A fun, easy read but not a groundbreaking addition to the Hard Case Crime library
344747
It is 1958, and Joe Martin is the last private casino owner left on the Vegas strip. The mob has decided its finally time to push him out. Their plan is simple: Stake the worlds best craps player, Belo, and send him in to bankrupt Joes casino during a non-stop 3-day gambling siege.

This would be a preposterous premise in todays high-tech, corporate-owned version of Vegas, but everybody has heard the urban legends of big-time gamblers called whales who could bankrupt a casino over the course of a good weekend in the 1950s.

It is interesting to note the author would have certainly been familiar with these stories; he lived only 3 blocks away from Bugsy Siegel, the mobster who built the first Vegas casino and then was later gunned down by his unhappy partners in his home!

This story is at its best when it focuses on Skip, the head of casino security, as he tries to outmaneuver the shenanigans of the mobsters. Skip seems to be the brains; Joe simply stares down Belo over the tables and fights exhaustion for 200 pages.

The story is at its worst when it focuses on the maudlin love story between Joe and a visiting schoolteacher, or on the trivial subplots of Mal Davis the bar pianist who tries to save every showgirl and damsel in distress he meets.

I particularly enjoyed the climax of the story, even if it did rely more on Joes luck rather than his brains or brawns. Several seemingly trivial subplots came to bear on the outcome, and the final scenes are both triumphant and bittersweet. With a few plot tweaks here and there, I could not help but wonder if this could be made into a really good movie one day.

This is not a groundbreaking addition to the Hard Case Crime library, but it is a fun, easy read nonetheless.
3794003
The book was an easy read with a fun, flirty plot.  The background, New Orleans, seems to be the best character so far of this series.  I compare reading these books to eating a fun treat.  It's a great way to enjoy an afternoon with this book and when it's over, gives you the feeling of lightness...but it's not substantial.

The writing is good and the plot is put together...fans of this author will see her typical outline so there shouldn't be any surprises on how the plot flows.  Overall, I like the series and recommend the book if you need a quick. light read.
1397580
A fun read but overall pretty light-weight.  Predictable plot & only the idiosyncrasies of the characters provided enough humor to keep me going.  Three stars instead of only two because there's essentially no brutality in an environment of diamond smuggling & Russian Mafia dealings where it might have been plugged in just to sensationalize.
1200654
(May Contain Spoilers)
This title was suggested to me by a friend who shares an appreciation for similar authors.  Although A.K. Alexander delivers a multi-faceted story which keeps your mind working while you ponder the different twists the case may take, I felt the overall writing was pretty simplistic, making for a read that was quick and less appreciated than it could have been.  The developments in Holly's Family Man case came together nicely in the story, until unrealistic elements come into play; the police shrink going to a psychic who brings up her dead husband, for example, the kindly vet offering up details of where his girlfriend went on vacation to a complete stranger, and then, for me, the story began to suffer.  For $2.99 or the free prime rental, I'd most definitely give it a look over if you need something new to read, but I'm not sure how much more I'd recommend this title.
3175528
This is a fun pulp style book that centers on a simple freelance criminal goon that gets double crossed by a woman. It's a say to read and by the end of it quite satisfying to read about all The Outfit heads rolling. There isn't a righteousness to his revenge but it's still enjoyable to see an update nature organized crime outfit get flipped on its head.
2747938
Overall it is ok. It serves well for simple, easy, fast and n0-brainer reading. The author offers to the reader the main character who is dead, but his essence has not gone to the beyond. Whatever that may be. The main character can communicate with a few people, one of which is his main contact. This book is one of a series of books written by the author. I have not read any of the other ones but intend to read another book before making a final judgment of the author's writing skills. All in all the plot is typical and the mystery builds on a a chapter by chapter build up, with many side ventures, till you get to the final two chapters which ultimately lead to the identification of the "grand master mind" of the killings. A Sherlock Holmes thriller it is not, but entertaining enough to hold your attention  To me it is a "pick it up" and "put it down book" It certainly did not grab my attention such that I couldn't put it down as I really wanted to get to the ending. I don't take the author as a serious writer, simply a hobby with a side income.
434806
I took a  chance on these books and I find them light and fun reading.  Pretty good storyline and written in the older-fashion staccato voice of crime thrillers past.  I did find some technical flaws but easily over-looked.  The characters are very likable and the books are a quick read.  I enjoy these types of books as fillers to other reading.  I think I've read three now and I do recommend them for what they are.  A pretty good read all-the-way around.
2428258
I've enjoyed several of the recent books in the Kincaid and James
mystery series, after these two ambitous police detectives are together with their large group of family and friends, so I was very eager to see where the series began and what Duncan and Emma were like before they were a couple.

This first mystery was a bit hard to relate to for me, as I can't
picture exactly what the Yorkshire countryside is like where this
apparently elegant time-share complex is set.  It didn't feel very
elegant -- apparently the pool and hot tub are its big draws, and
there's no restaurant, gym, or spa.  Hiking and poking around the
shops in the local village seem to be the major pastimes.  The
isolated setting gives us a classic group of possible suspects, in the
Agatha Christie manner, once the action starts, and the solo
vacationer, Superintendent Kincaid, is drawn to start investigating.
There are interesting characters, lots of red herrings, and an
exciting climax.  Of course now I want to read the one where Kincaid
and James discover their mutual attraction.

This is an easy read that takes just a day or so.  If you enjoy a
traditional police procedural mystery set in England, this is for
you.
3620684
Marcia Muller, Trophies and Dead Things (Mysterious Press, 1990)
Sharon McCone (in her tenth appearance) has what seems like a routine probate; a well-known Northern California activist and Vietnam War protestor (and acquaintance of her boss), Perry Hilderley, has died. While going through his things, McCone finds a superseded copy of his will, disinheriting his (divorced) wife and their sons, and leaving all of his assets to be divided equally among four people who seemingly have no connection at all to Hilderley. Who are they, and what connection did they have to him?
Muller is often referred to as the founding mother of the hardboiled female detective. All well and good, except there's not much hardboiled here. (My definition: a hardboiled detective is in true physical danger at any point during the story. Otherwise, it's a cozy.) Granted, everyone around McCone is in danger at least once, and some of them wind up dead, but she takes an almost Miss Marple attitude towards this at times; let's get them out of danger, give them a cup of tea, and get back to solving this mystery.
Not that a well-written cozy isn't a lot of fun, and this is a well-written cozy. It does get a bit slow now and again, but like the mysteries of Robert Parker, the McCone novels are that wonderful type of series where the background soap-opera-style info merges so seamlessly with what's going on that you can hop in at any point in the series and be caught up on what's gone on before in a few pages, tops. And it doesn't get in the way of the present story, which is the all-important rule in writing series novels.
If the book does have a failing, and this is something that the individual reader will have to decide, it's in the mystery itself. There really isn't much of a mystery, and Muller lays that on the table from the get-go. The main question here is about what the four beneficiaries of Hilderley's will have in common, and there are enough hints in the opening pages to give you an idea of what will be in the closing ones. But getting there is half the fun, and Muller gives us a wonderful cast of characters to ride with. In other words, with not much mystery and not much danger, Trophies and Dead Things has more of a feel of Jane Smiley than Agatha Christie to it; I had no problems at all with that. Others may disagree. But whatever it is, it's fun. ***
78880
This book is an easy read and I finished it in two days.  There is not much new information about the actual fraud; many of the events described in the book have already been discussed in various articles and newspapers.  There is, however, a significant amount of information about the young Bernie Madoff - his childhood years, college experience and family background.  All of this is interesting reading, but unfortunately gives little insight into the motivation behind the crimes he committed later in life.  The behind the scenes details, especially of the last twenty years, focused more on the outside relationships - how he connected with investors and how he built up his mystique - than on the inside workings of how the scheme was conducted.  Highlights include the fascinating (and appalling) facts regarding the SEC investigation which in essence cleared Madoff just a few years before he was exposed, as well as the allegations (ignored by the government) that were raised for years by a few private citizens.  All in all, it was a worthwhile read but not outstanding.
3079280
The plot line was good and not too predictable.  I did find it a bit difficult to get close to the characters except Mac, the lead detective.  Character development of the principal characters could have been better to raise this from a good yarn to a more rounded piece of literature. This is light, uncomplicated reading for those times when you just want an easy, fast paced read.
1856214
The book is easy to read and pretty interesting.  It's hard to surprise me so I wasn't..... but there are some good twists in the plot.
3874828
I found parts of this story enjoyable, but found something lacking in the criminal aspect to it.  I loved the characters, the romantic relationship, and the setting.  St. Augustine sounds like a wonderful historic town in Florida that I would love to visit.  However, there wasn't much to the suspenseful side of the story.  We don't get a whole lot of information about the serial killer's crimes and it's pretty obvious right from the outset who it is.  In fact, it was so obvious I thought he was a red herring, but no.  Then there isn't really any wrap-up.  We don't get a reason or explanation for the crimes.  I did like the story overall and am glad I read it.  Just be aware there isn't much to the suspense.

I received a free copy of this book from Litfuse Publicity in exchange for an honest review.
2040278
This is the only book in this series that I have read. I thought that Mikes past might be too fabricated maybe even a improbability; lawyer to PI would have been adequate,

I did find some interesting characters and my favorite was Nick the Dick Hanson. Mainly because I found this type of character the most fun when working the boards. I also related to Mike and Rosie because I performed, as the ex-husband, in the play Forty Carats and the couple in this play had the same relationship as Rosie and Mike: they also had a daughter.

This mystery is typical. There is the victim dead in the garbage bin, a dying man with blood on his clothes, the murder weapon in his pocket, and $2k in his pocket. Mike and Rosie decide to take the case after some serious discussion. There are several clues and a missing prostitute who knows, in a biblical way, the victim. By the way, the murder takes place behind an adult club; film at ten.

I felt that the courtroom dialog was a little long for my taste. However, like the rest of the book, the author did a good job in holding it all together.  However, we still do not know where the prostitute is. But fear not! Nick the Dick Hanson is going off to find her.

Therefore, I am going to give the book a Four Star review.
1141398
Tommy and Tuppence have returned in "Partners in Crime." (my apologies -- I cannot seem to determine how to italicize while typing this review)  This book is not as good as the duo's debut in "The Secret Adversary" or their later adventures in "N or M?" but if you are a fan of Christie, you will probably enjoy this book.  Here the young couple set up a sham private detective agency with the assistance of law enforcement in order to bring down a major criminal organization but along the way Tommy and Tuppence solve several mysteries after being hired to locate missing persons, wills, jewels and also manage to solve the odd murder or two.  While doing so, the sleuths adopt the personas of famous historical detectives by employing those detectives' methods of observation and investigation.

A pleasant read but not one of Christie's best books.  Still, I give it a B- because one or two of the short stories has a nice twist that I did not see coming.
3568422
So-so. It is a fun read but you are not missing out on much if you don't pick it up.
971993
This was an easy read but not a great piece of written work. If you like murder mystery it was entertaining enough and I think it was a free download, so for free...it was an appropriate value.