The Courier's Motto: the package always arrives unopened, undamaged, and in one piece. But the courier may not be so lucky. Simon Leonidovich is an average-looking guy, with a disarming smile and more frequent-flyer miles than most airline pilots. He's a high-tech, international courier of "packages" that range from priceless works of art to human organs and nuclear materials. When he accepts a contract to make a pickup at a small laboratory in Sweden, it seems like another easy job -- until someone sets him up for a fall. Suddenly, he's on the run, trying to protect secret data that could save the lives of millions and destroy an international corporate merger. The police want him for a murder; a psychotic hired killer wants him for the package and the pleasure of killing; and Simon just wants to survive.... With explosive action, an international conspiracy, and a hero that just won't quit, Jay MacLarty's The Courier is an edge-of-your-seat debut thriller that delivers!
Jay Hector MacLarty was an American entrepreneur and novelist known for his thrillers featuring professional courier Simon Leonidovitch. Born in Spirit Lake, Iowa, he spent his early years in Iowa, Nebraska, and Minnesota. By the age of thirty, he had owned restaurants, nightclubs, and liquor stores before founding a series of retail stores and a software company. He also developed one of the first computerized handicapping programs for thoroughbred racing. MacLarty later turned to fiction writing, taking a break from his software business to pursue his passion. His first novel, a thousand-page manuscript, remained unpublished, leading him to focus on writing commercially appealing thrillers. This resulted in a four-book series published by Simon & Schuster: The Courier (2003), Bagman (2004), Live Wire (2006), and Choke Point (2007). Each novel was nominated for a Barry Award, with Bagman receiving a starred review in Publishers Weekly. Beyond writing, MacLarty was an active leader in the Las Vegas Writer's Group, helping aspiring writers advance their careers.
A fun, techno-savvy thriller with quite an original premise as well as protoganist. Simon owns a private courier service and is a no-questions-asked, globetrotting delivery man who gets involved with an international pharmaceutical company trying to hide the fact that the thirty-three million users of its wonder weight-loss drug might be risking death due to a fatal side-effect of the medicine. I am definitely looking forward to reading more from this author.
Started reading this on the train out to visit a friend, and ended up finishing it the same day. A bit cliched in parts, but enjoyable like a summer blockbuster.