Hush Money

Starred review from October 1, 2012

In Greaves's entertaining first novel, Jack MacTaggert, a young lawyer in a prestigious Pasadena law firm, is thrown into the middle of murder and intrigue when he is assigned an insurance claim from a wealthy woman whose prize racehorse, Hush Puppy, has died under suspicious circumstances. After his friend and mentor is killed while investigating what appears to be corruption inside the firm, MacTaggert and his girlfriend find their lives threatened as he tries to identify the killer and discover what happened to the horse. Jack is a likable hero with a wisecrack for every occasion, and the plot moves along briskly to a satisfying conclusion. Dan Butler's smooth and effective reading makes for an enjoyable listening experience. VERDICT Recommended for fans of crime fiction and legal novels. ["Winner of the South West Writers (SWW) grand-prize Storyteller Award for 2010, trial lawyer Greaves's delightful debut, which the SWW also named Best Mystery of 2010, cleverly intermingles equestrian show jumping, insurance claims, and high-tech science in this sunny California thriller," read the review of the Minotaur: St. Martin's hc, LJ 4/1/12.--Ed.]--Mary Knapp, Madison P.L., WI

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from March 12, 2012
Near the outset of Greaves’s stellar first novel, Hush Puppy, a healthy champion show horse, suddenly drops dead. Hush Puppy’s vet suspects the horse was poisoned and the animal’s owner, Pasadena socialite Sydney Everett, faces charges of fraud. Attorney Jack McTaggert agrees to defend Everett, but his doubts about his client’s innocence increase after he learns that another of her animals died five years earlier, netting Everett a $1 million insurance payout. Meanwhile, the lawyer must deal with a civil case involving a blue-collar worker suffering from terminal leukemia unable to get coverage for a new procedure. The insurance fraud case soon turns deadly for humans as well, placing McTaggert directly in the crosshairs both of the police and the criminal behind the plot. Greaves makes the most of his 25 years as a trial attorney in relating courtroom tactics. The combination of confident writing and a determined and ethical protagonist add up to a winner. Agent: Antonella Iannarino, the David Black Literary Agency.