Customer Reviews

Shakedown (Pinnacle Books Fiction)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Shakedown was my first Joel Goldman mystery,but won't be my last. You will be inexorably drawn into the world of FBI agent Jack Davis,an unlikely protagonist with a tendency to shake at the worst possible moment. The characters are compelling and the plot twists will keep you turning the pages through to the satisfying end. A warning to all true detective fans, you will not be able to stop. I immediately ordered The Dead Man, and since consuming that in an afternoon, am hungry for more. I guess I will have to satisfy my cravings by going back to his prior series until he cranks out the next Jack Davis thriller.

FBI Agent Jack Davis is in the process of getting divorced, he's fighting a never-ending battle to keep his daughter straight, he lost his son to a child-molesting killer, and he's afraid that his daughter's boyfriend may be a corrupt agent. Developing uncontrollable shakes is not the best way for him to deal with his problems, but that's what his body has decided to do. When he starts shaking at the scene of a mass murder--which took place on a group he was actually investigating--he's suspended from his job and given a strong message that he won't be welcomed back until the doctors give him the okay.

But Jack is certain he saw something in the darkness. He can't just back off and let the team he built mess up the case. And when he learns that his daughter might be involved, he becomes a bulldog after any evidence that will prove her innocence. In the meantime, he's got a sexy witness expert, and a sexy near-ex-wife who both seem interested.

Author Joel Goldman keeps up the suspense as Jack digs himself more and more deeply into trouble. Relying on friends, providing only partial information to his former co-workers in the FBI, and boning up on the techniques for reading microexpressions, Jack seems determined to learn the truth--no matter how much it hurts. For the most part, the story works. With his multitude of problems, Jack is sympathetic. That his dog loves him and two women are attracted makes him admirable, as well. Since he's doing the crazy things he does for his family, for his daughter, we're prepared to cut him a lot of slack.

Ultimately, Goldman relies a bit too much on coincidence. It's a coincidence that the killer happens to murder right when Jack is unable to see. Another coincidence when Jack catches a look at a possible suspect running from the scene. Yet another that he happens to learn about connections between his daughter, her boyfriend, and possible suspects--connections you'd think would be closely hidden. Still, the story is strong enough that I'm willing to cut Goldman a fair amount of slack.

Jack Davis is an FBI Special Agent in Kansas City. His wife is divorcing him and has already moved most of the furniture out of their house. Their only remaining child, Wendy, is out on her own and dating Colby, an FBI agent who is undercover - something Jack finds very risky. And now someone is systematically killing the crack dealers that Colby is involved with - and there are few clues.

In the middle of one crime scene, Jack suddenly gets the shakes and loses sight of a possible suspect. He is put on administrative leave and knows he's one step from his career being over - unless he can solve the crime. But officially he's off the case and without the resources that he is used to having.

He knows the suspects, he has questions, but no answers, and he has help from some unlikely friends, including a Kansas City Police detective and a psychologist who specializes in jury consulting and micro expressions - tiny fleeting facial movements that most people can't see, but that enable her to read people like a book.

Goldman does a wonderful job of painting characters that you can care about - including some of the people that end up being villains. His descriptions of Kansas City will make you feel as though you lived there. The ethical and psychological dilemmas he has given Jack Davis, including those surrounding the abduction and death of his son some years earlier, will have you feeling the same emotions of helplessness, anger, commitment, and hope that Jack does.

Armchair Interviews says: Book really touches emotions.

Shakedown provides a fun reading experience with plenty of intrigue and action. The fact it is based in Kansas City is a bonus, as I currently live there. Just like any movie or book that is based in a place you have been or lived, it just brings it to life. Goldman does a great job with KC, giving readers a glimpse of the hood, the suburban monotony and the pretty parts of the town. It is also nice to have a flawed protagonist. We could all be heroes, but none of us are perfect either. : )

I really liked this book! I'm a devotee of Coben, Baldacci, and Cussler and found this book very enjoyable. I will certainly read more from Joel Goldman. Characters are well developed and likeable (or not), and certainly very human. Jack Davis (the main character) is competent, bordering on gifted when it comes to his detective skills, but vulnerable and inept with his personal life. He projects a rogue quality, crossing the line of unprofessionalism without being unethical.

Goldman's multiple story lines weave into a comprehensive unit, with good plot twists, misdirection and surprises, without being contrived. He bases the story in the Kansas City, KS area which apparently he is intimately familiar with, and his descriptions of the inner workings of the FBI would lead me to believe that he has some experience there as well. I look forward to the further adventures of Jack Davis and hope he can manage to not screw up his personal life much worse while he tracks the bad guys.

The only negative with my Kindle edition is that every time the letters "FL" appeared together they were replaced by a "?". "af?uent, ?uid, af?liction, ?ow, etc." I was ?ustered at first, but eventually the ?aws just ?y by. I'd deduct 1/2 star for the glitch if I could.

Why haven't I read books by this author before now? If they are all like this one, I'll be reading Goldman's entire list!

Shakedown (Jack Davis Thrillers) is a fast-paced police procedural that is very well-written and very well-researched. The story takes place in Kansas City and opens with the first two chapters introducing the reader to several drug dealers and a seemingly mild-mannered neighbor who isn't so mild. Dialect is thick here, but necessary. Read on, you'll be glad you did!

The main character is FBI Special Agent Jack Davis who has staked out the residence of Marcellus Pearson, a well known drug dealer. But before he can say "shakedown," everyone in the house is murdered. As Davis doggedly pursues the trail of the killer, he must come to grips with events in his personal life as well. His wife is about to be an ex-wife, his daughter's choice in partners, also FBI, is questionable, and he is battling an unknown illness. But dogged he is and the pace of the book never slows down!

This is an original, well-plotted, fast-paced thriller that kept me reading non-stop. All the characters were well-seasoned and I felt as if I knew them personally. The multiple twists in the story kept me guessing right up to the end. I highly recommend SHAKEDOWN! Read it and enjoy. I know I surely did! Now, on to the next Jack Davis thriller, The Dead Man (Jack Davis Thrillers)!

I liked the book. It was an easy read. I thought that there would be more "meat" to it based on the reviews I had read. It was OK though.

I wasn't so thrilled with this thriller. I mean it started out okay but became a bit tedious in the middle. I found Jack Davis to be a not so believable character. When his daughter goes missing, he still maintains his sense of humor and sarcasm. I would be devastated! The protagonist in general comes pretty close to John Corey, a character whom Nelson DeMille created in his terrorist thrillers. Who would imagine that the girlfriend in Shakedown of Jack Davis has the same name as the girlfriend of John Corey and that is - Kate! It seems to me like a copycat kind of book and really wasn't that impressed.

I can't really say how the story is because the language is so poor I couldn't even finish the first chapter. The slang and the phonetocally spelled slang was so horrible it didn't let me absorb any of the story. If you don't care about spelling and grammar and cursing then maybe you will be able to get through this book. But it just wasn't for me.

I'm about halfway through and although the plot has me intrigued (and so I'm going to go ahead and give it a three star rating), the substitution of a question mark any time there is an "FL" combination is so distracting (ex: ?ooring, ?at, ?ash). I am just thankful that none of the characters has a name with an "FL" in it!