I give this book 2 out 5 stars. I hate more than anything writing a negative review! I am always try to be the most enthusiastic person I can be! This book wasn’t terrible and the plot was good, it was just the execution and characters didn’t do well for me. I just felt like it was overplayed and it kept reminding me of films and shows I’ve already seen. The similarities with other con shows/films threw me off base. I think this book will do really well for some people and can have a large fan base. It was just not the book for me but was okay. I enjoyed some of the action scenes and how descriptive the writer was. I just really didn’t do well with the characterization. I still would like to check out more of the author’s works because there was a lot of great writing potential. I was so conflicted on writing this review because I wanted to love it but the characters bugged me too much. I am thankful for this opportunity to review for my honest opinion and do believe this book will still get a great fan base.

**I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review**

When I stumbled across the premise for Paul Di Filippo’s The Big Get-Even I was so excited. The book promised a good old-fashioned, fun caper/heist story and I couldn’t wait to read it. Having never read anything by Di Filippo before, I took a chance on this one because, in truth, I’m a sucker for a well done heist story. Unfortunately, this one did not measure up for me.

It started well enough. Glen, our protagonist, checked a lot of the prerequisite boxes for a character who would attempt said heist. He was desperate, lacking in morals, but likeable enough for a certain type of reader to pull for him to succeed. His partner in crime added a nice counter point and I enjoyed the quirky set of circumstances that brought them together. We were off to a good start. And then… the story stalled.

I won’t give anything away, in case you wish to chance this one yourself, but the promised heist did not begin until about the 90% mark and was over within a few pages. The majority of the book was squandered on the describing the minutiae of day-to-day operations of running a resort. More than once I set this book aside in frustration over the lack of progress and the wasted potential. I believe this could’ve been far more entertaining if the author had allowed the story to progress. The classic heist premise does involve showing planning but it also incorporates roadblocks and action points to keep reader interest. Sadly, without those, it doesn’t work.

Once we did get around to the heist, it got good real fast and I considered a higher overall rating until I reached the end. Let me say, I have nothing against cliffhangers. I won’t hold a cliffhanger against an otherwise well written book. But there’s a difference between a cliffhanger and just dropping the narrative. The ending honestly read like the author was out of pages so this is all you get.

Add to all of that the sexist overtones, and I couldn’t rate the book higher than I did. Di Filippo’s female characters need work. They served two purposes throughout the book—used to clean and used for sex. It’s 2017 and discerning readers require more from their female leads. I can accept a certain amount of this is owed to the criminal nature of the protagonist but, there was far too much of it throughout the book.

A disappointing 2 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley for an opportunity to preview this book. The story was fairly good, however, the author seemed to be trying too hard, giving his Thesaurus a real workout. Still worthwhile.

A fun, fast paced romp about a couple of ex-cons trying to con a conman. The scam is quite simple, the characters are just so likeable, but you know things will never quite go to plan. In the end do they really lose, or has the scam really been what they were looking for all along?

Received this as an ARC from net galley.

I read other reviews prior to starting this and was a little put off...however, this book was a lot of fun. The characters were very quirky and at times almost caricatures of people. While at times the plot could be a little far-fetched and unrealistic, the book was a page turner and held my interest throughout. It was a quick read and entertaining.

While I didn't have high hopes for the book to begin with and it wasn't a great book, it was definitely enjoyable if you suspend a little belief and just go along for the ride!

Well this was a fun read!!! I kinda predicted half the ending, but then, BAM, not the other half. This was a different set up, fun and fast read.

Read this book. You won't regret it! Fun and intriguing ride.

I really enjoyed this book.

An underdog story at it’s core, The Big Get-Even can come across as quite simple, but maybe that’s a good thing considering how much is delivered throughout this book as the plot unfolds and the story grows.

The development is fantastic throughout this book as the group develop the plan and start putting the scam in place and though it can feel the execution of the finale is pretty fast this book ends with a finale hard to forget and it makes for an exciting ending which slow burns into a fantastic read.

I like that the characters are very human and are cons conning the conner, it’s a group of people that can come across as misfits but they work together, this writer crafting a great group of characters that deliver a very promising story, particularly Vee and Stan who really add so much to this story (and it’s kinda cool to share a name with a character so I might be biased!)

A good read, I recommend if you want an on the edge of your seat (when it gets going) page turner that leaves you wanting more from these characters.

The Big Get-Even by Paul Di Filippo- I've read several Paul Di Filippo novels, especially the Steam-Punk Trilogy, and a lot of his shorter works as well as his regular book reviews in Locus magazine, but never have I seen him write in crime genre, so this, for me, was a departure. Glen McClinton has recently gotten out of prison and is doing absolutely nothing to get his life back on track. Glen had once been a flashy, successful, flamboyant lawyer, who had stolen millions of dollars from his clients. After prison, he had shut himself off from the world. A life saving encounter with another former prison inmate, just released, opens a new opportunity for him. It's a con, of course, and the payoff is big. Glen is at first reluctant, but inside himself, he can't resist. In the spirit of The Sting, The Grifters and The Ocean Eleven movies, the con is on. Glen becomes part of a group of four individuals, each with their own quirks, and each with their own ax to grind. Things aren't always what they seem as Glen soon finds out. Di Filippo's descriptions and dialogue raise the bar on this caper to a much better result. This is a nice smooth read that I found enjoyable and worth the time.

3 star
Predictable but still an ok novel. It wasn't bad at all. It just wasn't anything refreshing.
Maybe just not to my likings but i'm sure it will please a lot of readers.

This was a fun read! Can a couple of Cons con another Con?? Glen, an ex-lawyer, gets mixed up in a scam to get even with a man who has wronged many people.
Glen saves the life of another parole who comes to him with a great scam to take down a real estate Tycoon.
The scam takes a most of the book to set up, with many obstacles along the way. Glen is almost a bystander watching things unfold. the story was good. the ending a little rushed. But all and all a fun story. The writing itself was very good. I received this book from Net Galley for an honest review

I loved the iconoclastic voice of Glen, just out of jail hosting a major criminal without being entirely certain what's at stake .. really terrific since guy whose life He saved involves him in a revenge scheme straight from jail- Sandraleen is terrific character ( voluptuous, smart and. cunning - great accomplice!) Great heist story and finely drawn characters with zest and humor.. highly recommend

The main characters personality and involvement made absolutely no sense in comparison to everyone else's. He was just in it for the money, which is fair enough but he committed way more time than anyone else to pull off the job and didn't even ask for a bigger cut?

And his character was constantly at odds with itself, he talked about how he missed his old life, but at the same time he didn't because he never talked about going back. Not for a second cold I picture him as the sleazy lawyers who stole millions - and this was brushed aside as "it wasn't me it was the drugs"

Plus it was staggeringly difficult to believe him as a "ladies man" and unnecessary for him to sleep with everyone while claiming to love one person. There was no real sense of guilt or emotion within him for his actions.

Stan was a good solid, playful character - he knew his strengths and his weaknesses, but it would have been nice for him to be more involved - after all it was his idea, he was the one emotionally invested in its success.

Stuff like this doesn't normally get to me but the portrayal of women as just being used for sex and housework was so transparent. Could Vee really offer nothing but her body? Wouldn't she be to disgusted to sleep with the man who essentially killed her parents? Even Sandy who just hung around didn't once add anything substantial to the story.

All the bones of a good story was there but it fell severely short, there were none of the necessary plot points that made it a heist/con story. It was a nicely added twist that they had to actually set up and run the hotel but nothing once went wrong - there were no set backs that made them have to re-evaluate - close calls with Stan who couldn't be seen by Nancarrow. The fact that they were an ex-arsonist (which I thought was brilliantly inventive) and an ex-lawyer didn't once come into the story. They might as well have been your average Joe's. Everything went too smoothly (well until the end but that's fair enough)

It feels like this book has only scratched the surface of what it could be.

A very well told story about a scam - not just any scam but one for the sum of twenty million dollars. There are two main characters plotting this masterpiece. There is Glen, a disbarred lawyer and a man just out of prison who narrates the story. By chance and certainly not planned he saves Stan's life. Stan is an arsonist who has a grudge against Barnaby Nancarrow a major real estate developer, a rather crooked one, and sort of Stan's former partner. Nancarrow hired Stan to burn properties owned by him in order to collect on the insurance. Nancarrow, was shall we say, not very honest with Stan in terms of paying him for the work and keeping him out of trouble with the law.
Stan and a woman named Vee who is also somewhat miffed with Nancarrow manage to convince Glen that they are aware of several factors that can be used in a scam. The scam that could net the group twenty million US dollars in a relatively short period of time and for not much work.
There are more members of the team gathered for the venture including a very talented computer geek. He lives with Vee and his part will be to set up certain documents to aid in getting Nancarrow's interest peeked. While all are in it for the money at first they do get to liking their fellow schemers making the novel a bit of a comedy.
The writing is certainly entertaining and will appeal to any reader looking for a good read. No deep dark messages nor hidden meanings to divert the reader's attention from a well done novel.

This is a clever little noir morality play. Nicely paced, easy to read, and not very demanding on the reader. I enjoyed it, but it isn't the most substantial read.

*4.5 Stars*

Interesting read, great characters. Things sometimes don't turn out the way you would like them to, or they way you plan them.

Glen is a cracker of a character, especially when you add Stan and Vee to the mix! This tale of revenge and money making easily twists into a bizarre "family" group in the middle of no where. With funny tales and evil plans it's a real page turner.
The author sets the scene beautifully and Stan's character is extremely well described.

This is a story of quite an elaborate scam....with lots of rollicking & frolicking along the way! I enjoyed the 1st third of the book, setting up the scam, & also the next part....continuing the set up & wondering how this would all play out...keeps the reader interested. I thought tho, that the ending tied up too quickly, & was a bit disappointed in that aspect. It was a real easy, quick read... a fun & entertaining read, for the most part. The short chapters make for an easy transition to the next subject/part/idea/play. The cover of the book is good/appropriate.
I received this e-galley from NetGalley in return for an unbiased review.

This was a good book, with an interesting premise. Lots of fun, eclectic characters. Definitely a "rooting for the underdog" story. That being said, it seemed a little too simplistic in terms of its writing.

As the title implies, "The Big Get-Even" is all about a long con, a sting, how to bait a trap and fleece someone with mighty big pockets. It pits a mismatched crew of con artists against a real estate tycoon. The crew includes a disbarred lawyer recently out of jail, the hard case that the lawyer accidentally saves from an overdose at a traffic light, an Eastern European beauty out to get the guy who did her parents wrong, an Amazonian-size beauty queen, and an eccentric computer nerd. Despite his jail time and crooked ways, you always feel that the narrator is still one of those born-innocents who doesn't really have toughness in his bones. He is just one of those guys who always seems to be over his head. Perhaps that is what makes the story narrative flow so well.

This is a quick, easy read that would probably find wide appeal. Overall, it was a good read for me, not a great one. The con took a long time to put together. Some of the intricacies of the set-up took quite a bit of detail. Some of the dialogue did not feel completely genuine and not all of the characterizations were fully believable.