SYNOPSIS
Wall Street’s miasmal garbage washes up on the Jersey Shore when a small time broker falls in love: Is he attracted to the beautiful lady — or her brother’s inside information? Held spellbound by a steamy, auburn-haired woman with a questionable past and a get-rich-quick, insider trading scheme, Austin Carr knocks down a beehive of bad-acting Bonacellis, including the ill-tempered Mr. Vic Bonacelli, who wants his redhead back, and local mob lieutenant Mama Bones Bonacelli, architect of a strange and excruciating death trap for the fast-talking stockbroker she calls smarty pants.
To survive, Austin must unravel threads of jealousy, revenge and new affections, discovering the fate of a pseudo ruby called the Big Mojo, and close the lid on a pending United States of America vs. Austin Carr insider trading case. Can Austin and his Jersey Shore mouthpiece possibly out maneuver the savvy U.S. District Attorney from Manhattan? Does anything matter for Austin again if Mama Bones flips that switch?
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REVIEW
I reviewed the 2nd book in Getze's Austin Carr Series, Big Money, in March of 2014 and loved it.
Well, many of the characters from Big Money are in the new installment, Big Mojo. Austin is still preoccupied with and getting into trouble over women's *ahem* attributes, but this time it wasn't entirely his fault. At the wedding of a couple of friends, Mama Bones is wearing a scent that causes people who sniff it to fall in love with the next person who kisses them.
Mama Bones is Vic's mother, and Vic is Austin's former boss and now "junior partner". Mama B's idea is for Austin to kiss the bride after sniffing her scent, causing him to fall head over heels for his friend's new wife. Unfortunately, Vic's mistress steps in and kisses Austin before he can get to the bride. Vic doesn't put much stock in his mother's potions, but he may have to change his mind ... and fork over the $20K they bet on it working or not.
And if there's ever a case study for not giving ANYONE your computer passwords, Austin would be a case study. His partner Vic, in an attempt to get Austin stripped of his securities license (thereby forcing him to sell back control of the brokerage at a bargain price), trades on insider information on Austin's account. Yikes!!
Add to the mix a jealous, abusive ex-boyfriend for the aforementioned new bride, who just happens to be an enforcer for some people in Vegas. These same folks in Vegas pay Vic for this information with the "Big Mojo" a large ruby.
There are so many plot lines and connections in Big Mojo that it reminds me of trying to pick a single noodle out of a big pot of spaghetti. So do you just sit there and stare at it while it goes cold? No! You get a fork, twirl those noodles around and enjoy! Just like I did with Big Mojo.
Mr. Getze's writing style reminds me of those old black-and-white detective dramas like Perry Mason or Dragnet. I loved those back in the day, just like I enjoyed Big Mojo this past week or so. Getze relies on his writing skill and knowing his characters. (Austin has his own blog for Pete's sake!)
Big Mojo is a great addition to the Austin Carr Series. Now I just have to read the first book, Big Numbers before the 4th installment, Big Shoes, comes out this summer!
If you like noir fiction, this book and the series of which it is part, belongs on your TBR.
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AUTHOR INFORMATION
Former Los Angeles Times reporter Jack Getze is Fiction Editor for Anthony nominated Spinetingler Magazine, one of the internet’s oldest websites for noir, crime, and horror short stories. Through the Los Angeles Times/Washington Post News Syndicate, his news and feature stories were published in over five-hundred newspapers and periodicals worldwide. His two screwball mysteries, BIG NUMBERS and BIG MONEY, are being reissued by DOWN & OUT BOOKS, with the new BIG MOJO to follow. His short stories have appeared in A Twist of Noir and Beat to a Pulp. Getze is an Active Member of Mystery Writers of America’s New York Chapter.
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Click the button above to go to the tour at Great Escapes. You'll find more reviews, as well as interviews, guest posts and GIVEAWAYS!
(Disclosure: I received an e-copy of Big Mojo from the author and publisher via Great Escapes Virtual Blog Tours in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.)
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This book also fulfills slots in the following 2015 reading challenges:
52 books in 52 weeks
Around the World Challenge (mini 2 - US/NJ)
Books N Tunes Challenge (The Perry Mason Theme)
Gentle Spectrums Challenge (Cat. 1 - Stones - Big Mojo is the name of a gem)
The Prequel/Sequel Challenge
TBR Challenge
Thanks so much for the kind words, LuAnn.
ReplyDeleteAnd thank you for the smashing story, Jack! :O)
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