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Saratoga Strongbox: A Charlie Bradshaw Mystery [Large Print] [Paperback]

Stephen Dobyns (Author)
3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)


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Book Description

March 2000
Another winner from the fast-paced racetrack mystery series that gives the reader a run for his money.

The latest, and most entertaining installment yet, in this popular series features the return of Charlie Bradshaw's scheming alter ego Victor Plotz, "without whom the world would be a much stuffier place" (The New York Times Book Review). Victor is as crooked as Charlie is straight, and he'll do anything to make a quick buck, including running up to Montreal to collect a suspicious suitcase for a miserly old man. But when he decides to farm the job out to a bumbling black belt accomplice, all hell breaks loose--and the fun begins. In a slapstick, sinister farce with an unforgettable cast that includes Vic's main squeeze, Rosemary, an Amazon stripper named Sheila, and two kneecapping thugs called Steel and Clover, Victor and Charlie embark on the trail of every deadly sin from dirty money to outright murder. Once again Charlie Bradshaw and his hapless henchmen provide what the Boston Sunday Globe calls "jaunty and colorful, good tongue-in-cheek fun"--and what fans of the series have come to expect.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.


Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Stephen Dobyns is nothing if not prolific: Saratoga Strongbox is his 13th novel in 12 years, and the 10th in his acclaimed Charlie Bradshaw series. His new novel sets Charlie and his sidekick, Victor Plotz, on the trail of dirty money when Victor agrees to collect a suspicious suitcase in Montreal for old man Weber. Unfortunately, when Victor decides to farm the job out to Eddie Gillespie, a bumbling black belt with an overactive conscience, he's quickly embroiled in a fiasco involving kneecapping thugs, an Amazonian snake-wielding stripper, and an overly greedy heir to a money-laundering fortune. Even more anxiety-provoking are Victor's fears that his girlfriend Rosemary, "the Queen of Softness," has been stepping out with a mysterious Dodge-driving Lothario. Make no mistake, Victor and his reactions are the stars of this novel; plot comes a distant--but still enjoyable--second. Victor might best be thought of as Thoreau meets Groucho Marx meets just about any character you can think of from a Samuel Beckett play. An inveterate student of the human condition with a penchant for observing and participating in the myriad absurdities of life, Victor feels his wallet throb whenever anyone mentions a quick buck.

The New York Times Book Review has noted that "Dobyns is every bit as good a writer as Dick Francis." Wrong. When it comes to dialogue and characterization, Dobyns is by far Francis's superior. Dobyns's sardonic humor is ever-present, percolating just under the surface or erupting into dead-on descriptions of the motley characters who populate his novels. Saratoga Strongbox gives the reader a thoroughly rousing ride to the wire. --Kelly Flynn --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

The versatile and prolific Dobyns's solidly entertaining Charlie Bradshaw mystery series reaches its 10th volume (Saratoga Fleshpot, 1995, etc.) in this amusing and farcical caper. As usual, Vic Plotz, friend of the Saratoga PI and always on the lookout for an easy buck, assumes the burden of narrating this tale, in which he gets himself and Charlie into a fine mess involving an ambitious mobster, an old-time money man and his bumbling, love-struck son, a couple of deliciously evil muscle men and a stripper who wears nothing but a snake. When Felix Weber approaches Vic with an opportunity to earn an easy $2000 (all he has to do is pick up a package in Montreal), Vic can't resist, even though he knows he can't do it. But he does know someone who can and willAfor only $1000, leaving Vic with $1000 for doing nothing. Instead, this little scam sets off a ludicrous and hilarious chain of events that ensnarls Vic and Charlie in desperate troubles. The answer to their problems lies in a locked strongbox that seemingly holds the key to everyone else's problems as well. A climactic game of "hot potato" engineered by Charlie provides a wonderful capstone to this slapstick tale.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 258 pages
  • Publisher: Wheeler Publishing (March 2000)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 156895848X
  • ISBN-13: 978-1568958484
  • Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 0.5 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,775,261 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

6 Reviews
5 star:
 (2)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.7 out of 5 stars (6 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars What happened to Charlie?, January 19, 1999
I have read all the "Charlie Bradshaw" mysteries. I feel that the later books are entirely too frivolous with Victor as the main character and narrator. They have a very different feel and it's not one that I like. When Charlie was the star of his own books and Victor his side-kick, the amount of humor was just right. Now the books are just too goofy!
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4.0 out of 5 stars Cute Mystery with Some Local Color, December 30, 2008
By 
I bought this book a while back and was happy to come across it. The mystery is light, nothing too scary or deadly, but it is entertaining. I am from the Saratoga Springs area, so it was nice to read about some references to the city and the surrounding areas in the capital region. Overall It's a fun book. I have yet to read the other mysteries in the series but I have a feeling I will enjoy them.
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3.0 out of 5 stars Vintage Dobyns, but Bring back Charlie Bradshaw!, September 12, 1999
By 
A. Dicenzo (Pepperell, MA 01463) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
For a transplanted Easterner, this book is again like a family reunion.

But please Stephen, bring back the narrative from Charlies point of view. Victor gets a little boring after a while.

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