Customer Reviews

Straits of Fortune

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A compelling and well written story of an ex-cop turned personal trainer (due to a set of circumstances beyond his control). Jack Vaughn is a man that most of us ordinary people can relate to. As he struggles to survive in the hot bed of deception called Miami Beach; he finds himself drawn into a treacherous plot by the very people he thought he could trust (almost). Mystery, intrigue, and sultry scenes combine to make this a very enjoyable read and hopefully will be a start to a new series. I can't wait to hear more about Jack Vaughn's exploits!

A thoroughly enjoyable novel, and hopefully the first of many to feature Miami Beach ex-cop/personal trainer/unwilling detective Jack Vaughn. Gagliano has obviously learned from the best, and there will be obvious comparisons to Raymond Chandler, but there's a lot of Ross Macdonald here, too (no insult there -- Macdonald, to me, is one of the most underappreciated practitioners of the genre).

Definitely derivative of those who've come before (and what mystery series isn't?), but with many of its own original touches -- a quick, but satisfying read. Count me in for the next entry in the Jack Vaughn series.

This is the first book by a new author who has an interesting first person way of writing. He writes in first person using the character Jack Vaughn, an ex-cop now a personal trainer living in Florida. Jack sometimes does some unusual sidework and is asked to sink a yacht by a former client, nicknamed the Colonel. There is a catch in that the yacht also contains a dead body of an ex-friend of Jack's, whom Jack's former lover (Vivian) apparently killed and the Colonel wants all the evidence to go away. The Colonel tells Jack that he wants nothing to be tied back to him or his daughter and nobody would ever tie Jack to what happened. For Jack's trouble he will get 100 thousand.

Jack agrees to do the dirty work but immediately suspects something more is afoot when he is acosted by Williams, the Colonel's "Nazi-type" bodyguard. When Jack does the deed he finds out that there is a lot more on the yacht than the Colonel led him to believe and then Jack is hunted by the crazed Williams and has the police after him too. The book moves fairly quick and you are at the end before you know it.

I liked the book and it was a good first effort. Why I didn't give it the full five stars are because:

- It seems a few times like the author tells the story assuming the reader already know things but then later realizes that he left out some things and then throws them in.
- Too many things happen by coincidence. Jack is arrested and sent to a jail where the lead cop's ex-wife just happened to be someone who trained with Jack and she just happens to be a lawyer. Jack contacts her to get him out of jail and she just happens to be related to the dead man on the boat that Jack sunk. Some FBI agents just happen to come to the lawyer's house when Jack is there and just happen to be talking to the lawyer about the dead man, who they are investigating.

The story seems to start slow but when it starts to get rolling it just sure starts to get rolling! Ex-cop and personal trainer Jack Vaughn is hired to sink a yacht that contains the dead body of a blackmailing porn producer. The killer? Jack's former lover Vivian also the daughter of his ex-boss the Colonel.
When he sets out to do the deed the Colonel's thug tries to kill him. Then Jack's on the run from the cops and from the Colone's hitman. Luckily he's got a large crew of people helping him- all of which he met as their personal trainer.
More suspense than mystery this is an action-packed thriller starring a cool macho kind of character.
The writing style was brooding and still straight-forward literate and still easy to read.
An impressive debut.

Straits of Fortune is a kick-you-in-the-face fantastic debut novel by Anthony Gagliano. A NY cop with a shady past has settled in South Florida and gets an unsavory, but tempting offer: sink a boat with a dead man's body on it. Problem is, the dead guy is the porno director who stole his girlfriend. Naturally, bad news ensues: drugs, beatings, espionage, the whole nine yards. I had a great time reading this one: he nails the Florida idiom like the best practitioners of the sub-genre. If you're into this one, I'd recommend a new one by Don Bruns called Stuff to Die For that has a similar set-up and feel.

I am a long time fan of the South Florida mystery/thriller writers from John D Macdonald up to Randy Wayne White, Jonathon King, et. al. Gagliano has written a promising debut novel that certainly qualifies him for this select club in my eyes.

Our hero in this one is Jack Vaughn, a disgraced ex cop turned personal trainer for the wealthy turned reluctant private detective turned disposer of dead bodies for the powerful. In the course of this fast paced novel, Jack encounters mystery, intrigue, government spooks, personal resurrection, and ultimately, betrayal. Little is what it seems to be.

I was most attracted to Jack's damaged psyche and his distrust of others. I especially enjoyed the psychological sparring throughout the novel as represented in the cat and mouse games between Jack and Andrew Patterson, Jack and Vivian, and Jack and Andrew's psychotic bodyguard. I also appreciated the violence and the raw emotions that, at times, seemed to leap off the page. Jack Vaughn is a true flawed loner, carrying a load of baggage, hiding sensitive emotions, yet becoming more "real" by the page.

Obviously, certain doors were left open for a sequel and certainly for a series. I personally will be here to read the further adventures of Jack Vaughn.

Like all good page-turners Straits of Fortune enters a realm where journeys taken under-foot, the passage of a character and ensemble, journeys forward with minor illusory transition points. Many steps are taken yet others merely implied in this stunning debut filled with startling surprises. But no rookie on the street is Anthony Gagliano nor his protagonist Jack Vaughn. Filled with mirroir and memoir THIS crime noir strikes a chord of resonance for reconnaissance. Replete with uncertain moments and left uncertainties on the table, the series of Jack Vaughn, a death defier, wonders what travelling band of troubadours and damsels lies await for avid readers.

I read only suspense novels and it was a pleasure to read this book! Not only did it fulfill my penchant for mysteries, but it was not too gory or only about sex as so many of the new authors' books are these days. Moreover, the author has an ability to combine the right amount of everything, but not too much of one. Meaning, it was suspenseful, entertaining, and to my great surprise...funny! I found myself laughing so much!
Does anyone know if this author has any other novels? I know that this is called his debut novel, but sometimes
people have other books published that are not known to the public. Anyway, I am already searching the shelves for another Gagliano novel. Can't wait!

I don't have a lot of time to read, so I need books that get me hooked from the start, or I put them down and forget about them. This book never made it out of my hands.
Who is this author? He's funny and clever. This book is a great mystery, but I found myself laughing out loud more than I would in a funny movie. My compliments to the cook!

Surprising and satisfying first effort, spare, sharp, held interest throughout. Definitely looking forward to the next one, since the main character should live on.