Robert J. Randisi (1951–2024)

A light little romp set around the time when the original Ocean's Eleven was being filmed in Las Vegas. Casino pit boss Eddie Gianelli is asked by Frank Sinatra to help find out who is sending threatening letters to Dean Martin, and Vegas-style hijinks ensue. The real fun of this book is the celebrity cameos and the glitz and glamour of the time. The mystery itself ends up becoming somewhat inconsequential, as Eddie goes from confrontations with hit men to booze- and showgirl-filled parties show more and back again. All of this happens very quickly in short chapters that keep the pages turning. Overall an amusing trifle for fans of the Rat Pack in particular, or perhaps those who enjoy Ed Gorman's Sam McCain series. show less

3.5 stars

It is1888 in London, England. Three prostitutes have been murdered and they say it’s likely the same guy who has done it. Bram Stoker is running the Lyceum Theatre, and Henry Irving is playing the lead in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. They are approached by the police to shut down the show, as it may be encouraging the killer. Bram gets interested in what’s going on and starts doing some research for a book he might like to write. He also becomes obsessed with the killer and may be show more getting a little too close…

I liked this. Far fetched, but I still found it entertaining. I thought it interesting the way the author weaved in the various author characters into the story (Arthur Conan Doyle and Oscar Wilde are friends of Stoker’s). To be honest, though, I’m not sure Jack the Ripper needs to be fictionalized; this is one true story that certainly holds its own as true crime. show less

Set in Las Vegas during the Rat Pack heyday and featuring a pit boss named Eddie G who is asked by the Chairman himself to help him out. Great period detail in an action packed mystery.

Red Moran likes being a sheriff but he eventually he becomes bored and quits. However his method of quitting is to rob the local bank and then high tail it to Mexico to spend it. When the money runs out, he heads back across the border and becomes a sheriff in another town too desperate for someone to take the job to bother doing a reference check. Unfortunately for him and the bank manager in the last bank, he kills the manager and makes the reward for his capture large enough to attract show more the attention of Decker, a bounty hunter.

Shortly after taking up the chase into Mexico, Decker runs into the scouts of a gang of Mexican bandits led by a sick brother & sister team. He kills the scouts and this leads to his being followed by the entire gang of 30 bandits. This leads to an amazing shootout in the town controlled by the bandits and we are only half way through the novel.

Continuous action with some unusual characters keeps one turning the pages. The jacket blurb suggests Randisi is the replacement for Louis L'Amour. In terms of the action he is much like L'Amour but with an added liberal quantity of fairly explicit sex. Seems every character, male or female is looking for a roll in the hay. show less