A clever thriller whose scandalous secrets are too much to keep.
No matter where he goes or how much time passes, Private Investigator Eddie O’Connell can’t seem to escape his past. It is 2020 and Eddie and his no-nonsense uncle are sucked back into the world of dangerous mobsters and VIP high-rollers. Partly out of respect and partly out of coercion, Eddie takes on a cold case for Arlene Adams, the wealthy widow of a notorious hitman. The investigation heads to Las Vegas, a place with memories both good and bad for Eddie. There, Eddie and Uncle Mike find themselves thrust into the deep end of a seemingly bottomless swimming pool as one long-unsolved crime evolves into an active hunt for a murderer. Eddie barely has time to pause for breath between all the seedy meetups, undercover jobs, and questionable contracts. Besides dancing around powerful crime syndicates and part-time lovers, the men face a few old demons alongside new threats in a city that shows no mercy. There are many players in this convoluted chess match, but in a game where cash is king and vengeance is the emperor, Eddie will have to roll with a whole lot of punches if he hopes to make it out of the city more than a toppled pawn.
“Haven’t I taught you anything all these years? You can’t jump to conclusions.” In Wager Smart, it seems that Eddie still has a lot to learn. Constant struggles between what Eddie wants to do and what he ought to do provide inward tension as big-league gamblers and ruthless criminals bring the heat. Proficient at walking fine lines, everything Eddie does is a delicate balancing act, making for a wild reading experience. For readers with a love of Vegas savagery, card tables, or sports betting, anxieties will rise in time with the eye-popping bets. As the third robust installment of the Wager series, this book really digs into Eddie’s stormy history, a backstory that fuels his decisions while endearing this flawed protagonist to audiences. The best of Tom Farrell’s novels so far, Wager Smart builds on many of the characters from earlier plotlines and increases the excitement with an accelerated pace. Also noteworthy is the sturdy relationship between Eddie and his uncle. When everything turns into chaos, their easy banter and loyal support anchor the story and provide a light element in an otherwise gritty tale. Old-school cool meets new-school know-how in Wager Smart, a clever thriller whose scandalous secrets are too much to keep!
