Hollywood superstar Max Conroy is A-list all the way—one of the few actors who can guarantee box office blockbusters on opening weekend. Max has it all: the devil-may-care charisma, the stunning movie star wife, and a sizable personal fortune that grows along with his legend.
When Max escapes from a rehab center in Arizona, disoriented and longing to return to his blue-collar roots, he becomes the target of a motley group of kidnappers planning to cash in by holding him for ransom. Max not only outsmarts them; he evens the score. Little does he know that a far more dangerous and merciless enemy is coming for him. But this time, he has an ally in the smart and beautiful sheriff’s deputy Tess McCrae.
For years, Max drifted through an easy superstar life, untethered and without purpose. But as he fights for his life, something turns inside him. He’s ready to live again—on his own terms. He will destroy those who’d rather see him die like an icon than live like a man.
From Booklist
Any way you slice it, cult movie star Max Conroy is screwed when he sneaks out of his Arizona rehab center. Now clean of alcohol and drugs but suffering from hallucinations, the lead actor in the V.A.M. Pyre Chronicles is the unwitting object of an elaborate murder plot—conceived by those closest to him, including his beautiful actress wife and his agent, who are having an affair and hope to get rich from his estate. As Max tries to outrun the cabal’s eerily deadly assassin, Shaun, and her 12-year-old protege, Jimmy, he’s kidnapped for ransom by three amateurs. Fortunately, Max has physical as well as acting skills, plus the help of Police Deputy Tess McCrae, who has both a remarkable memory and a “spidey sense” that alerts her to danger. And there’s plenty of that, notably from Shaun, who continues to elude Max when he takes the offensive, and the authorities. Black, author of the Laura Cardinal crime-fiction series, has a corker here, a fast read full of nonstop action with a rising body count. Let’s hope this spawns a series of its own. — Michele Leber
Review
"Icon rocks from start to finish. Its thumping action propels a story that's suspenseful, ironic, and full of surprises. J. Carson Black has created a leading man to root for in Max Conroy – and the most chilling pair of villains I've come across in years." - Meg Gardiner, author of Ransom River
“Icon is a smart thriller that had me hooked from the start. J. Carson Black has outdone herself. I loved it!” – John Rector, bestselling author of Already Gone
Description:
Hollywood superstar Max Conroy is A-list all the way—one of the few actors who can guarantee box office blockbusters on opening weekend. Max has it all: the devil-may-care charisma, the stunning movie star wife, and a sizable personal fortune that grows along with his legend.
When Max escapes from a rehab center in Arizona, disoriented and longing to return to his blue-collar roots, he becomes the target of a motley group of kidnappers planning to cash in by holding him for ransom. Max not only outsmarts them; he evens the score. Little does he know that a far more dangerous and merciless enemy is coming for him. But this time, he has an ally in the smart and beautiful sheriff’s deputy Tess McCrae.
For years, Max drifted through an easy superstar life, untethered and without purpose. But as he fights for his life, something turns inside him. He’s ready to live again—on his own terms. He will destroy those who’d rather see him die like an icon than live like a man.
From Booklist
Any way you slice it, cult movie star Max Conroy is screwed when he sneaks out of his Arizona rehab center. Now clean of alcohol and drugs but suffering from hallucinations, the lead actor in the V.A.M. Pyre Chronicles is the unwitting object of an elaborate murder plot—conceived by those closest to him, including his beautiful actress wife and his agent, who are having an affair and hope to get rich from his estate. As Max tries to outrun the cabal’s eerily deadly assassin, Shaun, and her 12-year-old protege, Jimmy, he’s kidnapped for ransom by three amateurs. Fortunately, Max has physical as well as acting skills, plus the help of Police Deputy Tess McCrae, who has both a remarkable memory and a “spidey sense” that alerts her to danger. And there’s plenty of that, notably from Shaun, who continues to elude Max when he takes the offensive, and the authorities. Black, author of the Laura Cardinal crime-fiction series, has a corker here, a fast read full of nonstop action with a rising body count. Let’s hope this spawns a series of its own. — Michele Leber
Review
"Icon rocks from start to finish. Its thumping action propels a story that's suspenseful, ironic, and full of surprises. J. Carson Black has created a leading man to root for in Max Conroy – and the most chilling pair of villains I've come across in years." - Meg Gardiner, author of Ransom River
“Icon is a smart thriller that had me hooked from the start. J. Carson Black has outdone herself. I loved it!” – John Rector, bestselling author of Already Gone