Andrew K. (kuligowskiandrewt) -
Eddie Gianelli is the Pit Boss at the Sands â what says 1960s Las Vegas more than that? Well, how about the fact that Eddie Gianelli's friends include local legends named Sinatra, Martin, Davis (Jr.), and Bishop? Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack are the type of friends that most guys would love to have â but Eddie sometimes wishes that discovering dead bodies didn't seem to come along with the friendship.
In this edition of the ongoing series, Eddie has been asked to provide a little assistance to Sammy Davis Jr. Mr. Davis has suffered a break-in, and a roll of film was taken. That roll of film has a certain photo that the thieves would like to sell back to the entertainer at a tremendous mark-up, and Eddie has been recruited to act in the delivery service i.e. bag-man. Problem: The blackmailer never showed up for the meet. Problem #2: Some dead guy IS laying in the location chosen for the meet. Problems 3, 4, etc. won't become apparent until later in the book â¦
I enjoy reading, but Mr. Randisi succeeded in hooking me into this book to the extent that it was almost painful to have to put it down. When one has to choose between eating and reading, between sleeping and reading, one knows that the author has exceeded in their task of providing an entertaining diversion.
Is the book perfect? Naw â let's start off with a gratuitous appearance by Marilyn Monroe. I can come up with two valid reasons why the author chose to include the scene in this book â one indirectly foreshadows a possible event later in the book, and the other may be setting the reader up for a future book in the series â but I think the reader deserved a bit more direct explanation for the inclusion of those couple of pages. Secondly, when dealing with the private lives of public personas, it can be challenging to balance perception from reality, rumor from fact. Does the author succeed at this? I fear, most of us will never know. However, given that the characters in question and their celebrity friends rarely if ever show a negative emotion, trait, or action, we can suspect that some rose-colored glasses are in employ.
Overall â a most excellent read. This is the 3rd book I've read in the series (the first two centering on Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra), and I certainly look forward to reading others in the series.
In this edition of the ongoing series, Eddie has been asked to provide a little assistance to Sammy Davis Jr. Mr. Davis has suffered a break-in, and a roll of film was taken. That roll of film has a certain photo that the thieves would like to sell back to the entertainer at a tremendous mark-up, and Eddie has been recruited to act in the delivery service i.e. bag-man. Problem: The blackmailer never showed up for the meet. Problem #2: Some dead guy IS laying in the location chosen for the meet. Problems 3, 4, etc. won't become apparent until later in the book â¦
I enjoy reading, but Mr. Randisi succeeded in hooking me into this book to the extent that it was almost painful to have to put it down. When one has to choose between eating and reading, between sleeping and reading, one knows that the author has exceeded in their task of providing an entertaining diversion.
Is the book perfect? Naw â let's start off with a gratuitous appearance by Marilyn Monroe. I can come up with two valid reasons why the author chose to include the scene in this book â one indirectly foreshadows a possible event later in the book, and the other may be setting the reader up for a future book in the series â but I think the reader deserved a bit more direct explanation for the inclusion of those couple of pages. Secondly, when dealing with the private lives of public personas, it can be challenging to balance perception from reality, rumor from fact. Does the author succeed at this? I fear, most of us will never know. However, given that the characters in question and their celebrity friends rarely if ever show a negative emotion, trait, or action, we can suspect that some rose-colored glasses are in employ.
Overall â a most excellent read. This is the 3rd book I've read in the series (the first two centering on Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra), and I certainly look forward to reading others in the series.
