Customer Reviews

Silent Wager

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Anita Bunkley tells the story of Max and Camille Granville in her novel, Silent Wager. Max and Camille experience a devastating tropical storm that severely damages their supper club, Vendora. The flood from the storm almost destroys the club. Max struggles to pay the bills and his daughter Jaiden's tuition. He tries to gamble to come up with the money. He finds out that gambling is not enough. He keeps the money problems a secret from Camille and Jaiden. Camille finds out when she receives a call from the insurance company. Max has to look for investors and gains a partner that just may have different plans. Business is going good so they all decide to go on a cruise. Things become tragic on the cruise and just may change all of their lives.

Silent Wager is an entertaining novel. This book started off a little slow, but after reading the first couple of chapters it held my attention until the end. This read was well-written and the characters were well developed. I recommend this book to others looking for a read with mystery and intrigue. Although this is my first time reading Ms. Bunkley's work, it will definitely not be my last.

Reviewed by Phyllis Ann
APOOO BookClub

Camille and Max Granville are devastated when a tropical storm floods both their home and business but things quickly go from bad to worse when they find out they also have no flood insurance. Desperate to save their resturant Vendora, Max begins to look for a partner . He finds one in Davis Kepler...a smart businessman with a shady past. At first things appear to be going well as Davis proves to be an asset and Vendora is rebuilt and reopened. But soon Davis begins to show his true colors and Max has to figure out a way to end the partnership. To celebrate the success of Vendora, Max and Camille go on a cruise but tragedy strikes when a fire breaks out and Max is killed. Camille must now put her life back together and deal with an already-rocky relationship with her daughter Jaiden who blames her for her father's death. Soon, Camille is not only fighting to save her business but also her life as Max's secrets along with Davis's true intentions begin to come to light. Silent Wager by Anita R. Bunkley is a suspenseful mystery with a few twists and turns. It is the kind of book you curl up with on rainy day or an day at the beach. I give this book 4 stars. Reviewed by Shay C of PeoplewholoveGoodBooks.

"Anita Bunkley crafts an interesting story of a family that is desperately trying to hold on to their family legacy in Silent Wager. A legacy that dates back several generations and is considered a landmark in Houston Texas."

"This fascinating story begins amidst the terrible Tropical Storm Allison. A flood that almost destroys the supper club Vendora that is owned by Max and Camille Granville. It is discovered that the flood insurance has lapsed and that this family is in desperate need of money to restore the property."

"Max Granville eventually realizes that he must take on a partner in order to rebuild Vendora. He enters into a partnership with Davis Kepler, who is anxious to become a successful businessman. Davis is romantically involved with Lara Stanton an upcoming movie star. He strongly desires to fit into high society and hopes that owning Vendora will give him the prestige that he is seeking."

"After the partnership, business is good at Vendora. Max, Camille, Davis and Lara go on a cruise together. Davis does some heavy gambling while onboard and becomes desperate to recoup his losses. Max becomes concerned about his business partner and wonders if he has a gambling problem. Unfortunately, Max is killed while on the cruise."

"Max and Camille's daughter Jaiden learns about her father's death while away at college. Jaiden has always had a difficult relationship with her mother. She was a daddy's girl, and now is suffering deeply over her loss and blames her mother for the death of her father."

"As the story unfolds the true essences of Davis Kepler's character is made known. Camille tries to recover from her husband's untimely death and discovers some surprising information."

"This is a great read with a little romance and suspense, guaranteed to have you anticipating the next book by this exceptional writer."

Enjoyed this book. Great mystery/suspense with the right level of romance. Great ending. Anita .... keep them comming!!!

Silent Wager is a must-read. The author mixes the right amount of suspense and mystery with a little dose of romance. The ending leaves room for a future story of the lives of Camille and Jaiden.

Silent Wager is about the devastation of a tropical storm that floods Max and Camille Granville's home and business--a supper club, Vendora, in Houston. Since Max let their flood insurance lapse, he looks for an investor to help save the restaurant--it needs a great deal of repair to rebuild it to the majestic landmark that it once was. He finds Davis Kepler, a smart businessman with a shady past. It was a stressful few months, and Vendora is finally rebuilt and reopened. But...now that the financial situation has changed, Max wants to end the partnership. Davis, along with his movie-star girlfriend, Lara, Max, and Camille go on a cruise to celebrate their new successes, but secrets begin to unfold and tragedy strikes. The Granville's spoiled-rich daughter blames her mother for some of the recent events. Camille must make decisions to save her family and the family legacy. Anita has written a mystery filled with suspense!

I had to keep reading to find out what was going to happen next! After finishing the book a few days ago, I'm still thinking about the characters. One of the most entertaining books I've read in a long time. When is she going to write another one???

SILENT WAGER by Anita Bunkley is the story of Max and Camille Granville, an enterprising black couple in Houston, Texas. Using Max's inherited property, they turned the beautiful old house into an upscale restaurant named Vendora in a black neighborhood. Things were going so well that they bought a lovely new home and saved enough money to send their daughter to Brown University; they were living well. Then along came tropical storm Allison. The bayou overflowed right into their restaurant, ruining it. Max had let the insurance lapse and they were now in deep trouble. It would take lots of money to rebuild and repair Vendora, plus they had all their bills to pay. Also, it was time for their rather spoiled, over indulged daughter, Jaiden to leave for the university and Max had promised her a BMW if she maintained a good grade point average. It seemed as if the world was crashing in on them. Then along came Davis Kepler to save the day. He offered Max a deal he couldn't refuse. In desperation, Max signed over 60% of Vendora to Kepler. That's when the fun began. Will Kepler live up to his promises? Or will he show the Granvilles his crooked side?

To relieve the stress that Max and Camille have been feeling, they go on an all-star cruise with Davis Kepler and his movie star girl friend Lara Stanton. At first the cruise is wonderful. Then it turns inexplicably horrible. Secrets begin unfolding and tragedy strikes.

In Bunkley's well-written novel, the characters are so well developed and believable it is easy to identify with both the good and the bad sides of each one. I found myself on the edge of my seat as the story unfolded, waiting for the inevitable to happen. It was an exciting novel that anyone who loves books can enjoy.

Reviewed by Alice Holman
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

Silent Wager was a great read .It was full of suspense and had great characters.Good book for the beach.Anita Bunkley just keeps getting better.