DOUBLE DOWN - Tom Kakonis

Interesting - 3 stars

Plot - 4 stars - Timothy Waverly faces a crime boss, an assassin and--what may be the most dangerous enemy of all--a deadly ex-flame.

Writing - 4 stars - Having no idea what to expect from this book, I was drawn in by the easy-to-read writing style. Kakonis builds characters that are approachable, even though they are from a different world than my own.

Characters - 3 stars - Waverly is a fairly sensible and intelligent guy, but I couldn't relate to his card playing, risky self. There was also some reference to his past that I felt I was missing, so I suspect there was a previous book featuring this character. I, surprisingly, was drawn to D'Marco because of his intelligence, his thoroughness, and his devotion to taking care of himself. You would think he would be annoying narcissistic and unlikeable, but instead I liked his drive to be excellent at his job, plus he also showed a more human side when he had to deal with Sigurd. (Of course, his job as a brutal assassin was a bit of a turn-off.)

Title - 2.5 stars - There's an explanation at the beginning of the meaning of this poker term, but I didn't understand it and didn't find it useful.

Cover - 3 stars - The cover fits the style of the day (30 years ago), with little background color and a glaringly obvious and blunt focal point.

Overall - 3 stars - The good news is that this book was pretty easy to read, written in a comfortable style and with appealing characters. However, not being a card player at all, the descriptions of the card games were tedious. I suppose that Waverly's tenderness for Caroline made sense since they were old friends and she had problems, but it was frustrating to watch him jump to her tune. The book made slow but steady progress throughout and kept my interest, with an ultra-exciting action-packed final scene.

Double Down A Waverly Thriller by Tom Kakonis

304 Pages
Publisher: Brash Books
Release Date: September 2, 2014

Fiction (Adult), Mystery, Thriller, Crime Thriller, Gambling, Murder, Florida

Timothy Waverly has just returned to Florida from Traverse City, Michigan. When he left there, Timothy destroyed a bag owned by Deitz, a mob boss. Now that Timothy has been spotted back in Florida, Deitz sends a guy to track him down and demand repayment. Timothy runs into Caroline, an old friend and her husband. She invites him to a party at their house in West Palm Beach. Deitz gives Timothy a two-week window to get the money or die.

This is the second book in the Waverly Thriller series. The book has a fast pace, the characters are developed, and it is written in the third person point of view. I did not like the racial slurs in this book and thought the first book was much better. If you like action adventures with gambling, you may enjoy this book.

This was a very good story with excellent characters. I have not read the first book but feel I must do so now to understand more of the backstory. I loved the action and the pace.
Many thanks to Brash Books and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

A mob boss has given professional gambler Timothy Waverly two weeks to make good on a $300,000 debt…or die at the hands of two hit men. Waverly’s only hope is convince a pill-popping, ex-girlfriend and her loser husband to set him up in a series of high-stakes poker games in Palm Beach with rich Arab prince who cheats at cards. But that’s not the only game that’s rigged. Waverly knows he’s going to be killed as soon as he pays his debt…and that somehow he’s got to cheat death in his biggest gamble yet.

This book was originally released in the early 1990's - and it is quite apparent. There is just a sense of "been there, read that" to this story and it just wasn't very compelling to me. Lots of predictable twists and turns that shows its age also.

Would this have been a better book if I had read it in 1991? More than likely, but after reading these kinds of books for the in-between 26 years, this one just doesn't stack up.


Paul
ARH