EXCERPT and GIVEAWAY
Crashers:
A Tale of "Cappers" and "Hammers"
A Tale of "Cappers" and "Hammers"
by Lindy S. Hudis
This book blast and giveaway for Crashers is brought to you by Goddess Fish Promotions. Please be sure to visit the other participating blogs as well.
Description
Fraudulent car accidents is a multi-million dollar racket, involving unscrupulous medical providers, personal injury attorneys, and the cooperating passengers involved in the accidents and who also receive a portion of the illegal proceeds. Such is the fate of newly engaged, Nathan and Shari, whose joy is tempered by the dark cloud of mounting debt. A chance encounter with a stranger in whom Shari confides her troubles, proves fortuitous: he tells her of a get-rich-quick scheme that will put her and her fiance on easy street. Seduced by the chance to move from hard times to good times in no time, she finds herself acting as a stuffed passenger the victim in a staged auto accident. Shari gets her payday, but getting out and breaking free of the insurance fraud underworld will take nothing short of a miracle. A modern day cautionary tale that uncovers how the innocent get lured into the scheme of cappers and hammers.
Excerpt
As the blare of the clock radio on the night table jolted her awake, Shari Barnes rubbed her eyes, blew her long brown hair out of her face, and snuggled into Nathan Townsend’s chest. She curled her body around his middle and took a deep whiff of his salty, masculine neck.
But she couldn’t ignore the voice on the radio.
“Monday morning traffic,” she sighed.
Nathan matched the sigh and put his arms around her. “At least you don’t have to drive over the hill.”
“Yeah, I would just die if I had to drive into Beverly Hills every day to work in a beautiful office.”
Shari giggled and disappeared under their thick blue comforter for a few more moments of sleepy-headed bliss. She felt Nathan stretch up, and a moment later the radio shut off. Then he slid down next to her in the single bed they shared in their Studio City apartment, a few blocks north of Ventura Boulevard. The constant drone and rumble of another L.A. morning came clearly through the open window: cars honking, rock music blaring, the frantic scurrying sounds of the film shoot a few blocks away. Shari ran her bare feet up the inside of Nathan’s thigh.
He jumped. “Shit, your feet are cold.” He pushed her legs off of him.
“What time is it?” she murmured between kisses.
“Um, seven.” He nuzzled her neck and she felt him becoming erect against her.
“No time for that!” She threw off the covers. “Gotta be at work on time for once; gotta get my asp out of bed.”
“There’s a snake in the bed?” Nathan grabbed her with both hands and gave her belly gentle nips.
“Yeah, of the one-eyed variety.”
Shari leaped to the floor and padded naked into the bathroom. She turned the hot water in the shower to high and stepped in, filling the small bathroom with steam.
She had just poured a green drop of shampoo into her palm and was running her hands together when the flimsy yellow and white shower curtain flew back and Nathan grinned in at her. She smiled back, surprised by neither his arrival nor the partial hard-on that preceded him.
“Mind if we join you?” he asked.
“There’s enough shampoo for everybody,” Shari said as she rubbed her hands across her scalp.
He stepped into the stall, pulled the curtain closed and began to lather her hair for her. She put her hands on his back, feeling the taut muscles and the water streaming there, but did not reach down between them. It took him about five seconds to realize it and hold her away.
“You okay?”
“Fine….”
“Don’t lie; I can always tell when you have something on your mind.”
“You know me better than I know me,” she said.
“You know it.” He pushed her wet hair over her shoulders. “Come on, give.”
“I was thinking maybe I should get a second job.”
“You’re worrying about money again?”
“Well, I have to shoot my student thesis film this year or I won’t graduate. But where am I going to get the money I need?”
“How much do you need?”
“At least five figures.”
Praise for the Book
"A split second is what lies between riches and death. Crashers: A Tale of Cappers and Hammers is a novel that explores the insurance fraud underworld, where cappers and hammers scam insurance agencies out of millions. Nathan and Shari, facing debt, are tempted by the big payday, but everything has a catch and Nathan and Shari will soon find it strongly. Crashers is an enticing read of get rich schemes and everything that goes with them." ~ Willis M. Buhle Reviewer - Mid West Book Review
"An action-packed, cautionary tale of three young people with bright and promising futures - who pay a price for the age-old notion of 'getting rich fast'." ~ Suzanne DeLaurentiis, producer of Cheddar
"We love this, and are anxious to see Crashers on the big screen." ~ Rene Leda, Synergetic Distribution
"A riveting page turner." ~ Gerald I. Wolff, casting director, producer of Primary Suspect
"A fast-paced story! Gripping." ~ Ron Russell, author of Don Carina
"Fascinating and in its own way, a bit disturbing ..." ~ Stephen J Downing, producer of Dead by Dawn
Guest Post by the Author (reprinted from her website)
The real-world vocabulary of the capper world:
Capper: The person responsible for recruiting stuffed passengers who will be used to submit fraudulent claims to the insurance companies. Cappers are typically paid a percentage of the total receipts from the false claims. The cappers supply cooperating passengers for the participating attorneys and medical providers.
Stuffed Passengers: Individuals are recruited to make false claims regarding their involvement in automobile accidents. They are typically coached as to the details of the staged or fictitious collisions and resulting fictitious injuries.
Nail Car: The term used for the victim vehicle involved in the staged accident that is hit by the hammer car. The vehicle is often stuffed with passengers, who then file the fraudulent claims with the assistance of legal professionals.
Hammer Car: The term for the "at fault" vehicle in a staged accident that hits the nail car. This car is typically insured, and the insurer is often defrauded of an average of $6000 per claimant per accident.
Kickback: The fees paid to cappers by unethical attorneys and medical providers for the referral of accidents. These payments are often made in cash to conceal them from investigators.
About the Author
Lindy S. Hudis is a graduate of New York University, where she studied drama at Tisch School of the Arts. She is the author of several titles, including her romance suspense novel, Weekends, her "Hollywood" story City of Toys, and her crime novel, Crashers.
She is also the author of an erotic short story series, The S&M Club and The Mile High Club. Her short film The Lesson was screened at the Seattle Underground Film Festival and Cine-Nights in 2000.
She is also an actress, having appeared in the television daytime drama Sunset Beach. She and her husband, Hollywood stuntman Stephen Hudis, have formed their own production company called Impact Motion Pictures, and have several projects and screenplays in development.
She lives in California with her husband and two children.
Giveaway
Enter the blast-wide giveaway for a chance to win an autographed copy of Crashers by Lindy S. Hudis.
Links
