Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Big Money has Big Upside, April 6, 2008
Austin Carr gets into more trouble than Dennis the Menace, and Getze's latest novel has more twists than a pretzel factory. It all makes for one great read for those who like wise-cracking protagonists, a slew of beautiful and deadly women, and more bad guys at the Jersey shore than in Rahway Prison. Carr is left in charge of his investment firm. Immediately, he becomes the booby prize for a plethora of bad guys as they stake their claim to the firm hoping to be rewarded with financial rainbows. Getze has improved over the first Carr novel, "Big Numbers," with more cliff hangers than a 1930's serial while Austin escapes one tight situation after another with his gift of gab or famous grin. Getze gives us more of Jersey, more unique characters, and a bit more character depth. And he saves the best twist, like all classic mystery writers, for the very end of the story. Getze didn't pay me big money for this review, but I'll give him a big number for the novel. How about a 5.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Laughing out loud..., March 22, 2008
Austin Carr returns in Jack Getze's second book, BIG MONEY. Our favorite stockbroker has lost his securities license, but this doesn't keep his boss, Vick Bonacelli, from leaving him in charge of the store while Vick takes a long vacation. Vick also makes Carr promise to watch over his adult daughter Carmela and his mother, Mama Bones. As soon as Vick's boat sails, Carmela's ex-husband shows up, Mama Bones is arrested, the regulatory audit turns up some potentially disastrous transactions in the company's books, and the local mob boss politely requests that Shore Securities launder some money for him. Well, perhaps not so politely...
Yes, it is a typical day in the life of Austin Carr. Carr is the everyman who lives his entire life caught between a rock and a hard place - and watching him try to wiggle out is a delight. A despised ex-husband but devoted father, Carr is motivated to protect his small ownership stake in the securities company so he can provide for his children. But Carr is out of his league when it comes to the machinations of the local mafia and has to rely on the more worldly assistance of his favorite bartender, Luis, and the surprising Mama Bones.
I love it when an author's second book surpasses a good debut, and Getze achieves this with BIG MONEY. Getze hits his stride in this book and tips us the wink on Carr's true character. For all his posturing, Carr is always the most naďve person in the room (even when his children are present) and you end up both laughing out loud at his view of the world and rolling your eyes at his sexual impulses, which he has as much control over as your average 14 year-old male of the species. But because he is obviously the innocent in the piece, you end up cheering for him, as well. BIG MONEY becomes a real page turner as you find yourself desperately hoping that everything will turn out all right for Austin Carr in the end.
Favorite character? The Creeper has some wonderful and bizarre appearances in this book, but I have to go with Austin Carr. Did I guess it? Some of it. Will I read another? Absolutely.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
A Humorous Sequel, March 17, 2009
Things had been going well for Austin Carr right up until the naked woman pulled a gun on him. Once living in a truck camper, drowning in debt, and prevented by a restraining order from seeing his kids, Carr now has an apartment, sees his children regularly, and even with a suspended stockbroker's license is working as a consultant for a New Jersey investment company. However, things started to go downhill fast when the head of the firm departed for Tuscany, leaving Carr with instructions to watch over the man's daughter and keep her from her psychotic ex. Carr has definite reservations, which prove legitimate when Ragsdale takes the woman hostage at gunpoint and Carr has to resort to calling Tony, a man with lots of muscle and even darker ties. He's also the one thing standing between Carr's company and a bookie who wants Carr to launder money or risk the lives of his friends. A scary Mama, gunplay, and three women who are as attractive as they are deadly all lead up to a confrontation with a gun-wielding vixen clad only in his socks.
This fast read has enough complications for a novel twice its size, and its humor balances out the potential for serious bloodshed. Over-the-top characters make this a lively read for lovers of caper comedies. Carr tends to be motivated more by his libido than his brains, yet his affability and smart mouth has the reader cheering for him. This is an enjoyable read that is both satisfying and entertaining.
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