For fans of Michael Connelly and CJ Box, here is the first thrilling adventure in the Charlie Hood series from New York Times bestseller and Edgar-award winner T. Jefferson Parker, now featuring an excerpt from his upcoming novel The Room of White Fire.
In this town, it pays to be bad . . .
Allison is an L.A. celebrity, a folk hero, and a modern-day Jesse James who loves a good armed robbery. She has a compulsion to steal, a knack for publicity, and the conscience to give it all to charity. In fact, one of her biggest fans is a cop. And no one’s ever been hurt—until last night. Now she and the rookie deputy are on the run for their lives.
"L.A. Outlaws is hard, fast, and etched with characters so sharp they'll leave you bleeding. This is the best T. Jefferson Parker novel yet." —Robert Crais
"No one does tough like T. Jefferson Parker, and this time tough equates to one Allison Murrieta, a combination of Robin Hood, Zorro, Catherine Zeta Jones, and Gloria Steinem. An amazing read." —Elizabeth George
"The irresistible antihero of this outstanding thriller from bestseller Parker (Laguna Heat) calls herself Allison Murrieta and claims to be a descendant of Joaquin Murrieta, a 19th-century figure who looms large in California folklore (he was either a ruthless robber and killer or an Old West vigilante and Robin Hood). By day, Allison is Suzanne Jones, an eighth-grade history teacher with three sons in Los Angeles; by night, she dons a mask, straps on her derringer and steals from the greedy. Beloved by the media, she never uses the gun; her victims are never sympathetic; and she gives part of her loot to charity. But while stealing diamonds belonging to a master criminal known as the Bull, she witnesses a gangland-style bloodbath at the hands of Lupercio, a ruthless assassin working for the Bull. As she’s leaving the scene of the crime, L.A. sheriff’s deputy Charles Hood stops her, and that’s when the plot gets complicated. The Bull wants his diamonds back. Lupercio knows Murrieta/Jones took them. Hood wants Jones to identify Lupercio. And the public wants to know who Murrieta really is. This tour de force of plotting and characterization may well be Parker’s best book." —Publishers Weekly
"T. Jefferson Parker has burgled the crumbling palace of Edgar Allan Poe for inspiration." —The Wall Street Journal
“Parker, the winner of three Edgar awards for crime fiction, again delivers a tale that is not only well-plotted and suspenseful, but subtle, surprising and endearingly perverse.”—Washington Post
"T. Jefferson Parker has carved out a niche for himself as the Hemingway of thriller writers...His writing is a wonder to behold." —Providence Sunday Journal
“A spectacular close a crime series that obliterated the boundaries of the genre.” —BookReporter
"If you're interested in the best of today's crime fiction, [Parker's] someone you should read." —The Washington Post
"Parker could well be the best crime writer working out of Southern Caifornia." —Chicago Tribune
"The Charlie Hood novels are nothing less than addictive." —Tucson Citizen
"The most groundbreaking crime series in decades." —St. Louis Post-Dispatch
"This is gripping literary entertainment with a point." —Los Angeles Times
"Some of the finest writing you'll ever read." —Chicago Sun-Times
T. Jefferson Parker is the author of numerous novels and short stories, including The Room of White Fire, Swift Vengeance, and The Last Good Guy, the winner of three Edgar Awards, and the recipient of a Los Angeles Times Book Prize for mysteries. Before becoming a full-time novelist, he was an award-winning reporter. He lives in Fallbrook, California.
For fans of Michael Connelly and CJ Box, here is the first thrilling adventure in the Charlie Hood series from New York Times bestseller and Edgar-award winner T. Jefferson Parker, now featuring an excerpt from his upcoming novel The Room of White Fire.
In this town, it pays to be bad . . .
Allison is an L.A. celebrity, a folk hero, and a modern-day Jesse James who loves a good armed robbery. She has a compulsion to steal, a knack for publicity, and the conscience to give it all to charity. In fact, one of her biggest fans is a cop. And no one’s ever been hurt—until last night. Now she and the rookie deputy are on the run for their lives.
Reviews
"L.A. Outlaws is hard, fast, and etched with characters so sharp they'll leave you bleeding. This is the best T. Jefferson Parker novel yet." —Robert Crais
"No one does tough like T. Jefferson Parker, and this time tough equates to one Allison Murrieta, a combination of Robin Hood, Zorro, Catherine Zeta Jones, and Gloria Steinem. An amazing read." —Elizabeth George
"The irresistible antihero of this outstanding thriller from bestseller Parker (Laguna Heat) calls herself Allison Murrieta and claims to be a descendant of Joaquin Murrieta, a 19th-century figure who looms large in California folklore (he was either a ruthless robber and killer or an Old West vigilante and Robin Hood). By day, Allison is Suzanne Jones, an eighth-grade history teacher with three sons in Los Angeles; by night, she dons a mask, straps on her derringer and steals from the greedy. Beloved by the media, she never uses the gun; her victims are never sympathetic; and she gives part of her loot to charity. But while stealing diamonds belonging to a master criminal known as the Bull, she witnesses a gangland-style bloodbath at the hands of Lupercio, a ruthless assassin working for the Bull. As she’s leaving the scene of the crime, L.A. sheriff’s deputy Charles Hood stops her, and that’s when the plot gets complicated. The Bull wants his diamonds back. Lupercio knows Murrieta/Jones took them. Hood wants Jones to identify Lupercio. And the public wants to know who Murrieta really is. This tour de force of plotting and characterization may well be Parker’s best book." —Publishers Weekly
"T. Jefferson Parker has burgled the crumbling palace of Edgar Allan Poe for inspiration." —The Wall Street Journal
“Parker, the winner of three Edgar awards for crime fiction, again delivers a tale that is not only well-plotted and suspenseful, but subtle, surprising and endearingly perverse.”—Washington Post
"T. Jefferson Parker has carved out a niche for himself as the Hemingway of thriller writers...His writing is a wonder to behold." —Providence Sunday Journal
“A spectacular close a crime series that obliterated the boundaries of the genre.” —BookReporter
"If you're interested in the best of today's crime fiction, [Parker's] someone you should read." —The Washington Post
"Parker could well be the best crime writer working out of Southern Caifornia." —Chicago Tribune
"The Charlie Hood novels are nothing less than addictive." —Tucson Citizen
"The most groundbreaking crime series in decades." —St. Louis Post-Dispatch
"This is gripping literary entertainment with a point." —Los Angeles Times
"Some of the finest writing you'll ever read." —Chicago Sun-Times
T. Jefferson Parker is the author of numerous novels and short stories, including The Room of White Fire, Swift Vengeance, and The Last Good Guy, the winner of three Edgar Awards, and the recipient of a Los Angeles Times Book Prize for mysteries. Before becoming a full-time novelist, he was an award-winning reporter. He lives in Fallbrook, California.
