E-audiobook
Dark horse [electronic resource] / Tami Hoag.
New York times bestselling author Tami Hoag takes readers on a suspense-filled ride of shocks and twists leading to an explosive finish. Elaina Estes has always considered herself a dark horse. But now, her unpredictability and recklessness have cost her more than just the job in the narcotics division of the Palm Beach County Sheriff's office -- they have cost the life of a fellow cop ... Outcast and disillusioned, Elaina leaves the gritty city streets for a rural retreat in Florida's lush horse country. But even here, this ex-cop knows that something quite dangerous -- a ruthless manipulation of power, drugs, and human frailty -- lurks behind the glittering facade of international riding competition. But will proving her case be the death of someone else?
Record details
- ISBN: 9781415951446 (sound recording : OverDrive Audio Book)
- ISBN: 1415951446 (sound recording : OverDrive Audio Book)
- Publisher: New York : Books on Tape, 2002.
Content descriptions
| General Note: | Downloadable audio file. Title from: Title details screen. Unabridged. Duration: 14:05:12. |
| Participant or Performer Note: | Read by Beth McDonald. |
| System Details Note: | Requires OverDrive Media Console Requires OverDrive Media Console (file size: 202497 KB). Mode of access: World Wide Web. |
Search for related items by subject
| Subject: | Ex-police officers > Fiction. Teenage girls > Fiction. Kidnapping > Fiction. Florida > Fiction. |
| Genre: | DOWNLOADABLE AUDIOBOOK. Suspense fiction. Audiobooks. |
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Other Formats and Editions
Electronic resources
- AudioFile Reviews : AudioFile Reviews 2003 February/March
Beth McDonald performs this mystery with great energy. She adapts her voice successfully to a wide variety of characters, from embittered ex-cop Elaina Estes to high-society horse mavens. She performs foreign accents nicely and convincing plays a range of male characters. McDonald's robust performance is much more than this story deserves. Glamorizing violence against women and promoting vigilante justice, this novel, with its stock phrases and repetitive declarations, gallops to a disappointing finish. R.F. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine - Booklist Reviews : Booklist Monthly Selections - #1 January 2003
Listening to Hoag's latest mystery evokes a variety of emotions. McDonald, whose voice sounds both feminine and powerful, perfectly depicts Elena Estes, an ex-cop with heavy baggage and a penchant for self-loathing. In an attempt to retreat from past troubles, Elena relocates to a horse farm in southern Florida. When called upon to find the missing sister of a too-worldly-for-her-years 12-year-old, Elena ends up in the middle of an intriguing, frightening plot. Whether portraying the young girl, members of the missing teen's family, sleazy horse trainers and owners, or a crotchety investigator, McDonald deftly vivifies each character with uncanny believability. Hoag injects a subtle love story amid the grime--a welcome refuge--and McDonald treats the romantic interludes with restraint and anticipation. Listeners will cringe, laugh, and cry as they experience McDonald's spectacular reading. --Mary Frances Wilkens Copyright 2003 Booklist Reviews - Booklist Reviews : Booklist Monthly Selections - #1 August 2002
Welcome to the dark psyche of Elena Estes, a woman who had everything that society has to offer but gave it away to become a cop, and now even that life is lost. She made a mistake during a drug bust, an officer died, and she was badly hurt. Now she's a pariah in the Palm Beach sheriff's office. She retreats to the farm of an old friend, and returns to her childhood love of horse, while she recovers physically if not emotionally. Twelve-year-old Molly Seabright brings Elena back to the world of the living by asking her to find her missing 18-year-old sister, Erin, who works as a groom. Neither the police nor her parents believe anything is wrong, but Molly is persistent. Elena agrees to investigate and soon lands knee-deep in the muck of the horse world, where she finds horses murdered for insurance money, sleazy dealers, debauched playboys, charismatic trainers, and one infuriating cop. A tangled web of deceit and double-dealing makes for a fascinating look into the wealthy world of horses juxtaposed with the realistic introspection of one very troubled ex-cop. A definite winner for Hoag. ((Reviewed August 2002)) Copyright 2002 Booklist Reviews - Library Journal Reviews : LJ Reviews 2002 May #1
Elena Estes leaves the Palm Beach County sheriff's office in disgrace after causing the death of a fellow copand gallops straight into trouble at an international riding competition in Florida's horse country. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information. - Library Journal Reviews : LJ Reviews 2003 February #1
Elaina Estes, dark horse, ex-cop, loose cannon, and refugee from the high society of South Florida, hovers on the brink of suicide, waiting for a reason to live. That reason appears in the guise of Molly Seebright, a very adult 12-year-old whose older sister Erin is missing. Elaina is drawn into the case in spite of herself and despite the lack of interest from Molly's parents and the local sheriff's office. Elaina uncovers a snake pit of treachery, greed, and murder involving the Palm Beach horse set and the people who serve them. By immersing herself in the case and risking her life for Molly, Elaina redeems herself in her own eyes and begins to think about her future. With a reading by Beth McDonald, Hoag's story is complex and dark, full of counterplots and red herrings. Her depiction of depravity and evil as human norms is disturbing, allowing small hope that the dark horse, the underdog representing goodness and sanity, can prevail. Recommended.-Joanna M. Burk-hardt, Coll. of Continuing Education Lib., Univ. of Rhode Island, Providence Copyright 2003 Cahners Business Information. - Publishers Weekly Reviews : PW Reviews 2002 July #5
The professional horse world, as seen through Hoag's eyes, is full of intrigue, glitter and skullduggery. Elena Estes is a former cop whose bravado on the force resulted in a colleague's death; it also cost her her job and her self-esteem, not to mention the psychological and physical fallout from nearly being shot. She's been keeping a low profile at a friend's Florida ranch, but her world is disrupted when 12-year-old Molly Seabright, wise beyond her years, attempts to hire Elena to find her older sister, Erin, who has been missing for two days. As Elena digs deeper into Erin's disappearance, the dark side of the horse-show set is revealed. Hoag (Night Sins; Dust to Dust), herself an experienced equestrian, shows off her dressage-to-showing knowledge of the sport as she weaves behind-the-scenes tidbits about the training, competitions, horse brokers and grooms into a plot that gallops along. Though she is a master of suspense, the story falters when a major secret about the kidnapping is exposed. There are too many bad guys who may be in on the scheme, and readers will feel cheated by the improbable 11th-hour revelation. It's too bad Hoag felt the need to undercut her plot with schemes and counterschemes, since she finds plenty of tension in the equestrian world she examines here and doesn't need the contrivance. Nonetheless, she has enough skill and drawing power to propel this, her 10th book, onto bestseller lists. Major ad/promo. (Aug. 27) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
