Customer Reviews

Shakedown

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Shakedown is a terrific novel about hustling in Las Vegas, in oh so many ways. It follows FBI Agent John Novak as he tracks down a set of leads that point to a Las Vegas kingpin. There's deceit and double dealing aplenty, copious amounts of blackmail, mob hits, and all the glamor of Las Vegas. Ironically for Petievich, there are 'bad guys' who are more appealing than some of the good guys, and a constant parade of willing suckers lined up to be fleeced in almost every conceivable way.

More ambitiously plotted than his novels about Charles Carr, this one holds together quite well and is as good as To Die in Beverly Hills, which I loved. This is another book that is impossible to put down, but is a heck of a read. The last 50 pages defy any one to put them down.

Highly recommended.

FBI Agent John Novak is a member of the Organized Crime Task Force in Los Vegas. The Task Force is a parking lot for losers, dead-enders and problem employees of one kind or another. The Justice Department lawyer who heads the Task Force is a major tool. But Novak has some pretty good investigative skills, and he wants to bring down the head of the Vegas Mob. His pursuit of the Mob Boss brings him into contact with some colorful characters who have pulled some neat capers. I can't say much more without giving too much away, but know that the writing is lean -- direct and to the point. And the story feels real. It has some guts and grime, not like one of those "written so it can become a TV movie on The Romance Network" police stories that they sometimes try to slop us with. If you are interested a gritty look at a less than perfect hero on the job in Vegas, this book is for you.

Nobody does this better. The ingredients: a former Las Vegas cop turned shakedown artist; a Las Vegas mobster with an informant in law enforcement; a tired but obsessed FBI agent with his eye on the prize--putting the mobster away; a lady judge with an eye for the agent, a small-time financial grifter with an eye for the shakedown artist, a careerist paper pusher constraining the government's investigation and looking out for number one; some hoods who specialize in car bombs and, finally, the FBI agent's loyal partner.

Shake and stir and watch the plot lines crisscross on the way to a very satisfying conclusion.

This is Petievich's turf: the shadow land between top federal agencies and bottom feeders on the edge of the gutter--the world of the federal working stiff with a thirst for justice; the world of the semi-professional criminal, holding on from day to day.

I have liked all of Gerald Petievich's novels. If there is an overlooked classic it may be To Die in Beverly Hills, but all are excellent and Shakedown is a very worthy addition to the list. So meet Eddie Sands, shakedown artist extraordinaire, and meet Special Agent John Novak as he tries to take down Tony Parisi. Set in San Pedro, Beverly Hills and (principally) Las Vegas, this is a fast read that will not disappoint.

If you are a fan of Las Vegas, and great mysteries, this book is for you. The lean prose keeps the pace exciting, and this book is a lot of fun, just like the author's other works. I wish he would have written more of them.

"'Shakedown' is exciting, tough and gritty, superbly written with never a false note either in style or in characterization...Put this book high on your list. It is as good as they come." - New York Times Book Review 6/26/88

"Petievich joins Dutch Leonard and Jimmy Cain as the kind of guy whose books you can't stop reading, even though you're afraid they're going to end soon." - Tom Dowling, San Francisco Examiner 4/29/88

"I read 'Shakedown" without even coming up for air, and when I finished I felt shaken down, myself. This is first-rate stuff." - Stuart Woods

"...this is mean, shifty, and fast enough the keep thick-skinned readers nicely on edge." - Kirkus Reviews

done that, and it shows. His writing is lean and sharp. A fun read with no bs.