Straits of Fortune

by Anthony Gagliano

Written in the classic noir tradition of Raymond Chandler's The Big Sleep , Straits of Fortune is a fast-paced and sometimes deadly adventure set in America's sexiest city. Ex-cop Jack Vaughn, the best thing to happen to crime fiction since Chandler's Philip Marlowe hung up his holster, moved from the gritty streets of New York to Miami to work as a personal trainer. The sun, sand, and tanned bodies of Miami are a welcome distraction from the haunting memory of another cop's death in New York. But when he becomes involved with millionaire businessman Colonel Patterson, he realizes his newfound peace is short-lived. The Colonel offers Jack a hundred grand to do a seemingly simple favor. But getting involved with the Colonel also means getting involved with his daughter, the exotic wild child Vivian, who once broke Jack's heart. Jack had sworn to forget her, but this memorable cast of characters lures him back into their double-dealing circle. The deeper he gets, the more Jack finds himself entangled in an ever-expanding web of lies, lust, and violence. A dark, hard-boiled look at the dangerous underbelly of glamorous Miami, Straits of Fortune is an unforgettable debut novel.

Genres: Mystery

256 pages, Unknown Binding

First published May 22, 2007

Reviews

[Metodi Markov · Rating 3 out of 5]

Забавно криминале, без големи претенции да допринесе с нещо кой знае какво към жанра.

Фатална жена, личен треньор - бивше ченге, няколко трупа и всичко си е както се полага. Приятно и неангажиращо четиво.

Авторът е починал за съжаление твърде млад и за това има само още една книга с главен герой Вон.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

STRAITS OF FORTUNE is a fun book to read. It’s noir with a nod to the Carl Hiaasen style of storytelling. The dark humour mixed with violence makes for a well-balanced cocktail of drama and suspense.

In Jack Vaughn, author Anthony Gagliano has created a likable protagonist who fits the Miami Beach noir mode to the fullest. He’s buff, fit, and an ex-cop turned personal trainer. His clients love him and it’s this connection that compliments the plot, making his actions and interactions plausible (at times Vaughn needs to rely on a gangster rapper and lawyer to help keep his head above water – in some instances literally).

Opening with a pulp style act 1, STRAITS OF FORTUNE quickly morphs into a much larger monster as bodies pile up and blackmail and family secrets come to surface.

I haven’t seen any other books out that feature Vaughn, hopefully this isn’t the only novel to feature him as I can’t help but think we’re just getting started.

Review first appeared on my blog: http://justaguythatlikes2read.blogspo...

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very entertaining read. One minor complaint is that Anthony Gagliano used a few too many metaphors when telling the story of Jack Vaughn, a former New York City cop who relocates to Miami and becomes a personal trainer. Other than that, the writing was very good and the story flowed well. The ending was unexpected. This was Mr. Gagliano's first novel, and I would definitely read other books written by him.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't really like any of the characters in this book. I finished it last night and it's so unremarkable I can't even remember how it ended. At least it kept some plot twist which made it interesting and it was pretty short.

[Conina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Blah. I won't be recommending this to any of my friends.
Frankly I don't even know why I'm giving this 2 stars. Probably because of the well written fight scenes. Anything else is simply... meh.

[Don Maker · Rating 4 out of 5]

The plot is a pretty standard line of bodies and clues, detective work and violent action. The mix of characters is also normal, with a very macho, clever hero who is irresistible to the ladies, a ruthless, powerful villain, and a gorgeous but mixed up damsel who creates much of the distress. The only thing different here was the way in which the hero defeated the villain, which was very believable to me, but I won’t spoil it.

However, it is the writing style that was fascinating to me.

Normally, grit-lit is short, punchy, a few clever wisecracks, and minimal description. Gagliano supplied a lot of the expected, but often veered off almost into literary fiction territory. Many of the sentences are long and complicated (not cumbersome), some of the similes and metaphors are quite poetic (albeit in keeping with the scene), and the wise-cracking humor is often actually quite witty. As a writer, I quite enjoyed the style differences from most grit-lit writers (okay, I don’t read many of them), and this novel proved a very pleasant surprise for me. It was outside the genre in a very good way.

[Woodge · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nothing really sets this crime thriller apart from others. Our hero is Jack Vaughn, an ex-cop from NYC living in Miami and working as a personal trainer. One of his clients offers him $100,000 to sink a yacht anchored off his property that has a dead body on it and when Jack finally assents to do it, bad things happen. For a book under 250 pages, it took its time getting to this pivotal moment. That scene was the most interesting but then it seemed as if our hero knew everyone in Miami. Lawyer? An ex-client — check. Rapper who just happens to have a gun and money handy in a pinch? An ex-client — check. Bouncer at swanky club? Check. This wasn't so bad that I didn't finish it. But it's nothing I would mark as a "to read" either.

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

very tough to read, but story line is very good.

[Reed Woodhouse]

Debut thriller. Smart but not annoyingly smart-ass.

[Chuck · Rating 4 out of 5]

An ex NYPD cop agrees to sink a luxury yacht with a body aboard. It gets
pretty complicated from there. This is a new author for me and I will read him again.

[Bilyana · Rating 1 out of 5]

Една от най-глупавите, не увлекателни, безсмислени, трудни за четене и ужасно некадърно написани книги, които някога съм чела. Абсолютна загуба на време!