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    She Rides Shotgun: A Novel
    She Rides Shotgun: A Novel
    She Rides Shotgun: A Novel
    Audiobook6 hours

    She Rides Shotgun: A Novel

    Written by Jordan Harper

    Narrated by David Marantz

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    A propulsive, gritty novel about a girl marked for death who must fight and steal to stay alive, learning from the most frightening man she knows—her father

    Eleven-year-old Polly McClusky is shy, too old for the teddy bear she carries with her everywhere, when she is unexpectedly reunited with her father, Nate, fresh out of jail and driving a stolen car. He takes her from the front of her school into a world of robbery, violence, and the constant threat of death. And he does it to save her life.

    Nate made dangerous enemies in prison—a gang called Aryan Steel has put out a bounty on his head, counting on its members on the outside to finish him off. They’ve already murdered his ex-wife, Polly’s mother. And Polly is their next target.

    Nate and Polly’s lives soon become a series of narrow misses, of evading the bad guys and the police, of sleepless nights in motels. Out on the lam, Polly is forced to grow up early: with barely any time to mourn her mother, she must learn how to take a punch and pull off a drug-house heist. She finds herself transforming from a shy little girl into a true fighter. Nate, in turn, learns what it’s like to love fiercely and unconditionally—a love he’s never quite felt before. But can their powerful bond transcend the dangerous existence he’s carved out for them? Will they ever be able to live an honest life, free of fear?

    She Rides Shotgun is a gripping and emotionally wrenching novel that upends even our most long-held expectations about heroes, villains, and victims. Nate takes Polly to save her life, but in the end it may very well be Polly who saves him.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateJun 6, 2017
    ISBN9780062675613
    She Rides Shotgun: A Novel
    Author

    Jordan Harper

    Jordan Harper was born and educated in Missouri. He's worked as an ad man, a rock critic and a journalist and currently lives in Los Angeles.  He writes for shows including Gotham and was lead writer on The Mentalist.  

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    Reviews for She Rides Shotgun

    4/5

    165 ratings21 reviews

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      This is the amazing story of Polly and her father. I wasn’t sure what the message was or even if I was enjoying it. But I couldn’t leave Polly! Read it for yourself and enjoy.
    • 5/5
      Wow! Kickass of a debut. Can’t wait for what’s next.
    • 5/5
      I loved this book. It kept me listening from the moment I started until it was over and I found myself wishing there was more.
    • 5/5
      Set in California, this is a terrific example of grit lit with a strong father/daughter relationship at its core. Nate is a robber who has just been released from prison where he ran into trouble with Crazy Craig, the leader of Aryan Steel. Craig runs the Aryan Steel criminal enterprises from prison and he issues a death warrant on the race traitor Nate and his entire family, including his 11 year old daughter Polly. Nate, all tattoos, shaved head, hard body and faded blue eyes, shows up at Polly's school in a stolen car and takes her and her teddy bear in order to save her from the Aryan Steel. He hands her a baseball bat and warns her to be on the lookout for people with blue lightning tattoos. Nate and Polly have not had much of a relationship before this, but Nate is fierce in his determination to keep her safe and it turns out that Nate and Polly share more than their "gunfighter eyes". Polly is every bit as strong and determined as her father.Nate's plan is to disrupt the Aryan Steel businesses until Crazy Craig rescinds the warrant. It's a kind of desperate plan that is made shakier by the involvement of crooked cops. There's a lot of violence in this book so if that disturbs you look elsewhere. However I thought it was a very well written, fast paced and extremely involving crime novel. It doesn't seem to have gotten much attention so far, and that's too bad. I'm looking forward to the author's next book. I listened to the audiobook and the narration by David Marantz was very good.
    • 5/5
      Honestly one of my favorite books of all time. I’ve listened to this audiobook three times now. Easy to see why he won the Edgar award. This is sensational writing.
    • 5/5
      Excellent fast paced thriller with a delightful dark edge. Never heard of the author before (it came up as a recommendation), but I thoroughly enjoyed it and will definitely come back for more.
    • 5/5
      I’m a little surprised at how much I loved this story. This was a random book for me to choose and it made me smile. I’ll have to say the bear was an adorable touch and Scuddy was my fav!!
    • 5/5
      This was a piece of incredible writing. Well done, Mr Harper. Brilliantly narrated.
    • 5/5
      What a team! He’s a freshly released ex-con with a death sentence as payback. She’s his lonely, anxiety ridden daughter with a sassy/bold teddy bear as an alter ego. They are on the run for their lives. Nothing cutesy here. It’s noir-ish and too real. I couldn’t put it down. The way these two affect each other felt real. Edgar Award for Best Debut novel in 2017 was clearly deserved. Highly recommend.
    • 5/5
      An extraordinary--and extreme--coming of age story. An 11-year old girl becomes caught up in her father's fight against an Aryan white power gang that has killed her mother and put a death sentence on her and her father as well. Perhaps in retrospect, it isn't all too believable, but Harper makes you believe it--even the bear. Just read it, or listen to the well-done audiobook. This is about as good as it gets. The transformation--or perhaps revealing--of the characters of father and daughter are utterly fascinating. Throw in some memorable bad guys and a strange detective who is searching for them, take a detour to Slab Town, and you're in a world you don't even want to fly over on a plane. Read it!
    • 5/5
      a damn beautiful hard read.
    • 3/5
      This was very well written, but I didn't like the story line nor all the violence.
      Nate has gotten out of prison, but he is the target of a gang that is after him for a murder in prison. The gang targets his ex-wife and 11 year old daughter, Polly. Nate wants to protect them, and takes Polly with him to save her. Polly becomes involved in the robberies and murder spree that Nate takes to try and call off the hit.
      Very graphic, lots of drugs, violence, corruption.

      #SheRidesShotgun #JordanHarper
    • 5/5
      ll-year-old Polly has "outlaw eyes" like her Pa; she shares his blood, too. When he kidnaps her from school, she becomes involved in a Bonnie-and-Clyde life of crime. In addition to the thieving (needed $$ to survive) there is a bounty on both of their heads. This is a classic page-turner and a close look at tough-living people on the fringe. Characters include murderers on death row, crooked cops, drug kingpins and couriers. Adult content is necessary but not gratuitous.
    • 5/5
      Winner of the 2018 Edgar Award for best debut novel, this is the audio equivalent of a real page-turner (though I’m never tempted to listen at 2x speed!). When Nate McClusky leaves prison after refusing to work for the dangerous gang Aryan Steel, a death warrant is issued for him and his family. He finds out how determined the killers are when he discovers his ex-wife and her new husband murdered, and realizes his eleven-year-old daughter Polly will be next. He picks her up at school before the killers find her, and the chase is on. They’re practically strangers to each other, as he’s been incarcerated for most of her childhood. She’s a quirky kid, shy and smart as a whip, teddy bear in tow.Nate hasn’t had much parenting experience, but he warms to the role, and two have terrifying—and sometimes heartwarming—adventures roaming Southern California, as they gradually become partners in evading their would-be killers as well as the police. Betrayal is a constant anxiety. Based on the premise—the criminal dad, the kid—I didn’t think I’d like this book as much as I did, no small part of which relates to David Marantz’s excellent narration of the audio version.
    • 5/5
      Just about to be released from prison Nate kills the brother of a hate group Aryan Steel. He and his family now have a contract on them to be killed. He goes home to find his "woman" and her new boyfriend dead already. He rushes to the school and picks up his 16 year old daughter (Polly) and off they go on a bloody series of adventures to keep themselves alive. This is a really fast paced action packed novel and I can see why it got the acclaim that it did. This is a major movie waiting to be made.
    • 4/5
      Easy to see why this won the Edgar. Hard-boiled debut novel about a recently released inmate, his daughter and their life on the lam to avoid a gang death sentence. Very compelling debut.
    • 4/5
      Nate McClusky is just out of prison. He knows his life and that of his family is in danger as crazy Craig Hillington president of Aryan Steel, has put out a death threat on Nate, his ex wife Avis and his daughter Polly. Crazy Craig has already murdered Avis..."knifed dead in the dark on the bedroom floor"..... but can Nate save Polly from the threats of the assassins bullet. He collects her from school and there then starts a cat and mouse game with Nate trying to save his daughter from those who might do her harm. He was trained in the art of bank robbery by his dead brother Nick and uses these skills now to wreak revenge on those hell bent on his destruction. He has a need to gain the trust and possibly the love of Polly especially as he has neglected her for so long. Police officer Park assigned the task of looking into the death of Avis soon finds himself embroiled in a much more complicated and dangerous situation when he discovers that she was murdered some 12 hours after McClusky's prison release....is there a connection here?This is hard boiled noir tale that successfully blends the badness and anger of Nate McClusky with the innocence and youth of Polly whose one real friend "Bear" is nothing more than a child's teddy yet always a confidant and protector. A Lesson in Violence is also a coming of age story showing that the bond existing between a daughter and father is resilient to the harsh realities of life. As the story progresses Nate comes to the realization that he needs the warmth and respect of his daughter more than she needs him.This novel grabbed me from the opening page..."She wore a loser's slumped shoulders and hid her face with her hair, but the girl had gunfighter eyes"......and continued with some beautifully observed prose...."That was the way Polly felt, that outside she was quiet and calm but inside her acid winds roared"......"Rod was the king shit of the Nazi Dope Boys"......"That soon as you found something to live for, you found something to die for too. But he guessed in the end it was a good trade"......A neatly observed crime story that successfully pays homage to the writings of such notorieties as Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett and Jim Thompson and at the centre is one cool hero Polly and her close companion "Bear" Recommended.
    • 4/5
      "True Grit" meets "Dirty White Boys" and channels James Ellroy.Winner of the 2018 Edgar Award for Best First Novel, "She Rides Shotgun" is a melting pot of inspiration and influences that makes for a compelling thriller. Its main protagonist is 11-year-old Polly McClusky who is swept along by her ex-con birth father Nate in his attempt to save her from a whole-family death warrant declared by a prison-based convict gang. The style borrowings are not overdone and are more along the lines of tributes. Those familiar with James Ellroy's repetitive, staccato, telegram style will easily recognize it in places. The heart of the book though is Polly and the gradual revealing of her intelligence and fortitude in the face of extremely grim circumstances. In particular there are hints of possible photographic memory skills which may be developed further if this becomes the basis for a continuing series.
    • 5/5
      2017 Edgar winner for best first novel and it deserved it. The plot line is a good fresh twist in the fertile soil of crime fiction. Polly, Nate, Teddy Bear...what's not to like in those characters. This is a fast read. Harper gets it done in short order with a master's touch. You can tell when an author loves the setting so great, gritty servings of LA, Stockton and the hard scrabble desert are all part of the recipe. I think we'll be seeing more of Polly and you'll find me up there towards the head of the line.
    • 5/5
      Like a rocket-propelled grenade, this novel just blows it all out. Think Ryan and Tatum O' Neal in Paper Moon, a father- daughter team committing legendary exploits. Think Mack Bolan in Pendleton's War Against the Mafia with a lone one-man, one-little girl, and one ferocious bear against the united might of the Aryan Steel prison gang. What really makes this novel purr like a slick race car is that Harper takes the rough, nasty, vicious world of prison gangs, meth heads, no-holds-barred retaliation and juxtaposes it with an eleven-year-old misfit princess who carries around a teddy bear and acts as if it's alive. What a team these two make as, with Polly riding shotgun, they make like Robin Hood and go to war. Without Polly, it would just be another nasty crime story with a desperate man on the run with every hand against him. This is the good stuff.
    • 4/5
      Not too long ago I read another book with a plot somewhat similar to this novel. A criminal father raising his daughter alone, after his wife was killed. I had a huge problem with that novel and the parenting within, so why then did I love this one? In the first book the father had a choice, he could have left his daughter to be raised by her grandmother, in this Nate has no choice. There is no one else, nowhere he could leave her where she was safe, and everything that follows is to try to ensure Polly's safety.Nate and a young Polly were fantastically drawn characters, the way their relationship developments seemed true to life. It is a violent book, but anytime you have drugs and gangs this is generally the case. A well paced story and an addictive one. A debut novel with one very smart author. Often the characteristics that make a story memorable for me are the little details that add to and provide a personal element. In this one it is the watermelon colored hair and that darn teddy bear, two visuals I will not soon forget. The teddy bear provided humor to a story that was anything but humorous, but also enforced the vision that Polly was indeed a young girl, who out of necessity had to grow up quickly. The first book I mentioned I don't even remember the title of, but this one I won't forget.