Big Mojo / Jack Getze

Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: Mystery

Approximate word count: 45-50,000 words

Availability    

Kindle  US: YES  UK: YES  Nook: NO  Smashwords: NO  Paper: YES

Click on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords store

Author:

Former newsman Jack Getze is the fiction editor for Spinetingler magazine and the author of the Austin Carr Mystery series.

For more you can check out Carr’s website. Yes, you read right, it’s the character’s site. If you’re as obsessed with red heads as Carr, you’ll definitely want to visit.

Description:

“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 dubious 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 Angelina ‘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, discover the fate of a pseudo ruby called the Big Mojo and slam 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? Will anything matter for Austin ever again if Mama Bones flips that switch?”

Appraisal:

It’s not that stockbroker Austin Carr doesn’t want to make a killing in the market. After all, he does have his kid’s college fund to think about. But when his slimy partner, “Mr Vic” and one of Vic’s clients comes to him with some insider information, Carr knows if he acts on it he’d be caught and refuses to get involved. When someone else buys the stock using Austin’s account, it’s only the beginning of the troubles coming Carr’s way.

This was a fun read, at times intense, often funny, and sometimes both. It has a mix of entertaining characters from the oddball (Vic’s mother, “Mama Bones” for one) to others that provided comic relief. For example, Austin’s dealings with his ex-wife and teenage daughter evoked several chuckles from me.

FYI:

Some adult language.

Although Big Mojo is part of a series, it reads fine as a standalone.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: **** Four Stars