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beastreader's review against another edition
4.0
This book is my first introduction to this series. What a way to start a book. With a mass shooting. Sully won me over right away. Not sure if it was due to his stupidity or his dedication to his job...maybe it was a little of both. I mean you would have to be both if not a somewhat crazy to survive a shooting and then go chasing after the shooter to get the first exclusive scoop on the story with real first hand experience. From this moment on I was hooked to this story and Sully as he was not afraid to get his hands dirty to find the truth.
Additionally, what made this book a winner for me as well is the fact that the other character whether they be main, secondary, or minor roles all played a part and were intriguing. Sometimes this can be missed or downplayed in a book and thus I become only half interested in the story. The only place I will be running is to check out the prior novels in this series.
Additionally, what made this book a winner for me as well is the fact that the other character whether they be main, secondary, or minor roles all played a part and were intriguing. Sometimes this can be missed or downplayed in a book and thus I become only half interested in the story. The only place I will be running is to check out the prior novels in this series.
judithdcollins's review against another edition
5.0
A special thank you to Viking Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. 5 stars +
Enthralling! Movie-Worthy. Please, please - small or big screen. Another great Harry Bosch character . . I love "edgy" Sully Carter!
In talented, Neely Tuckers’ highly anticipated follow-up to The Ways of the Dead (Sully Carter #1) 2014 and Murder, D.C. (Sully Carter #2) 2015 with:
Sully Carter’s third and most intense case ONLY THE HUNTED RUN —a brilliant blending of historical, fact and fiction-taking him from the US Capitol, to the rural areas of Oklahoma.
Age old dark secrets, abuse, corruption, and violence of St. Elizabeth’s federal psychiatric hospital—for a complex, multi-layered "gritty" page-turner psychological crime thriller (literary fiction).
Landing on my Top Books of 2016 - a flawed, driven, razor-sharp and witty investigative reporter who never lets up, in this action-packed suspense adventure.
For fans of Michael Connelly (Harry Bosch), John Hart, John Grisham, Greg Iles, Lisa Scottoline, and David Baldacci.
Bourbon lover, reporter, Sully had been assigned a bullshit story about environmental regulations governing oil drilling in the Gulf. Then in the sagging hours of this afternoon errand, there had come the burst of automatic weapons fire, the bleeding and screaming, everything going out of focus and off kilter—the modern American nightmare.
The US Capitol --Sully alone in the core of the building that symbolized America’s allegedly invincible power. And his isolation telling him with every step that something had gone terribly wrong. Shooting, screaming, dead bodies, blown open – one gunman. An attack unlike any other in the nation’s history. Sully is in the center of the investigation.
Sully stumbles on the body of Barry Edmonds, an Oklahoma representative with stainless steel ice picks driven though each eye, plus he had been shot.
What the heck? Terry Waters the gunman, is calling it in, personally-- to 911 stating he had to kill him. It had gotten messy. The man was now gone.
When later running the guy, through the system, he had been certifiable since high school at the local Native American reservation, which appears to be the Sac and Fox. He dropped out in 1982. As a junior, in and out of wards and the local jailhouse for a year of two, then apparently kept at home. Also a suspect in some animal mutilations. No one has seen him in years. Why now?
A manhunt. The gunman had killed US Rep. Barry Edmonds and eight others (turns out to be ten in the end). Sully did not let him into the Capital or did he let him get out. He had gotten within ten feet of him without a gun, pistol, or badge.
Waters later becomes obsessed with Carter, and calls him directly, to commiserate about the fact that both their mothers were murdered years earlier, after reading his story in the paper or online. (at first I was thinking similar to Bosch’s mom connection); however, goes much, much deeper, and sinister.
Waters: “You’ve got to understand this. It’s key. Only the hunted run. I, me. I’m not the hunted. I’m not running. I hunt. I am the hunter.”
The most hunted man in American thinks he’s the predator? How did he know about his mom? Now this guy has his own reporter at his disposal.
Sully’s mom was shot to death in Tulsa, Louisiana. In her hair salon. Cash was left in the register. No apparent motive, no suspects. Three shots, two to the head. A pistol, not a shotgun. His girlfriend was also killed by shrapnel to the head in Bosnia. More to be uncovered here.
Grief, shrinks, doctors, counselors. The guy was a sad story, by nightfall he’s a monster. A thin line.
“Grief is a patient bastard. It’ll take its time, twist you into something you never were.”
The guy had to get attention. He was scattered and he stuttered. What is his story, and is this guy who he claims to be? When searching the history of Waters in Oklahoma, he uncovers danger, eccentric characters, horrors, abuse, and violence. A family of mental illness. The Thing in the Dark.
The great dream of peace, corrupted by the American nightmare of murder and blood. Who can he trust?
"Millions of lives teeming on the head of a pin, the universe neither concerned nor vindictive nor compassionate. People-they were just one little self-regarding species on one planet. They died and the universe was indifferent. It didn’t mean anything. It was like drowning in the ocean. The ocean wasn’t trying to drown you. It was just being the ocean. You got out of the water, fine; you got eaten by sharks, fine; you drowned, fine. It didn’t matter as far as the ocean went. That was life on Earth. It killed you without thinking."
If we are all so insignificant, why did settling the accounts of the dead matter so much?
A possibly mentally disturbed Native American, lightly educated and living in rural squalor, and yet he’s broken into the Capital, killed his target, escaped, and now he’s calling reporters and chatting about dead moms and obscure poetry. The FBI want to know from Carter, how he explains this?
Once Waters is apprehended in yet another shoot-out, Carter travels to the Oklahoma Indian reservation where Waters claims to hail from, hoping to learn what has driven the man to kill.
What Carter finds is a shocker, leading him on another dangerous mission. The man is charged with killing ten people in the US Capitol, four of them officers, one of them a woman. Meanwhile, Waters is being held at St. Elizabeths, a real-life mental hospital in southeast D.C., with which he’s obsessed.
Sully is on deadline, and his trip to Oklahoma really drives the story, when he learns Waters has been dead for nearly eight years, or so some say. . So who is the guy in St. Elizabeths? That means someone is locked up in DC who has assumed his identify—what do they have in common? This complicates their story.
"People did not walk off the face of the Earth. They left traces, fingerprints, property, financial transactions. What had Faulkner called it? A scratch mark on the face of oblivion?"
What is the link to the killing?
From friends, neighbors, father’s, mother’s, grandparents, the boy is being held in the heavily secured grounds of one of the most notorious mental hospitals in the US. Furthermore, in the most secured building on the godforsaken campus, on the lockdown ward of the hall for the criminally insane. How are they going to get to this guy (the ice-picker) to get their answers?
Ghosts and lunatics, the long halls of madness. Sully was the perfect witness. Who better to tell the tale?
Lobotomies. Walter Jackson Freeman. An insane asylum. Before Thorazine. Schizophrenics. Violence. Mental illness in America. Brains destroyed. Suicide. St. Elizabeths. Children caught up in the history.
One of Washington’s toughest, sexy, edgy and gutsy reporters – (and witty), Sully Carter, a seasoned foreign correspondent, gets in and out of jams while covering local D.C. – the fictional brainchild of one of D.C.’s most versatile reporters, Neely Tucker (man, can he write, and have never laughed so hard at his best one-liners).
Impressive! An excellent writer- At the Washington Post, Tucker has worked a lot of beats, writing everything from presidential profiles to poignant glimpses into lives touched by crime. He also writes fiction that is very much of this region and of this cultural moment, exploring themes of race, mental health care, crime and history through his Sully Carter series.
Wow, ONLY THE HUNTED RUN -is mind-blowing! His best yet. From twists and turns you do not see coming, and the personal and professional life of Sully, keeps readers glued to the pages.
Not for the faint of heart, Tucker explores the darkest evil places. History and legal buffs will enjoy the factual events inspired by the 1998 Russell Weston story, and the history of St E’s. Loved the relationship with Sully, Alexis, and nephew Josh on a personal level.
In addition to the hardcover supplied by the publisher (bookmarked so many pages)—"Thank you so much"- read in one sitting; I also purchased the audiobook, narrated by Scott Sowers (sexy, bold, powerful), a perfect match for Neely’s Sully. (he is outstanding-always enjoy performances with Hart and Grisham, and other top author's audios).
Cannot wait to continue the journey with Sully Carter! Will Sully be able to let go of the voices, murder, violence, and horror? Highly recommend the author and this extraordinary "must read"series!
JDCMustReadBooks
Having read the other books in the Sully Carter series (highly recommend), I realized I had not read Neely Tucker’s Love in the Driest Season (read by the author)- his award-winning memoir. Immediately, purchased the audiobook, currently listening. Am mesmerized by his inspirational story!
Enthralling! Movie-Worthy. Please, please - small or big screen. Another great Harry Bosch character . . I love "edgy" Sully Carter!
In talented, Neely Tuckers’ highly anticipated follow-up to The Ways of the Dead (Sully Carter #1) 2014 and Murder, D.C. (Sully Carter #2) 2015 with:
Sully Carter’s third and most intense case ONLY THE HUNTED RUN —a brilliant blending of historical, fact and fiction-taking him from the US Capitol, to the rural areas of Oklahoma.
Age old dark secrets, abuse, corruption, and violence of St. Elizabeth’s federal psychiatric hospital—for a complex, multi-layered "gritty" page-turner psychological crime thriller (literary fiction).
Landing on my Top Books of 2016 - a flawed, driven, razor-sharp and witty investigative reporter who never lets up, in this action-packed suspense adventure.
For fans of Michael Connelly (Harry Bosch), John Hart, John Grisham, Greg Iles, Lisa Scottoline, and David Baldacci.
Bourbon lover, reporter, Sully had been assigned a bullshit story about environmental regulations governing oil drilling in the Gulf. Then in the sagging hours of this afternoon errand, there had come the burst of automatic weapons fire, the bleeding and screaming, everything going out of focus and off kilter—the modern American nightmare.
The US Capitol --Sully alone in the core of the building that symbolized America’s allegedly invincible power. And his isolation telling him with every step that something had gone terribly wrong. Shooting, screaming, dead bodies, blown open – one gunman. An attack unlike any other in the nation’s history. Sully is in the center of the investigation.
Sully stumbles on the body of Barry Edmonds, an Oklahoma representative with stainless steel ice picks driven though each eye, plus he had been shot.
What the heck? Terry Waters the gunman, is calling it in, personally-- to 911 stating he had to kill him. It had gotten messy. The man was now gone.
"And indeed there will be time
For the yellow smoke that slides along the street,
Rubbing in back upon the window-panes;
There will be time, there will be time
To prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet;
There will be time to murder and create . . .
--TS. Eliot, "The Love Song of J. Alfred Purfrock"
When later running the guy, through the system, he had been certifiable since high school at the local Native American reservation, which appears to be the Sac and Fox. He dropped out in 1982. As a junior, in and out of wards and the local jailhouse for a year of two, then apparently kept at home. Also a suspect in some animal mutilations. No one has seen him in years. Why now?
A manhunt. The gunman had killed US Rep. Barry Edmonds and eight others (turns out to be ten in the end). Sully did not let him into the Capital or did he let him get out. He had gotten within ten feet of him without a gun, pistol, or badge.
Waters later becomes obsessed with Carter, and calls him directly, to commiserate about the fact that both their mothers were murdered years earlier, after reading his story in the paper or online. (at first I was thinking similar to Bosch’s mom connection); however, goes much, much deeper, and sinister.
Waters: “You’ve got to understand this. It’s key. Only the hunted run. I, me. I’m not the hunted. I’m not running. I hunt. I am the hunter.”
The most hunted man in American thinks he’s the predator? How did he know about his mom? Now this guy has his own reporter at his disposal.
Sully’s mom was shot to death in Tulsa, Louisiana. In her hair salon. Cash was left in the register. No apparent motive, no suspects. Three shots, two to the head. A pistol, not a shotgun. His girlfriend was also killed by shrapnel to the head in Bosnia. More to be uncovered here.
Grief, shrinks, doctors, counselors. The guy was a sad story, by nightfall he’s a monster. A thin line.
“Grief is a patient bastard. It’ll take its time, twist you into something you never were.”
The guy had to get attention. He was scattered and he stuttered. What is his story, and is this guy who he claims to be? When searching the history of Waters in Oklahoma, he uncovers danger, eccentric characters, horrors, abuse, and violence. A family of mental illness. The Thing in the Dark.
The great dream of peace, corrupted by the American nightmare of murder and blood. Who can he trust?
"Millions of lives teeming on the head of a pin, the universe neither concerned nor vindictive nor compassionate. People-they were just one little self-regarding species on one planet. They died and the universe was indifferent. It didn’t mean anything. It was like drowning in the ocean. The ocean wasn’t trying to drown you. It was just being the ocean. You got out of the water, fine; you got eaten by sharks, fine; you drowned, fine. It didn’t matter as far as the ocean went. That was life on Earth. It killed you without thinking."
If we are all so insignificant, why did settling the accounts of the dead matter so much?
A possibly mentally disturbed Native American, lightly educated and living in rural squalor, and yet he’s broken into the Capital, killed his target, escaped, and now he’s calling reporters and chatting about dead moms and obscure poetry. The FBI want to know from Carter, how he explains this?
Once Waters is apprehended in yet another shoot-out, Carter travels to the Oklahoma Indian reservation where Waters claims to hail from, hoping to learn what has driven the man to kill.
What Carter finds is a shocker, leading him on another dangerous mission. The man is charged with killing ten people in the US Capitol, four of them officers, one of them a woman. Meanwhile, Waters is being held at St. Elizabeths, a real-life mental hospital in southeast D.C., with which he’s obsessed.
Sully is on deadline, and his trip to Oklahoma really drives the story, when he learns Waters has been dead for nearly eight years, or so some say. . So who is the guy in St. Elizabeths? That means someone is locked up in DC who has assumed his identify—what do they have in common? This complicates their story.
"People did not walk off the face of the Earth. They left traces, fingerprints, property, financial transactions. What had Faulkner called it? A scratch mark on the face of oblivion?"
What is the link to the killing?
From friends, neighbors, father’s, mother’s, grandparents, the boy is being held in the heavily secured grounds of one of the most notorious mental hospitals in the US. Furthermore, in the most secured building on the godforsaken campus, on the lockdown ward of the hall for the criminally insane. How are they going to get to this guy (the ice-picker) to get their answers?
Ghosts and lunatics, the long halls of madness. Sully was the perfect witness. Who better to tell the tale?
Lobotomies. Walter Jackson Freeman. An insane asylum. Before Thorazine. Schizophrenics. Violence. Mental illness in America. Brains destroyed. Suicide. St. Elizabeths. Children caught up in the history.
One of Washington’s toughest, sexy, edgy and gutsy reporters – (and witty), Sully Carter, a seasoned foreign correspondent, gets in and out of jams while covering local D.C. – the fictional brainchild of one of D.C.’s most versatile reporters, Neely Tucker (man, can he write, and have never laughed so hard at his best one-liners).
Impressive! An excellent writer- At the Washington Post, Tucker has worked a lot of beats, writing everything from presidential profiles to poignant glimpses into lives touched by crime. He also writes fiction that is very much of this region and of this cultural moment, exploring themes of race, mental health care, crime and history through his Sully Carter series.
Wow, ONLY THE HUNTED RUN -is mind-blowing! His best yet. From twists and turns you do not see coming, and the personal and professional life of Sully, keeps readers glued to the pages.
Not for the faint of heart, Tucker explores the darkest evil places. History and legal buffs will enjoy the factual events inspired by the 1998 Russell Weston story, and the history of St E’s. Loved the relationship with Sully, Alexis, and nephew Josh on a personal level.
In addition to the hardcover supplied by the publisher (bookmarked so many pages)—"Thank you so much"- read in one sitting; I also purchased the audiobook, narrated by Scott Sowers (sexy, bold, powerful), a perfect match for Neely’s Sully. (he is outstanding-always enjoy performances with Hart and Grisham, and other top author's audios).
Cannot wait to continue the journey with Sully Carter! Will Sully be able to let go of the voices, murder, violence, and horror? Highly recommend the author and this extraordinary "must read"series!
JDCMustReadBooks
Having read the other books in the Sully Carter series (highly recommend), I realized I had not read Neely Tucker’s Love in the Driest Season (read by the author)- his award-winning memoir. Immediately, purchased the audiobook, currently listening. Am mesmerized by his inspirational story!
veronica87's review
4.0
Another engrossing story following intrepid reporter, Sully Carter. This time around Sully unwittingly finds himself in the center of the action when an armed gunman opens fire at the Capitol building, killing several, including his intended target. Poor man should start getting hazard pay, or at least get a raise. As Sully tries to track the mind of a killer, meanwhile playing host to his 15 year old nephew, he stumbles into the types of twists and turns that are a hallmark of this series. I could have done without the nephew, Josh, since his existence seemed to come out of nowhere (though, to be fair, a sister was mentioned in the last book), but he really didn't play a big part. Criminal underlord, Sly Hastings, is once again in play but there were some interesting developments on that front. But even better, Alexis is back and considering taking on a position at the newspaper as a photo editor. That's Sully's hope anyway and it was nice to see him have some normal moments with her considering everything else that happens in this book. As I said before, the man should demand hazard pay. I don't know if there will be any more Sully books (though I certainly hope so!) but the ending of this one could possibly serve as a series end, if needed. I could easily see this being adapted as a movie or, better yet, a tv show, complete with colorful characters, twisty plots, and steady pacing.
taylakaye's review against another edition
5.0
There are a few things I just love about this series. First, Sully Carter is an interesting character. Too often the detectives at the heart of crime series are wooden or one-note. They're ALL badass grit, or too clever by half, or lacking a personal life because they just live and breathe their work.
Carter is messy, he's complicated and he's able to make you laugh as well as keep you on the edge of your seat.
Also, as someone who lives in D.C. and appreciates its complex nature on and beyond the Capitol grounds I can attest that Tucker really captures that complexity. This novel starts in the hallowed halls of the Hill, but quickly takes us beyond them into neighborhoods and local institutions that a lesser writer would gloss over or would not get quite right. As a local and respected reporter himself, Tucker nails them.
Finally, it's GOOD. It's a compelling narrative with a plot touching on some of the hottest hot buttons of the day - mass shootings, mental health, treatment of Native Americans - keeping you entertained while simultaneously keeping you aware and giving you insights.
Go - read them all. Then join me in waiting for the next one.
Carter is messy, he's complicated and he's able to make you laugh as well as keep you on the edge of your seat.
Also, as someone who lives in D.C. and appreciates its complex nature on and beyond the Capitol grounds I can attest that Tucker really captures that complexity. This novel starts in the hallowed halls of the Hill, but quickly takes us beyond them into neighborhoods and local institutions that a lesser writer would gloss over or would not get quite right. As a local and respected reporter himself, Tucker nails them.
Finally, it's GOOD. It's a compelling narrative with a plot touching on some of the hottest hot buttons of the day - mass shootings, mental health, treatment of Native Americans - keeping you entertained while simultaneously keeping you aware and giving you insights.
Go - read them all. Then join me in waiting for the next one.
claubeb's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
lucybutcher's review against another edition
3.0
I have trouble reviewing Neely Tucker's mysteries. I love the main character, Sully Carter, and each book in this series has sucked me in almost immediately. The setting is great, and it's a treat to read Tucker's descriptions of busy newsrooms and hard-hitting journalists before the decline of the industry. In each book in the series, my only complaint has been the ending. I feel like Tucker always starts out with a tight, well-paced plot, but then succumbs to an ending that's bigger than it needs to be to pack a punch. It's not that the mysteries are bad, or that the endings are unsatisfying, it's just that they don't hold up to the quality of the rest of the book for me. This may be a personal preference, and I'd still recommend the series to anyone who enjoys whodunits -- I bought this the day it came out and read it in one sitting, so I'm obviously a fan -- but I hope the next book will be a bit more of a controlled burn.
beckmank's review against another edition
4.0
Only the Hunted Run wastes no time getting started, dropping the reader right in the middle of a shooting at the U.S. Capitol. Sully Carter happens to be in the building when the shooting starts. Being a newspaper reporter, instead of evacuating, he pursues the shooter and the story.
When I started this book, I did not realize that it is the third in the Sully Carter series. I had no problem jumping in with book three. Mr. Tucker did a good job letting me know any background information about the characters that was important, and I didn’t realize it was part of a series until I had completed the book and hit the acknowledgments section.
Overall a fun summer thriller. It did get a little graphic on a few parts, and made me squirm a bit from the description. But otherwise it was a page turner with great characters.
From my review at Hidden Staircase.
When I started this book, I did not realize that it is the third in the Sully Carter series. I had no problem jumping in with book three. Mr. Tucker did a good job letting me know any background information about the characters that was important, and I didn’t realize it was part of a series until I had completed the book and hit the acknowledgments section.
Overall a fun summer thriller. It did get a little graphic on a few parts, and made me squirm a bit from the description. But otherwise it was a page turner with great characters.
From my review at Hidden Staircase.
veronica87's review against another edition
4.0
Another engrossing story following intrepid reporter, Sully Carter. This time around Sully unwittingly finds himself in the center of the action when an armed gunman opens fire at the Capitol building, killing several, including his intended target. Poor man should start getting hazard pay, or at least get a raise. As Sully tries to track the mind of a killer, meanwhile playing host to his 15 year old nephew, he stumbles into the types of twists and turns that are a hallmark of this series. I could have done without the nephew, Josh, since his existence seemed to come out of nowhere (though, to be fair, a sister was mentioned in the last book), but he really didn't play a big part. Criminal underlord, Sly Hastings, is once again in play but there were some interesting developments on that front. But even better, Alexis is back and considering taking on a position at the newspaper as a photo editor. That's Sully's hope anyway and it was nice to see him have some normal moments with her considering everything else that happens in this book. As I said before, the man should demand hazard pay. I don't know if there will be any more Sully books (though I certainly hope so!) but the ending of this one could possibly serve as a series end, if needed. I could easily see this being adapted as a movie or, better yet, a tv show, complete with colorful characters, twisty plots, and steady pacing.
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