Synopsis/blurb.... part review from
somewhere on the web......
In Bait Money, Nolan is on the run from the mob,
having left the organization after killing the brother of higher-up mafioso Charlie
and making off with his money. Aging and looking to retire from his life of
crime, Nolan attempts a deal with one of his remaining mob connections, and
Charlie makes him a bargain: pay $100,000 in under a week. So, to pay off
Charlie, Nolan sets off on the quintessential Last Big Heist, along with Jon,
the nephew of his info contact, and some other amateurs. It’s a wonderful
experiment in watching crime happen, with some great planning and a lot of
lead-up. Normally, this can be a seriously tedious exercise, but Collins
manages to make it work through some reoccurring characters and a cast of
trouble: an ex-football star turned Mafia hitman, the angered doorman of
Nolan’s last contact, and a lot of sex, drugs, and drama between the amateurs.
I’ve read a lot of Richard Stark’s excellent Parker books
through the years. This offering from Collins written back in the 70’s was written
as part homage to Westlake’s alter-ego creation. That said by the time he
knocked out another 5 or 6 Nolan books, he had wilfully transgressed into
rip-off territory; something he himself readily admits.
I can see similarities between the two characters, though
for me Parker usurps Nolan in the tough guy stakes – leaner and meaner; more
prone to viciousness without an ounce of compassion or any regrets.
The book was fast-paced, with a fair amount of violence and
to be truthful I enjoyed it more than I anticipated having previously read a
few reviews and comments from some fellow crime fiction aficionados on Goodreads. I enjoy the variety of sub-genres within the
crime fiction field and a decent heist book makes a change from police procedurals
and PI novels. Nowhere near the best book I have ever read, but it was also far
from the worst.
3 from 5.
I bought this double edition from Amazon website last month
so will hopefully read the second instalment Blood Money next month.
I couldn't agree more about how nice it can be from time to time to read something a bit different to one's usual fare. I'll confess I'm not usually one to reach for a book that features a 'lean, mean ex-Mob machine' kind of protagonist. But heist stories can be absorbing and as you say, it's an interesting alternative to PI/police novels. Thanks for highlighting this one.
ReplyDeleteMargot, thanks for stopping by. Yes it was enjoyable and a bit of a change. I don't necessarily feel that every book I read needs to rock me, sometimes its enough to feel entertained without being shaken or stirred. This one ticked that box for me.
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