Australian gold coast Noir. Gary Braswell is the typical gambling loser, deep in debt, in trouble with this wife, and trying to sell some homes to a Russian couple. This leads him further into the world of money laundering, Australian Federal Police and other. It’s funny, scary, and clever noir in the Gold Coast world. Can the scam he concocts work well enough to get him out of all his troubles? Worth reading to find out.

This is a difficult one to review because I both liked and disliked it.

The story is based around Gary Braswell – a manipulative, self-obsessed alcoholic and drug-taking salesman and the problems he causes himself and everyone else around him because of his greed. I’m unsure whether this character’s exploits were intended to be amusing or that he was supposed to come over as a character you should root for, but all I know is that I wouldn’t want him to be one of my mates and I certainly wouldn’t want to be married to him! I don’t think there was anything slightly redeeming about him because he was just so self-obsessed and greedy. Perhaps that is the point?

I would also say if you are expecting a crime thriller like this book is billed, then you may be a little disappointed as it reads more like a dark comedy. It’s well-written and easy to read but it isn’t anywhere near what I would class as realistic, purely due to the amount of slapstick humour in it, which although starts off amusing, becomes horribly repetitive and almost irritating.
Another thing that bugged me, and I should point out that I have no issue at all reading books with strong language, but the purposeful (I presume) and consistent misspelling of the “F” word throughout drove me mad. I have no idea whether how it is spelt within the book is used in Australian slang, but I certainly haven’t come across it before. Equally as annoying (if not more) was the constant referencing to Gary having itchy testicles! I don’t know what was wrong with the man, but he referred to this problem of his on virtually every page and it became nauseous! Another bug bear was the heavy constant use of cliched similes throughout.

It sounds like I hated it, but the premise of the story was really good, but unfortunately this, in my opinion was ruined by the forced humour and similes. There were also several very serious incidents in the book which just did not go at all with the fact that the writing style was for everything to be a joke. Of course, there were the standard couple of throw-ins to terminal cancer (which too many authors feel the need to use) but here, it was made even worse by being used as a joke and insult.

To sum up, the plot was good and it would have been a fantastic fast-paced read if it wasn’t for the desperation to make everything funny and the overall repetition just did not work for me. I love dark humour and gritty books, but I hate overuse of anything and this was far too slapstick and clichéd to do anything but neutralise everything that I enjoyed about it, which is a shame – hence the 2 stars.

I would like to read the sequel to this book to find out what happened to Gary and hope that the second book in the series doesn’t feel the need to be quite so clichéd, but I’m not sure I can face it just yet in case it is.

I found myself getting more and more anxious reading this book. The protagonist never gets it together and makes a complete mess of his life, resulting in catastrophe for everyone around him. I kept thinking he was going to turn things around and rise to the challenge, but he never did. Depressing.

This story is fast-paced and starts off that way from the beginning. Used car salesman Gary Braswell owes a loan shark. He is able to hold him off for just a few days and then gets some money from his boss as an advance. You think well he will pay the loan shark, no. he goes and tries to make everything better or worse however you want to look at it. Along the way, after each time he comes out ahead some way or another. Against the Russian Mob, drug dealers, a scam with real a state and money laundering, even the feds are after him. I kept thinking he will finally get it but turn the page and he is still going. This was a good book and something of a surprise for me as I just happened to get this book on a whim. It turned out to be a good fast-paced story and worth the read at least for me.

A new author to me who proved his talent.A most gripping tail well worth reading looking forward to the next in the series.Would recommend it to anyone who likes crime thrillers.

A fast-paced read that focuses on crime, alcohol, and real estate, Sold is a gritty roller coaster ride of a book. The cover pinpoints sex, drugs, and real estate as three main themes, and this book delivers on that score. What it doesn’t deliver, however, is a main character that makes you care about any of it. Gary Braswell is entirely unlikeable. He’s a manipulative pathological liar who drowns his sorrows in beer and schemes instead of growing some balls (which, coincidentally enough, are referred to way too many times for comfort) and growing up. He’s presented as worthless several times, and nothing I read challenged this description. I really didn’t care what happened to him, and I really didn’t enjoy the book all that much because of it. The plot was okay, the pacing was good, and the setting was great. Gary was just bad, and that took away all the enjoyment of this read for me.

Wow, what a great book. It’s always exciting to find a new Author that can grab your attention, with a thoroughly well written and entertaining story, and Blair Denholm has done a fabulous job. I quite enjoyed that the book is unpredictable, and it has some outstanding characters. You can’t help but like the main character Garry Braswell. His life is a bit of a mess, but this is what makes the story such a great book to read.
Garry Braswell certainly lived life to it’s fullest. He no doubt enjoyed alcohol a little bit too much, and there probably wasn’t an hour that went by in the day when he didn’t have some in his system. Alcohol certainly wasn’t Garry’s only vice, as he quite enjoyed cigarettes, gambling and drugs. He should have worked out years ago that he wasn’t very good at this gambling caper, as he rarely found himself in the winner’s circle. Hence, this is how he found himself in trouble, when he didn’t have the funds to pay back his bookie. Which is never a good thing for someone’s ongoing health. Especially since this bookie wasn’t the forgiving type, and he employed an ex-con as his enforcer, who seemed to enjoy inflicting pain and misery. Just when Garry thinks he’s getting his head above water, they start to target his wife Maddie. Even though he tries to get the federal police involved, he’s going to need to be careful not to end up in jail himself, or something far worse happening to Maddie. This is without a doubt a great story, and it’s definitely well worth a read.

A disaster waiting to happen, perfectly describes Gary Braswells life. He seems to travel through life without a care in the world, but his addiction to gambling and alcohol appears to bring him down. He wanders through one catastrophe or another. But unbelievably ends on a winning streak. A great story, cannot wait to catch up with Gary Braswell again.

Gary Braswell is a car salesman with no moral compass, going through a dry spell. He owes money to a loan shark, Jocko MacKenzie, who threatens to harm his wife if the money isn’t repaid.

Thanks to his natural charm and skills, he tries his luck in real estate when he suddenly receives an offer from a mysterious Russian couple that could mean he is about to bite more than he can chew.

What a way to start your literary career! Sold is fast-paced, gritty, and absolutely addictive.

Blair Denholm manages to create a character who you know you shouldn’t feel sympathy for, yet somehow find yourself rooting for as you turn page after page.

The story line is so much fun -yes, I said fun! The humorous tone in which the story is told and the description of the Australian Gold Coast will easily transport you to a world you probably didn’t know even existed.

Sublimely written, well-paced, and a true page-turner, Sold is Blair Denholm’s debut crime novel and I can’t wait to read more from him. Here’s hoping someone will buy the film rights to Sold! And you heard it first: the sequel to Sold is coming soon!

Disclosure: I would like to thank NetGalley and BooksGoSocial Group for a free copy of Sold by Blair Denholm. This is my honest review.

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SOLD is the first crime fiction book by Australian author, Blair Denholm. On Queensland’s Gold Coast it’s hot, really hot. Maybe nice for the tourists, but it’s not helping Gary Braswell sell cars. Usually Southport Euro Motors best salesman, he’s in a sales slump. This is a problem, as he owes his bookie, Jocko Mackenzie, a packet. And Jocko’s enforcer, Bradley Jones (newly released after serving time for rape) would like to persuade payment by getting up close and personal with Gary’s wife, Maddie.

Lavish purchases by a Russian businessman get him out of that spot in the nick of time. And when Gary throws in car sales for real estate (he thinks this is a step up), that same Russian helps his sales figures along with more purchases. But Jocko and Bradley aren’t finished with him yet. Gary enlists his best mate, Jeff Foss to come up with a strategy to help him wriggle out of the bookie’s dangerous plans and keep Maddie safe.

Denholm’s protagonist doesn’t inspire respect. He remains shallow throughout and his best mate Foss sums Gary up succinctly: “You’re a drunk and a gambler who always loses. The only good thing about you is your loyalty, and even that’s questionable when you’re pissed. Which is often. You’re a worthless excuse for a man.” Despite the danger he puts his wife in, and the promises he makes, he lacks willpower: he displays only token resistance before succumbing to temptation involving alcohol, gambling, sex and drugs.

Not only does he lack strength of character, but Gary’s intelligence is also in question. Perhaps he doesn’t believe the maxim “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.” As the story progresses and things take a decidedly dark turn, the standard of Gary’s behaviour sinks lower and lower, so that any empathy the reader might have had for him dries up. Does Gary get what he deserves?

Denholm captures the feel of Gold Coast with consummate ease and his dialogue is spot on. The cover warns the reader about the sex (it’s explicit) and the drugs. Copious use of expletives probably goes hand in hand with those, although the body count is higher than one might expect in real estate. The humour is crazy and very black. Exploding birds and itching nether regions are a quirky addition to this dark and gritty read.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and BooksGOSocial