wrong with the way the book is written. It does not purport to be a work of literary genius so it meets its own goals and criteria. Eventually, I increased the rating to three stars but then thought that it was unfair to other books I have rated as three stars so decreased it back down to two stars again. I leave it to other readers to judge for themselves.
August 22, 2020
أب مُدان سابق يحاول البقاء بعيد عن المتاعب وكسب لقمة العيش من الوشم ، وابنته التي لم يرها منذ فترة طويلة ، والتي تأتي إليه للمساعدة عندما تضطهد من قبل أفراد عصابة صديقها ، بعد ارتكاب جريمة قتل
يروي بيتر كريج القصة جيدًا ، خاصةً كل ما يتعلق بالعلاقة الصعبة بين الأب وابنته ، وكيف يحاولان الاتصال مرة أخرى بعد الانفصال لفترة طويلة
تبدأ القراءة وتعتقد أن الأمر كله يتعلق بالفتاة في سن المراهقة التي تواجه مشكلة - في النهاية ترى أن العنوان مناسب - فالامر يتعلق أكثر بوالدها الذي يركب الدراجة النارية ، الذي يضحى في النهاية بحياته لإنقاذ ابنته.
يروي بيتر كريج القصة جيدًا ، خاصةً كل ما يتعلق بالعلاقة الصعبة بين الأب وابنته ، وكيف يحاولان الاتصال مرة أخرى بعد الانفصال لفترة طويلة
تبدأ القراءة وتعتقد أن الأمر كله يتعلق بالفتاة في سن المراهقة التي تواجه مشكلة - في النهاية ترى أن العنوان مناسب - فالامر يتعلق أكثر بوالدها الذي يركب الدراجة النارية ، الذي يضحى في النهاية بحياته لإنقاذ ابنته.
December 21, 2021
This was my first Peter Craig and it will absolutely not be my last. The blurb was not all that enticing but my brother read it and didn't hate it so what the heck. From the first pages to the last, the story and its telling grabbed me and would not let go. The characters are as flawed as you are going to find and yet, many are more sympathetic than most and interesting.
It was one of the most unusual stories I've read in a long time and one of the best.
It was one of the most unusual stories I've read in a long time and one of the best.
August 27, 2019
That was a very interesting read. More blood and violence than I am used to. Peter Craig knows how to tell a story and although I felt sad for Link, he really stepped up. So, a story about redemption? Probably, but then as with Ursula, maybe not. Well done. This one will take a few days to process.
August 14, 2025
Thought it'd be right up my alley based on the summary but overall was rather ehhhhh. Flipped back and forth between present and past. Typically spent too much time in past tense to the point where you're just holding on to see how it impacts the present & then you're disappointed once you finally get there. Rude.
November 10, 2025
Great story, well-written and sure to keep your attention. The book has a bit of everything...family relationships, lies, murder, gangs, etc. and is sure to have you asking, "What could happen next?"
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March 16, 2021Powerful father/daughter redemption story
May 22, 2021
This book was nothing like I expected. The writer weaves an interesting story of a man and his less than positive daughter. This was a different type of book for me. I enjoyed reading the book.
July 11, 2021
Great Novel.
Saw the movie and then read the book. Movie was great, but the movie was really great. I enjoyed it from the beginning to the end. Highly recommend.
Saw the movie and then read the book. Movie was great, but the movie was really great. I enjoyed it from the beginning to the end. Highly recommend.
May 19, 2025
When a young woman witnesses a murder, she has one place to go: her estranged father, who just happens to be an ex-outlaw biker.
Something of a neo-noir.
Something of a neo-noir.
June 20, 2021
Probably one of the best books I have ever read. It was intense and kept my attention the whole time.
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October 16, 2016very good read. Mel Gibson stars in the movie. I just rented the movie and liked the book alot better.
March 6, 2017
Fast read. The relationship between the Link and his daughter was well done. Ending was just OK. Time to see what Mel Gibson has to say about this!
May 17, 2011
MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS.
Jacket sounded interesting. Book turned out not to be my cup of tea -- I'm not into drug action, biker gang stuff. But it was better than I expected.
You start reading and think it's going to be all about the teen-age girl who gets into trouble -- in the end you see the title is apt -- it's more about her biker dad, who sacrifices his life to save the daughter.
Even though thee dad was largely absentee (the mom and he didn't get along, broke up early, then he went away to prison for a stint), the daughter turns to him after she kills her psychopathic boyfriend to escape from being forced to participated in his drug-industry crimes (not just piddly sales; also bulk import/transport of drugs plus real-estate dealing to create safe spots for storage of the product).
Great camaraderie btw. the teen and dad. Crude language abounds, but the repartee is fun.
Author photo on back flap -- guy w. tangled hair -- made me wonder if he's been thru rehab himself. My bad to stereotype? Don't think so, since he must have ok'd the portrait. The brief bio describes an upbringing as weird as his main character's.
Lots of zing to the book - it comes close to maudlin in the final stage, when the daughter crawls her way out of the desert. The closing -- where daughter is balanced enough to restart a kindly relationship w. h er materialistic, social climber mom was the perfect Hollywood ending (it jarred a little w. the rest of the book, but it appealed to the sentimentalist in me.)
Jacket sounded interesting. Book turned out not to be my cup of tea -- I'm not into drug action, biker gang stuff. But it was better than I expected.
You start reading and think it's going to be all about the teen-age girl who gets into trouble -- in the end you see the title is apt -- it's more about her biker dad, who sacrifices his life to save the daughter.
Even though thee dad was largely absentee (the mom and he didn't get along, broke up early, then he went away to prison for a stint), the daughter turns to him after she kills her psychopathic boyfriend to escape from being forced to participated in his drug-industry crimes (not just piddly sales; also bulk import/transport of drugs plus real-estate dealing to create safe spots for storage of the product).
Great camaraderie btw. the teen and dad. Crude language abounds, but the repartee is fun.
Author photo on back flap -- guy w. tangled hair -- made me wonder if he's been thru rehab himself. My bad to stereotype? Don't think so, since he must have ok'd the portrait. The brief bio describes an upbringing as weird as his main character's.
Lots of zing to the book - it comes close to maudlin in the final stage, when the daughter crawls her way out of the desert. The closing -- where daughter is balanced enough to restart a kindly relationship w. h er materialistic, social climber mom was the perfect Hollywood ending (it jarred a little w. the rest of the book, but it appealed to the sentimentalist in me.)
January 9, 2017
A tragedy... blooody... very true... real... happening - THis are the keywords!
September 8, 2016
Ok
It could have been better. When Craig talks about the Mexican maffiza it ankc the authenticity of much of the nivel
It could have been better. When Craig talks about the Mexican maffiza it ankc the authenticity of much of the nivel
Read
July 29, 2011Engrossing throughout, this story takes you on an emotional roller coaster as the father and daughter at the center of the novel struggle to make their own identity and get to know each other, all while on the run from relentless drug dealers. This book gets off to a fast pace, slows down, and never quite picks up the same pace. Although the growth of the characters and building suspense are worth the fluctuating pace. At times it reads like a screenplay and could make an interesting movie.
August 4, 2012
If there is a lesson to be learned, from this book, its to not be a absent father from your children. One day they could end up being meth headed prostitutes running from a Mexican cartel only to call you. Very interesting read. I will probably find the authors other book and read that as well.
March 5, 2013
Who!! What a roller coaster ride! Good book, but I think it'd be hard to read if you knew someone, esp. a teen, with a substance problem. I didn't really like the ending, until I got to the epilouge.
August 26, 2013
It grabbed me immediately. Maybe it's because I'm a big fan of Breaking Bad, but I loved this book. The author really nailed the character of Lydia. A teenaged druggie with dangerous friends.
August 21, 2016
Macho nonsense and yet...a little depth and a very nice reversal of some expected stereotypes...better than average pulp fiction...
June 25, 2017
A fun and serviceable action thriller novel, nothing really special, but I would recommend this and the movie as well, there both pretty good
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