Publisher's Weekly Review
Swierczynski (Severance Package) steps on the gas early in this pulse-pounding contemporary thriller, the first of a trilogy, and doesn't let up. After second-tier movie actress Lane Madden survives multiple attempts by aggressive fellow drivers to run her off some treacherous Los Angeles roads, she has the good fortune to meet Charlie Hardie, a peripatetic house-sitter with a violent past, at the house in the Hollywood Hills where she takes refuge. Hardie, a former police consultant who's haunted by the deaths of several innocents, is skeptical of the actress's claim that she's being pursued by the Accident People, a shadowy group of killers who stage their homicides to appear as accidents. An escalating series of violent encounters builds to an unforgettable climax. Fans of the Die Hard movies will find this a literary equivalent, and the author deserves credit for making what could be an over-the-top setup oddly plausible. The sequel's appearance won't be too soon for many readers. (June) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
Swierczynski's books are like cage matches, where a small cast of characters with everything to lose is locked in for a fight to the finish. That their brutality is so bloody satisfying says something about us and a lot about the author's talent. Charlie Hardie is an alcoholic housesitter with a tortured conscience. Locked out of his newest job at a musician's home in the Hollywood hills, he breaks in and finds troubled actress Lane Madden hiding from Them. They are the Accident People, a hit squad of Hollywood has-beens who not only stage killings but craft believable narratives for public consumption. As the Accident People lay siege to the house, and then the action spills outside, the secrets of Lane's and Charlie's pasts propel the narrative to its violent but satisfying ending. Swierczynski's brand of high-adrenaline thrills requires readers to accept that characters can survive a ton of punishment and that a bad guy can master the Internet from a smart phone but we're OK with that if you are. Expect two more Hardie books.--Graff, Kei. Copyright 2010 Booklist
Library Journal Review
He's lost his luggage and his rental car, his cell won't work, and he's jumped from the roof of a house into animal crap. Welcome to Hollywood, Mr. Hardie! This is above all a Hollywood novel, opening with a car chase in the Hollywood hills and ending with the promise of two sequels (Hell and Gone, Oct.; Point and Shoot, Mar. 2012). In between comes a load of high-octane taut action fueled by paranoid fantasies. Ex-law enforcement official Charlie Hardie flees his upsetting Philadelphia past by acting as a professional house-sitter; all he has to do is show up, drink beer, and watch DVDs. Only not on this watch. He finds holed up in the house he is supposed to be guarding a starlet whose arrest record is longer than her list of credits. In addition, the house is under siege from a shadowy band of star whackers known as "The Accident People." Straight out of the fever dreams of Randy and Evi Quaid, this motley crew apparently targets Hollywood types, and the starlet is in their sights, with Hardie as collateral damage. Readers who like their action fast, brutal, and smart, as well as fans of the Die Hard franchise, will be eagerly awaiting the next installment. Verdict Hardly a household name except to noir aficionados, Swierczynski (sweer-ZIN-ski), the author of the Edgar-nominated Expiration Date, just might change that if the sequels equal this title's frenetic pace.-Bob Lunn, Kansas City, MO (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.