Bagman

Rating:
Summary: Top Of The Line Reading!
Review: This was one book that I thoroughly enjoyed.Kyra,an ecological
activist,is kidnapped in the Galapagos Islands. Her father is
billionaire Jake Rynerson and the kidnappers want his money.
Simon Leonidovich professional courier is hired to deliver the ransom money.Kyra has been kidnapped by a professional mercenary
known as El Pato.He never leaves a living witness.Simon soon determines that El Pato has a partner within Jake Rynerson's
empire.When Simon makes the delivery he figures out that El Pato
does not intend to leave anyone alive.It is then a race against time to save Kyra and find out who the accomplice of El Pato
really is.This is truly a good book.You will enjoy it.











Rating:
Summary: Bagman
Review: A thrilling ride! Kept me on the edge of my seat and turning pages into the early morning hours! Even better than his first book The Courier. Remember the name Jay MacLarty!

Rating:
Summary: Couldn't put it down
Review: I just finished reading The Bagman. I found it to be even better that MacLarty's first book The Courier. I was still turning pages at 3am. An Indiana Jones type thriller.

Rating:
Summary: First-rate novel with memorable characters & brilliant plot
Review: If you sometimes overlook the paperback racks at your local bookstore, drugstore or supermarket, then you're missing some very good, even excellent, reading.

One of these excellent reads would be BAGMAN by Jay MacLarty. MacLarty is an extremely interesting guy, with an affable personality matched point for point by his literary talent. BAGMAN is his second novel, and MacLarty, going with what worked so well in THE COURIER, returns to the world of professional courier Simon Leonidovich and ups the ante just a bit, resulting in another four-star winner.

MacLarty has an uncanny ability to create instantly memorable characters. Though he has several swirling in and out of the plot of BAGMAN, there is no danger of forgetting any of them or of confusing one for another. First on the list, of course, is Leonidovich, courier to the rich and famous. Priceless objects, millions of dollars in cash, important documents...if you need something moved safely from Point A to Point B, Leonidovich is your go-to guy; he's the best at what he does.

Leonidovich is in the midst of his birthday celebration when he gets tapped by Big Jake Rynerson for a job that is a bit out of Leonidovich's bailiwick. Rynerson is a self-made billionaire, an affable and congenial owner of the best resort hotel in Las Vegas. He can by turns be a great friend and a powerful enemy. When Kyra Rynerson-Saladino, Big Jake's estranged daughter, is kidnapped in the jungles of South America and held for ransom, Big Jake pulls out all the stops. Leonidovich feels under-qualified for this type of job, but reluctantly agrees to take it. He soon finds himself in South America, with little to rely on but his wits and his considerable and varied contacts stateside.

Even before he leaves the comfortable environs of Big Jake's hotel, however, it is frighteningly clear that there is someone in Big Jake's circle of family and friends who does not want Kyra back, and accordingly does not want Leonidovich to succeed. Leonidovich thus finds himself caught between the kidnapper, who is a brutal, mysterious figure --- known only as El Pato --- and someone who is in Big Jake's own camp. Kyra, meanwhile, is aware that her captor has no intention of releasing her, whether he receives the ransom money or not. So she begins taking her own steps to effect her rescue --- even as her time is quickly running out.

No one other than MacLarty is writing books quite like BAGMAN right now. His grasp of information on many topics, and his ability to make it understandable --- and readable --- to his audience, is first-rate. Combine that with a brilliant plot, where time is short and getting shorter, and you have BAGMAN, an at-the-top addition to this year's must-read shortlist. Very highly recommended.

--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

Rating:
Summary: A good sequel
Review: Kept me guessing up to the end. I knew Simon would come through, but getting there was well worth the time. I liked it better than The Courier, and look forward to Simon's next adventure.

Rating:
Summary: Much improved thriller Mr. MacLarty!
Review: The first book in the series, The Courier felt like a book that was written with an outline and kept too simple. However,the best part of the book was Simon. This book is a quantam leap forward. It is far more engrossing. The characters are much sharper and well defined. Jake is fascinating and Caity is intriguing. The book does not skimp on thrills either. I'm so glad that MacLarty stays true to the character. Simon is still a bit overweight and mourning the death of his true love. My only issue with this story is the lack of a motive for the "inside" partner to the Duckman. Why did this person do it? I wasn't convinced. However, that is really minor. The book is great fun.

Rating:
Summary: engaging thriller
Review: Though pregnant (and divorced), Dr. Kyra Rynerson-Saladino visits the Galapagos Island archipelago to honor her retiring mentor septuagenarian Elsworth Marshall. However, one of the donors Peruvian land owner Luis Acosto needs help for his four year old daughter who was bitten by a bushmaster snake. Elsworth gets Kyra, who flew her own plane here to take father and child to a hospital. En route, Luis abducts Kyra, daughter of the wealthy billionaire Big Jake.

Though estranged from his daughter because of his leaving her mom years ago, Jake is desperate to bring his beloved child home safely. He hires a reluctant "birthday boy" Simon "Bagman" Leonidovich to "pay" the kidnappers. However, the South American abduction expert Leo Geske paints quite a dangerous picture depending on who snatched Kyra as kidnappings have become a major enterprise in South America. As Simon begins the extraction, he realizes a member of Big Jake's inner circle is partnering with the kidnapper; he just prays that it is not Caitlin Wells, who he is falling in love with.

BAGMAN is an engaging thriller that hooks the reader the moment that Kyra realizes she has been abducted until the final confrontations as Simon is not sure whether Geske or Caitlin is the partner. Though "Luis" is too stereotyped as a cruel abusive South American kidnapper and no information surfaces on the child once the seizure occurs, fans will enjoy the heart pumping thriller. Jay MacLarty delivers a fast-paced winner that will send fans seeking Simon's previous appearance as THE COURIER.

Harriet Klausner