Big Money
By Jack Getze
Hilliard & Harris Publishers, $16.95
ISBN: 978-1591-33239-8

Things had been going well for Austin Carr right up until the naked woman pulled a gun on him. Once living in a truck camper, drowning in debt, and prevented by a restraining order from seeing his kids, Carr now has an apartment, sees his children regularly, and even with a suspended stockbroker's license is working as a consultant for a New Jersey investment company. However, things started to go downhill fast when the head of the firm departed for Tuscany, leaving Carr with instructions to watch over the man's daughter and keep her from her psychotic ex. Carr has definite reservations, which prove legitimate when Ragsdale takes the woman hostage at gunpoint and Carr has to resort to calling Tony, a man with lots of muscle and even darker ties. He's also the one thing standing between Carr's company and a bookie who wants Carr to launder money or risk the lives of his friends. A scary Mama, gunplay, and three women who are as attractive as they are deadly all lead up to a confrontation with a gun-wielding vixen clad only in his socks.

This fast read has enough complications for a novel twice its size, and its humor balances out the potential for serious bloodshed. Over-the-top characters make this a lively read for lovers of caper comedies. Carr tends to be motivated more by his libido than his brains, yet his affability and smart mouth has the reader cheering for him. This is an enjoyable read that is both satisfying and entertaining.

Review by CINDY CHOW

©2009 Lorie Ham. All rights reserved.