REQUIEM AT MONZA (RUTHLESS TO WIN) [Kindle Edition]

Dakota Franklin (Author), Andre Jute (Editor)

Book Description

REQUIEM AT MONZA
by Dakota Franklin
WINNER, the Best of the Independent eBook Awards 2012

“There is something about me you should know, Ludo. I try hard for what you might call sophistication, but underneath the veneer I’m a barbarian. My violent instincts have been nurtured, trained, honed to perfection by my family, my community, my government and my peers, for instant, mindless application.”

Jack Armitage has been accused of murder, a charge that could bring down his auto racing empire. Joanne is the help hired from Harrington's to extricate him from the mess.

Tall, beautiful and lethal, to keep her Armitage companions alive, Joanne has to steer a deceitful, violent course through Italian legal and judicial corruption, the Mafia, crooked police, and a growing body count. Even taking a bullet for the President didn't prepare her for this!

Requiem at Monza is the second novel launched in Dakota’s great new series
RUTHLESS TO WIN

"I thought the characters were great. I was swept along.”
— Joo's Book Reviews

Product Details

• File Size: 1346 KB
• Print Length: 449 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: CoolMain Press (April 19, 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B007W0MZV8
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #139,605 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #37 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction > Sports > Miscellaneous > Motor Sports

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Requiem at Monza April 22, 2012

By Joo (in UK)

This is the second book in the "Ruthless to Win" series. I haven't yet read the first one "Le Mans" but I didn't feel like I was missing lots of important information. As far as I can tell, all the books in this series will be set in the same world of motor racing with a family of characters, but will all be different stories with a different area and different main characters, the other ones just "walk ons".

This book seemed to be a lengthy one. The plot was about a racing car crash, and the investigation into what caused it in the murky world of the Italian Camorra.

I thought the characters were great. I felt the story dragged a bit for the first part of the book, however as it progressed and got more into action, then I was swept along. I shall definitely bump Le Mans up my list now.

* I bought this from Amazon's UK site which is why it doesn't say "Amazon Verified Purchase"

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Complex thriller with intimate knowledge of the racing world May 15, 2012

By Matthew Posner

Amazon Verified Purchase

I received this book as an advance review copy but then purchased a copy for myself.

Requiem at Monza is the second book in Dakota Franklin's Ruthless to Win series about the European racecar scene. It is not necessary to have read the first in order to enjoy this book, although now I plan to!

This is an incredibly detailed, character-filled thriller that shows intimate knowledge of the racing world as well as intricate understanding of race car engineering that should fascinate any car enthusiast. A large part of the story is set in Italy, giving elaborate and satisfying views of the Italian legal system also.

The novel follows the story of Joanne Bartlett, a tall, sexy Southern girl who is expert in security, combat, accounting, and brinksmanship. Joanne is an ultracapable heroine in most ways, with an appealing voice, whose vulnerabilities have to do with her rural upbringing and her large physical size (an obstacle to getting with the right man). Her voice is consistent and satisfying. Joanne's assignment is to help clear racing boss Jack Armitage of the charge of murder through sabotage of one of his own cars. An excellent supporting cast of engineers, manipulators, and ultracool racers assists Joanne as she makes her way through the corrupt, high-finance, deadly world of Italian crime and politics, working her way to the solution of the mystery of who sabotaged a crashed racecar and how the Camorra, the North Italian Mafia, are involved. This is a world full of unlimited expense-account living, glamour, fashion, elegance, sophistication, seduction, and murder; the characters are all literally the best in the world at what they do, working their way through the mystery with savoir faire and a distinct je ne sais quoi.

Requiem at Monza is a long book structured to alternate between tension and rest, going from peaceful moments of chat and debate and meals in high-class restaurants to furious action. The majority of the plot advances through dialogue as the characters explain their thoughts, verbally spar, flirt, insinuate, and intimidate their way through the most fashionable locations in Northern Italy. Exposition, and there is plenty, has a Da Vinci Code feel as experts deliver long technical explanations. I had trouble visualizing a lot of the details of racecar engineering, but I am not a car enthusiast, and these details, written for the racing fan, can easily be glossed over.

I don't recommend reading this book at little at a time, as it is highly complex. Set aside a good block of time to devote to it (I read it during long subway trips) and you will find the time melting away as you turn the pages.

Summary: an excellent thriller about the high-class, high-stakes world of international racing, with an appealing heroine. Dakota Franklin can stand shoulder to shoulder with the best thriller writers working today.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent book August 3, 2012

By Willow

I won a review copy and I enjoyed the book. A very hard to put down book once I started reading it. I give it five stars.