Debut suspense novel from Morgan Hatch: Gone to Ground
Two brothers from the streets of LA headed in a different directions get caught in the crosshairs of a hedge fund fixer.
Currently available on Amazon Vella, coming to Kindle in May 2024.
Javier Jimenez is on a glide path to college while his brother, Alex, has done a 180 and is heading for trouble. Neither, however, have any idea what’s coming their way when George Jones sets in motion his plan for their neighborhood. “Some people flip homes. I flip zip codes.” It’s a cataclysmic vision of urban renewal replete with manmade disasters, civil unrest, and a tsunami of ambitious Millennials.
Meanwhile, Alex and Javier’s feud quickly escalates, even as Alex finds himself in way over his head with Denker Street, the local mara. The bodies start falling, and Javier soon realizes Jones has put a target on his back. It’s time to go to ground. Can he keep Alex from falling further into the streets? Can he outplay Jones at his own game? All this and his own hopes, once so bright, now fading like a smog-shrouded LA skyline.
My Review:
I was so excited to receive a review copy of this book (HUGE thanks to the author!) and I am happy to tell you more about it. It’s fast-faced and very well-written and you’ll find yourself immersed in the story right away. One of my favorite aspects of this thriller is the relationship between the brothers. I know just what it’s like to find yourself on a path very different than your sibling’s and to be powerless to do much about it.
This story could have been written with Javier and Alex as just friends and it wouldn’t have had the same impact. There needed to be that brotherly bond there for it to really have the impact it does. George Jones is positively evil and he plays a nasty game. It’s easy to read him and think of the most evil and selfish person you’ve ever met. I was definitely rooting for Javier to take him down. And I wanted to see Alex redeemed and turn his life around.
The characters are relatable, the pain is real, the action is exciting and will keep you turning the pages – all in all, this is a great read. This may be fiction but this is real life and for those who have lived it, or witnessed it, it’s going to be especially real for you. And if you’re from Los Angeles or familiar with the area, you’ll also recognize a lot of the areas being talked about in the book.
Author Bio:
Having taught for almost 30 years in the Los Angeles public schools, Morgan Hatch now writes about some of the people and places he’s come to know. Residents of Los Angeles, particularly the Valley, will recognize many of the landmarks, though considerable liberties have been taken with the details.
Most of the narrative of Gone To Ground was pulled from the headlines, sometimes with uncanny overlap. Corruption, engineered gentrification, and even bullet train rerouting were page 1 articles in the LA Times during the time at which the novel was written. Learn more at MorganHatch.net