5 Stars!

“The subtitle of the book, “A Heist Misadventure,” sums it up perfectly. The narrator, Nicky Marsh, is partners in a firm that’s nicknamed Swindler & Son. The nickname of the firm should give you a good idea of what they are — con men.

“It’s Christmas and life sucks for Nicky. He’s been mugged on his way home and finds his way to his apartment blocked by high-end police looking for him. That’s before the plot thickens.

“Over the course of only a couple of days, Nicky’s attempts to prove his innocence, get to the bottom of who framed him, and make things right involve him with a rogue’s gallery of great characters, improbable situations, and delightful vignettes.

“I really loved the humor of this book.” – Janet P, Netgalley

5 Stars!

“They live, they love and they lie.

“It was the night before Christmas and Nicky Marsh (a.k.a Sandler) is approached by a spy in the form of Millard Hastings at Sandler and Son’s year end function (insiders know this semi-legit shipping company as Swindler and Son)hosted by the inimitable Harry Sandler, or senior swindler.

“Less than 24 hours after that, Marsh is running for his life (not literally… this is still Paris) from the French Police. His soon to be ex-wife Sara is thrown into the fray with him, again, not literally, these are French kidnappers.

“Nick’s main priority is finding Harry to sort out the mess with the police but Harry is gone, plus it looks like he might be developing dementia. Harry’s lover, a useful computer geek is also looking for the senior swindler. And that’s just the beginning of it.

“A few days later and the group are now running for their lives (literally) in a country where the penal code includes the chopping off of hands that steal. Or swindle.

“Nicky plays the game the only way he knows how, by playing Harry’s Rules. He did not stack it or rig it or choose the players but he must play and play to win, or everyone dies. No. Really. I’m not being over dramatic. Everyone on the Arabian Peninsula – will die.

“TED KREVER does not let us down, he hits the ground running and doesn’t let the reader catch a breath until the very end. The book is presented in the interesting (and in this case – fitting) format of an interview (read interrogation). If it hadn’t been we would have missed Harry’s Rules and I’m beginning to think that politicians could be playing by these rules as well.

“Not that I’m comparing politicians and people of influence to swindlers… I would never do that.

“Mr. Krever’s has a phenomenal plot with a horrific idea thrown in for good measure. However, the heart of the book is about love, don’t let the amount of guns and ammunition certain soldiers are carrying fool you. This is about a son’s love for his not-father and a couple who richotet (bad, really bad choice of words) off each other better than they would off a wall.

“Told you. Really bad choice of words. And when all is said and swindled… That’s about all Nicky has to keep his head on his neck. Words.

“I loved Krever’s characters, they are all created with heart and jolly good humour, before they diverge into their different skins. Like all good authors, I didn’t have to try to read a character, the character was shown to me.

“The research and descriptions of places and objects are (happiness is within my grasp) 100% correct, I checked, he did his research good… But all the research in the world doesn’t help if you can’t put it together in a coherent story, and KREVER has done so, very well indeed.

“I rate this book 5 stars with a strong recommendation to begin reading in the morning because you won’t put it down until you reach the end.

“(Insert multiple clichés here – action packed, thrilling, gob smack right in the middle.)

“Shhhhit, it was dope, dog!” – Colleen L. on Netgalley

5 Stars!

“Great fun read – reasonably predictable, but everyone likes a happy ending. Great for a simple find in Amazon – super holiday reading. Thoroughly recommended.” – James B. on Netgalley

4 Stars!

“Nicky Sandler is a con man in trouble. He’s in the midst of a divorce from a woman he still loves, the French authorities want him in connection with something horrible, and his “father” and mentor Harry is slipping, which may be the reason he’s in trouble in the first place.

“I’ll admit that I was confused by the course of the story on more than one occasion. The first person narrative style was a little bit jarring at times because Nicky Sandler is telling his story during an interrogation, which isn’t evident at first. But give the narrative a chance. Once I got used to the rhythm of it, I found the interrogator’s interjections and equally confused interruptions quite useful.

“What I really enjoyed about the story was characterization. I grew to love Nick as a person and Mr. Krever made me feel like I knew and understood him on a personal level. He resonated, as did Harry and Sara and a host of others. But Nick carries the story by his manner of telling it, and he tells it well — even though I was left a little confused at times.

“Overall, an enjoyable read.” –  DJ R. on Netgalley

4 Stars!

“Despite Nicky Sandler being a conman and swindler of the extremely rich, he seems like a nice guy. He does his best to protect those close to him, such as his partner/mentor, who is showing clear signs of dementia, and his newly ex-wife. He may know kidnapping assassins, but he’d never murder anyone and only wants to keep out from under the nose of the law. That all goes wrong when he’s accused of shipping a bomb into Paris.

“Things quickly go downhill from there, in this fast moving adventure that makes the most of the tools of the rich at Nick’s disposal. Off Nick and crew go, to a small foreign country, searching for his mentally declining partner, who appears to be kidnapped. Never mind that a nuclear weapon is missing and probably in the wrong hands. Nick has to think fast and even faster than the other shady folks that he encounters.

“Thank you to Little David, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), and NetGalley for this Advance Review Copy.” –  Marilyn W. on Netgalley

3 Stars!

“Read This: if you like whodunits and mysteries

“Overall, I thought the book was okay. I really enjoyed the interview writing style of the book. The change from the norm made the book more interesting and the interview style worked really well with the story. After reading the title, description, and viewing the cover, I was excited to be reading a humorous book with a splash of mystery. The beginning was witty, snarky and sarcastic, and I loved every second of it, but the light and fun nature of the book turned very serious. With the beginning of the book being so perfect, I had a hard time moving through the more serious tone in the end. When it came to the characters I felt like I was left wanting more. I wanted to feel more of a connection to the main characters, and I personally kept wondering about the pasts of the characters that lead them to their current place. You would get a little snippet here and there, but not enough developed to fully understand who the characters were. My favorite part of the entire book is the backstory of how Nicholas and Harry became partners. It gave me the details I was craving for, but I still never fully understood the connection between Nicholas and Harry. I was not a fan of the ending, because I felt one of the characters got away without the punishment I felt he deserved. In order to accept the ending, I continue to imagine that someone at least punched him in the eye.” – Heather D, on Netgalley

3 Stars!

“I was in the mood for something light and quick and this did the trick. So it’s a microwaveable burrito of a book. But seriously, I’ve always enjoyed a good con artist story (particularly cinematically), the name is apt because a good con is an art form of a sort, requiring meticulous understanding of psychology among other things. Sandler and Son (unrelated) are a team, (yeah, the Sandlers are Swindlers, how cute is that) and their business is high stakes cons and all is magic until Sandler starts forgetting things in the most inconvenient manner. Old age is no joke, but for a confidence man the lack of confidence is a real killer. So when Sandler disappears, it is up to the Son to find him…cue in thrilling soundtrack to an international adventure, political intrigue and some creative interpretation of the facts. All in the name of the game, love and friendship…although no one says no to money either. Fun story and yes, it would have made a fun movie also. A mindless sort of fun, which is totally ok if you’re in the mood for it, plus made for a nice introduction to a new author, who’s apparently been around, but this is the first time I’ve read him. Thanks Netgalley.” – Mia D. on Netgalley