Tough Customer : A Novel

The #1 New York Times bestselling author of Seeing Red "charges her characters and their relationships with electricity" ( San Francisco Book Review ) in this sizzling, sleep-with-the-lights-on novel of suspense. When a deranged stalker attempts to murder her daughter Berry, Caroline King has no doubts who to contact for help: Berry's father, the cagey private investigator Dodge Hanley. It's been thirty years since Dodge last saw Caroline, but the savvy real estate mogul still haunts his dreams. He has a whole bagful of grudging excuses for ignoring Caroline's call—and one compelling reason to drop everything and fly down to Texas to protect the daughter he's never met: guilt. As always, Dodge's perseverance knows no bounds as he teams with a small-town sheriff, but the alarming situation worsens when the stalker claims other victims, leaving a trail of clues lethally pointing toward Berry. And Dodge—a street-smart fighter who has always put his life on the line—realizes that this time, he's risking his heart as well...

Colleagues, friends, and lovers know Dodge Hanley as a private investigator who doesn’t let rules get in his way—in his private life as well as his professional one. If he breaks a heart, or bends the law in order to catch a criminal, he does so without hesitation or apology.That’s why he’s the first person Caroline King—who after a thirty-year separation continues to haunt his dreams—asks for help when a deranged stalker attempts to murder their daughter . . . the daughter Dodge has never met. He has a whole bagful of grudging excuses for wishing to ignore Caroline’s call, and one compelling reason to drop everything and fly down to Texas: guilt.Dodge’s mind may be a haze of disturbing memories and bad decisions, but he arrives in Houston knowing with perfect clarity that his daughter, Berry, is in danger. She has become the object of desire of a co-worker, a madman and genius with a penchant for puzzles and games who has spent the past year making Berry’s life hell, and who now has vowed to kill her.Dodge joins forces with local deputy sheriff Ski Nyland, but the alarming situation goes from bad to worse when the stalker begins to claim other victims and leaves an ominous trail of clues as he lethally works his way toward Berry. Sensing the killer drawing nearer, Dodge, who’s survived vicious criminals and his own self-destructive impulses, realizes that this time he’s in for the fight of his life.

From acclaimed best-selling author Sandra Brown, Tough Customer is a heart-pounding tale about obsession and murder, the fragile nature of relationships, and, possibly, second chances.

Publishers Weekly

Introduced in 2009's Smash Cut, Atlanta PI Dodge Hanley makes this entertaining, if slightly talky romantic thriller from bestseller Brown a must-read for anyone who appreciates a tough guy hero with a heart of gold. Late one night Dodge receives a phone call from his lost love, Houston realtor Caroline King, who asks him to come to Texas to help catch Oren Starks, a creepy over-the-top stalker who's out to kill Dodge and Caroline's 30-year-old daughter, Berry Malone. Dodge hasn't seen Berry since the day she was born. When Starks takes a shot at Berry in Caroline's house, hitting a work associate of Berry's instead, Dodge rushes to the rescue. While Merritt County deputy sheriff Ski Nyland, who falls for the equally smitten Berry, is no slouch on the case, the relentlessly ruthless Dodge plays the most crucial role in the effort to stop the bad guy. Brown fans will want to see more of the irresistible Dodge. (Aug.)

When a hardened cop turned Private Investigator gets a call about a woman he hasn't seen in thirty years, he must race to Texas to stop the stalker terrorizing her. A blistering new thriller from the bestselling author of Smash Cut. Colleagues, friends, and lovers know Dodge Hanley as a private investigator who doesn't let rules get in his way'in his private life as well as his professional one. If he breaks a heart, or bends the law in order to catch a criminal, he does so without hesitation or apology. That's why he's the first person Caroline King'who after a thirty-year separation continues to haunt his dreams'asks for help when a deranged stalker attempts to murder their daughter'the daughter Dodge has never met. He has a whole bagful of grudging excuses for wishing to ignore Caroline's call, and one compelling reason to drop everything and fly down to Texas: guilt. Dodge's mind may be a haze of disturbing memories and bad decisions, but he arrives in Houston knowing with perfect clarity that his daughter, Berry, is in danger. She has become the object of desire of a coworker, a madman, and genius with a penchant for puzzles and games who has spent the past year making Berry's life hell, and who now has vowed to kill her. Dodge joins forces with local deputy sheriff Ski Nyland, but the alarming situation goes from bad to worse when the stalker begins to claim other victims and leaves an ominous trail of clues as he lethally works his way toward Berry. Sensing the killer drawing nearer, Dodge, who's survived vicious criminals and his own self-destructive impulses, realizes that this time he's in for the fight of his life. From acclaimed bestselling author Sandra Brown, Tough Customer is a heart-pounding tale about obsession and murder, the fragile nature of relationships, and, possibly, second chances Colleagues, friends, and lovers know Dodge Hanley as a private investigator who doesn#x92;t let rules get in his way#x97;in his private life as well as his professional one. If he breaks a heart, or bends the law in order to catch a criminal, he does so without hesitation or apology.That#x92;s why he#x92;s the first person Caroline King#x97;who after a thirty-year separation continues to haunt his dreams#x97;asks for help when a deranged stalker attempts to murder their daughter . . . the daughter Dodge has never met. He has a whole bagful of grudging excuses for wishing to ignore Caroline#x92;s call, and one compelling reason to drop everything and fly down to Texas: guilt.Dodge#x92;s mind may be a haze of disturbing memories and bad decisions, but he arrives in Houston knowing with perfect clarity that his daughter, Berry, is in danger. She has become the object of desire of a co-worker, a madman and genius with a penchant for puzzles and games who has spent the past year making Berry#x92;s life hell, and who now has vowed to kill her.Dodge joins forces with local deputy sheriff Ski Nyland, but the alarming situation goes from bad to worse when the stalker begins to claim other victims and leaves an ominous trail of clues as he lethally works his way toward Berry. Sensing the killer drawing nearer, Dodge, who#x92;s survived vicious criminals and his own self-destructive impulses, realizes that this time he#x92;s in for the fight of his life Hard-living detective-turned-P.I., Dodge Hanley tries not to dwell on the past. But when he gets a call from Caroline King, “the one” who got away, there’s no time for looking back; their daughter is in trouble. Caroline has told Berry that Dodge is an old friend they can rely on to prove she didn’t shoot her ex-lover, even though she’s already told the cops she saw the real culprit. It was Oren Starks, Berry insists, a former co-worker fired for stalking her. Dodge believes his daughter...and he’s pretty sure Deputy Ski Nyland does, too, considering how hard he’s working to find Starks. Berry’s told them he’s depraved, and from what they learn, she’s got him pegged. But nut jobs play by their own crazy rules. The only thing clear to Dodge is that Starks is obsessed with having Berry...or killing her, and neither is acceptable to a man who’s determined to right some old wrongs, even if he has to risk his life—not to mention his heart—to do it