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Jack Swyteck #0
Cash Landing
The New York Times bestselling author of Cane and Abe and Black Horizon blends Goodfellas and Elmore Leonard in this wild, suspenseful caper inspired by actual events, in which a band of amateur thieves pulls off one of the biggest airport heists in history with deadly consequences
Every week, a hundred million dollars in cash arrives at Miami International Airport, shipped by German banks to the Federal Reserve. A select group of trusted workers moves the bags through Customs and loads them into armored trucks.
Ruban Betancourt has always played by the rules. But the bank taking his house and his restaurant business going bust has driven him over the edge. He and his wife deserve more than life has handed them, and he’s come up with a ballsy scheme to get it. With the help of an airport insider, he, his coke-head brother-in-law, Jeffrey, and two ex-cons surprise the guards loading the armored trucks and speed off with $7.4 million in the bed of a pickup truck.
Investigating the heist, FBI agent Andie Henning, newly transferred to Miami from Seattle, knows the best way to catch the thieves is to follow the money. Jeffrey’s drug addiction is as conspicuous as the Rolex watches he buys for dancers at the Gold Rush strip club. One of the ex-cons, Pinky Perez, makes no secret of his plan to own a swinger’s club—which will allow him carte blanche with his patrons’ wives. Levelheaded Ruban is desperately trying to lay low and hold things together.
But Agent Henning isn’t the only one on their trail, and in the mob-meets-Miami fashion, these accidental thieves suddenly find themselves way in over their heads . . . and sinking fast.
Every week, a hundred million dollars in cash arrives at Miami International Airport, shipped by German banks to the Federal Reserve. A select group of trusted workers moves the bags through Customs and loads them into armored trucks.
Ruban Betancourt has always played by the rules. But the bank taking his house and his restaurant business going bust has driven him over the edge. He and his wife deserve more than life has handed them, and he’s come up with a ballsy scheme to get it. With the help of an airport insider, he, his coke-head brother-in-law, Jeffrey, and two ex-cons surprise the guards loading the armored trucks and speed off with $7.4 million in the bed of a pickup truck.
Investigating the heist, FBI agent Andie Henning, newly transferred to Miami from Seattle, knows the best way to catch the thieves is to follow the money. Jeffrey’s drug addiction is as conspicuous as the Rolex watches he buys for dancers at the Gold Rush strip club. One of the ex-cons, Pinky Perez, makes no secret of his plan to own a swinger’s club—which will allow him carte blanche with his patrons’ wives. Levelheaded Ruban is desperately trying to lay low and hold things together.
But Agent Henning isn’t the only one on their trail, and in the mob-meets-Miami fashion, these accidental thieves suddenly find themselves way in over their heads . . . and sinking fast.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published June 2, 2015
210 people are currently reading
1227 people want to read
About the author
James Grippando
50 books1,192 followers The first thing you should know about bestselling author James Grippando is that he is no longer clueless—or so they say, after “A James Grippando Novel” was a clue for #38 Across in the New York Times crossword puzzle. James is the winner of the Harper Lee Prize for legal fiction and a New York Times bestselling author with more than 30 novels to his credit, including the popular series featuring Miami criminal defense attorney Jack Swyteck. His latest, "Goodbye Girl" (HarperCollins 2024), is the 18th in the Swyteck series. His novels are enjoyed worldwide in 28 languages. As an adjunct professor he teaches "The Law & Lawyers in Modern Literature" at the University of Miami School of Law. He is also counsel at one of the nation’s leading law firms, where he specializes in entertainment and intellectual property law, representing clients who have won more than 40 Tony Awards. He writes in south Florida with Atlas at his side, a faithful golden retriever who has no idea he’s a dog.
Series:
* Jack Swyteck
Series:
* Jack Swyteck
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 213 reviews
March 29, 2023
Honour among thieves? Hah, not bloody likely!
James Grippando has always been a pretty sure bet when it comes to suspense thrillers, legal thrillers and courtroom drama. But (hoping like the dickens this doesn’t mean he’s jumped the shark), CASH LANDING just doesn’t come close to clearing the bar that his own work has set for himself.
Ostensibly, CASH LANDING is the story of an ad hoc gang of amateur thieves who engineer a multi-million dollar cash heist from an airport warehouse. Revenge against “the man’s” theft of Ruban Betancourt’s restaurant, his home, and his livelihood during a questionable, underhanded mortgage foreclosure sounds like a nifty starting point for a low-key thriller but Grippando just doesn’t pull it off. His characters are wooden and entirely unlikeable despite the fact that they are obviously intended to be goodhearted picaresque rogues simply out to reclaim what they see as having been stolen from them by the establishment. The dialogue is stilted, cartoonish and all too stereotypical lowbrow. The theft and the resulting interactions between the gang members never really get particularly compelling. And the naïvete of Savannah Betancourt, Ruban’s wife, is simply off the charts. In an uncharitable mood, I’d be inclined to characterize her with a six letter insult, “s----d”!
At the halfway mark of the novel, my preconceived rating was 2- stars at best. But, somehow, somehow … at the half-way point, the action starts to pick up and the entertainment value of the novel becomes passable. Definitely not gripping or compelling, mind you … but passable! And, at long last, the ending was actually satisfying.
Bottom line … the whole novel comes in at a marginal 3-star rating with the recommendation that only die hard completionist Grippando fans bother reading it!
Paul Weiss
James Grippando has always been a pretty sure bet when it comes to suspense thrillers, legal thrillers and courtroom drama. But (hoping like the dickens this doesn’t mean he’s jumped the shark), CASH LANDING just doesn’t come close to clearing the bar that his own work has set for himself.
Ostensibly, CASH LANDING is the story of an ad hoc gang of amateur thieves who engineer a multi-million dollar cash heist from an airport warehouse. Revenge against “the man’s” theft of Ruban Betancourt’s restaurant, his home, and his livelihood during a questionable, underhanded mortgage foreclosure sounds like a nifty starting point for a low-key thriller but Grippando just doesn’t pull it off. His characters are wooden and entirely unlikeable despite the fact that they are obviously intended to be goodhearted picaresque rogues simply out to reclaim what they see as having been stolen from them by the establishment. The dialogue is stilted, cartoonish and all too stereotypical lowbrow. The theft and the resulting interactions between the gang members never really get particularly compelling. And the naïvete of Savannah Betancourt, Ruban’s wife, is simply off the charts. In an uncharitable mood, I’d be inclined to characterize her with a six letter insult, “s----d”!
At the halfway mark of the novel, my preconceived rating was 2- stars at best. But, somehow, somehow … at the half-way point, the action starts to pick up and the entertainment value of the novel becomes passable. Definitely not gripping or compelling, mind you … but passable! And, at long last, the ending was actually satisfying.
Bottom line … the whole novel comes in at a marginal 3-star rating with the recommendation that only die hard completionist Grippando fans bother reading it!
Paul Weiss
June 7, 2015
This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life.
3.5 Stars
I have to admit that I am a little torn over how to rate this book. I have been a long time fan of James Grippando and have really enjoyed every one of his books that I have had a chance to read. I liked this book well enough but I just don't feel like it is nearly as good as what I have come to expect from this talented author.
This story was told a little differently than what I have come to expect from Mr. Grippando. This story is told almost entirely from the criminals' point of view. The detectives solving the case get a relatively small voice in this story. I have become very accustomed to reading stories mostly told from the point of view of a very strong, likeable character trying to solve the mystery, or one of the good guys. In many ways, this was a story where I just sat back and watched the criminals catch themselves with their own stupidity.
One of my main issues with this book is that I couldn't find any characters that I really grew to like. Every single person involved in the heist were about as unlikable as I have ever experienced. Even Ruban's wife, Savannah, who was not directly involved had such a weak personality and was so easily persuaded to go along with everything that I ended up disliking her as much as the individuals actually involved in the crime. I don't think that the detectives were in the story enough for me to connect with them in any way and their personality didn't have a chance to develop at all. They felt a bit flat to me. The character that was the most likeable was Jack Swyteck who showed up for a small cameo role at the end of the book but showed more character and spunk than anyone else in the book.
Even though I didn't care for the characters, I still enjoyed this book. There were enough twists and turns to keep me guessing and it was actually kind of amusing watching how many bad decisions some of these criminals could make. Connections were made in ways that I never expected and the plotting of the overall story was very well done. I found that this was a book that was actually really hard to put down because I just had to know what was going to happen next. The pacing of the story was well done.
I would recommend this book to mystery thriller readers who like a book full of twists and turns. This is not my favorite book by James Grippando but I found it to be a very worth while read. This is definitely an author that I will continue to follow.
I received an advance reader edition of this book from HarperCollins Publishers - Harper via Edelweiss for the purpose of providing an honest review.
3.5 Stars
I have to admit that I am a little torn over how to rate this book. I have been a long time fan of James Grippando and have really enjoyed every one of his books that I have had a chance to read. I liked this book well enough but I just don't feel like it is nearly as good as what I have come to expect from this talented author.
This story was told a little differently than what I have come to expect from Mr. Grippando. This story is told almost entirely from the criminals' point of view. The detectives solving the case get a relatively small voice in this story. I have become very accustomed to reading stories mostly told from the point of view of a very strong, likeable character trying to solve the mystery, or one of the good guys. In many ways, this was a story where I just sat back and watched the criminals catch themselves with their own stupidity.
One of my main issues with this book is that I couldn't find any characters that I really grew to like. Every single person involved in the heist were about as unlikable as I have ever experienced. Even Ruban's wife, Savannah, who was not directly involved had such a weak personality and was so easily persuaded to go along with everything that I ended up disliking her as much as the individuals actually involved in the crime. I don't think that the detectives were in the story enough for me to connect with them in any way and their personality didn't have a chance to develop at all. They felt a bit flat to me. The character that was the most likeable was Jack Swyteck who showed up for a small cameo role at the end of the book but showed more character and spunk than anyone else in the book.
Even though I didn't care for the characters, I still enjoyed this book. There were enough twists and turns to keep me guessing and it was actually kind of amusing watching how many bad decisions some of these criminals could make. Connections were made in ways that I never expected and the plotting of the overall story was very well done. I found that this was a book that was actually really hard to put down because I just had to know what was going to happen next. The pacing of the story was well done.
I would recommend this book to mystery thriller readers who like a book full of twists and turns. This is not my favorite book by James Grippando but I found it to be a very worth while read. This is definitely an author that I will continue to follow.
I received an advance reader edition of this book from HarperCollins Publishers - Harper via Edelweiss for the purpose of providing an honest review.
August 17, 2021
Now THAT is what I call a thriller!
In a genre plagued with bad writing and tear-jerker tropes applied with all the subtlety of a ball-peen hammer (abducted wife/child, murdered parent, etc) "Cash Landing" is a breath of fresh air. Well-written, with a non-stop action plot, surprise twists and turns you won't see coming and a good criminal getting jerked around by bad criminals and idiots.
Fun fun fun for the whole family!
What most reviewers (read: Grippando fans) didn't like about this novel: none of the characters are likeable. That was actually a plus point for me, even though I liked the MC, Ruban, just fine.
I greatly enjoyed how Grippando led us down the primrose path with Ruban. Following convention, we believe our MC is one of the good guys at the start, even if he is involved in knocking over a money transport. But then slowly we find out how much dirt he's actually into until he's shown to be just as bad as everybody else, even if we totally get his motives. Talk about boiling the frog! Masterfully done.
It really knocks the reader in the knees and makes them examine their own moral barometer. Which crimes don't bother them, which do. Interesting turning of the mirror back on the reader. (Well, what do you think of Ruban NOW?)
Personally, the only character I really didn't like was Ruban's wife Savannah. Too goodie-two-shoes. She's just as dangerous with that as idiot Jeffrey, who I wanted to die from the start. That boy's a danger to himself and others. I was proud of Ruban for finally saying "shoot him. I'll pay for the bullet." (The convo was my favourite of the whole novel. Yeah, shoot Jeffie.)
My only complaint about the novel is that it is LONG and actually feels longer simply because so much happens. Maybe there's too much plot...even if it's an excellent and highly believable one.
Highly recommended for a robbery-stupid criminal-action read with some depth. (Read the German edition)
In a genre plagued with bad writing and tear-jerker tropes applied with all the subtlety of a ball-peen hammer (abducted wife/child, murdered parent, etc) "Cash Landing" is a breath of fresh air. Well-written, with a non-stop action plot, surprise twists and turns you won't see coming and a good criminal getting jerked around by bad criminals and idiots.
Fun fun fun for the whole family!
What most reviewers (read: Grippando fans) didn't like about this novel: none of the characters are likeable. That was actually a plus point for me, even though I liked the MC, Ruban, just fine.
I greatly enjoyed how Grippando led us down the primrose path with Ruban. Following convention, we believe our MC is one of the good guys at the start, even if he is involved in knocking over a money transport. But then slowly we find out how much dirt he's actually into until he's shown to be just as bad as everybody else, even if we totally get his motives. Talk about boiling the frog! Masterfully done.
It really knocks the reader in the knees and makes them examine their own moral barometer. Which crimes don't bother them, which do. Interesting turning of the mirror back on the reader. (Well, what do you think of Ruban NOW?)
Personally, the only character I really didn't like was Ruban's wife Savannah. Too goodie-two-shoes. She's just as dangerous with that as idiot Jeffrey, who I wanted to die from the start. That boy's a danger to himself and others. I was proud of Ruban for finally saying "shoot him. I'll pay for the bullet." (The convo was my favourite of the whole novel. Yeah, shoot Jeffie.)
My only complaint about the novel is that it is LONG and actually feels longer simply because so much happens. Maybe there's too much plot...even if it's an excellent and highly believable one.
Highly recommended for a robbery-stupid criminal-action read with some depth. (Read the German edition)
July 1, 2015
This is listed as a Jack Swytek book Jack is a defense attorney who is generally a major character in James Grippando's novels. In this book, he is on one page very near the end. The book was misrepresented. This was a typical crime novel where the criminals are stupid and get caught or killed. Fairly boring. Would not recommend although I generally like James Grippando books. There is no one likeable at all in this novel.
June 30, 2015
This is the first James Grippando novel that I have rated below a 4 or 5 star. He is a terrific storyteller, who delivers riveting plots and usually terrific, three-dimensional characters. While Cash Landing did not fail to deliver page tuning suspense, it was not up to his pervious standards in characters development. Being blessed or cursed with an author's DNA, I can't resist analyzing all elements of a story. Characters I can root for are at the top of my list--Grippando usually delivers. However, whille his protagonist,Ruban is a fully developed bad guy, this novel was missing a strong, admirable character to root for.
A character engaged in wrong-doing can be engaging. However, for that character to be someone we root for, he must be engaged in wrong doing for right or honorable reasons. Otherwise we need a compelling adversary to root for. The protagonist,Ruban Betancourt, in Crash Landing is doing the wrong things for wrong reasons. The lack of balanced which should be accomplished by a fully developed opposing character is lacking.
Neither of the two characters that might have filled that role (Andy, the savvy, FBI agent and Savanna, the protagonists honor bound wife) were fully developed. While Ruban was an intriguing character, readers were not given strong enough reasons to care deeply about any other character. One thing the occurred to me when Jack Swyteck, (the attorney the Grippando has based a series on) made a cameo appearance at the end is that perhaps the author also borrowed the FBI agent Andy from a previous book where she had more substance. Swyteck did not need to be fully develop since he was a walk on character at the end of the novel, but Andy, whether she was borrowed from a previous book or just introduced needed more backstory--being smart and strong was not enough. All that said, the plotting was terrific.
A character engaged in wrong-doing can be engaging. However, for that character to be someone we root for, he must be engaged in wrong doing for right or honorable reasons. Otherwise we need a compelling adversary to root for. The protagonist,Ruban Betancourt, in Crash Landing is doing the wrong things for wrong reasons. The lack of balanced which should be accomplished by a fully developed opposing character is lacking.
Neither of the two characters that might have filled that role (Andy, the savvy, FBI agent and Savanna, the protagonists honor bound wife) were fully developed. While Ruban was an intriguing character, readers were not given strong enough reasons to care deeply about any other character. One thing the occurred to me when Jack Swyteck, (the attorney the Grippando has based a series on) made a cameo appearance at the end is that perhaps the author also borrowed the FBI agent Andy from a previous book where she had more substance. Swyteck did not need to be fully develop since he was a walk on character at the end of the novel, but Andy, whether she was borrowed from a previous book or just introduced needed more backstory--being smart and strong was not enough. All that said, the plotting was terrific.
June 8, 2015
Maybe I have just read too many of this type of thriller...because the thrill is gone. 'Just an Ok read.
March 1, 2020
1.5 stars
I like this writers Jack Swyteck series. This book features Andie (a character in that series) but I’m not too keen on her. This book is an in between book in that series. It can be read as a stand-alone.
The story is an example of there being no perfect crime. While Andie is the FBI agent investigating the crime, she isn’t in the story much. It’s more about Ruben who planned the robbery & the repercussions afterwards.
So it was an eh… for me. I wasn’t that interested in those characters but I was curious about the ending. (and since it was audio, I couldn’t skim ahead)Unlike other similar stories, I didn’t find myself rooting for Ruben, et al. It was quickly paced action but there were a lot of characters to keep track of.
and i didn't like the ending.
also, i thought the connection b/w Andie & jack didn't work. it seemed like a pointless thing that the writer tacked on at the end. how annoying!
I like this writers Jack Swyteck series. This book features Andie (a character in that series) but I’m not too keen on her. This book is an in between book in that series. It can be read as a stand-alone.
The story is an example of there being no perfect crime. While Andie is the FBI agent investigating the crime, she isn’t in the story much. It’s more about Ruben who planned the robbery & the repercussions afterwards.
So it was an eh… for me. I wasn’t that interested in those characters but I was curious about the ending. (and since it was audio, I couldn’t skim ahead)Unlike other similar stories, I didn’t find myself rooting for Ruben, et al. It was quickly paced action but there were a lot of characters to keep track of.
and i didn't like the ending.
also, i thought the connection b/w Andie & jack didn't work. it seemed like a pointless thing that the writer tacked on at the end. how annoying!
February 21, 2020
So I picked up this one thinking it would have some background stuff on a main character that I read from this author...HE DOESN'T COME IN UNTIL THE VERY END!! I didn't mind because it was still a good book, but still.
I can't say that I liked any of the characters in this book and I wanted them all to fail. Savannah was the most annoying of them all. In the end, this book kept you guessing about who was playing who. I liked it from start to finish.
I can't say that I liked any of the characters in this book and I wanted them all to fail. Savannah was the most annoying of them all. In the end, this book kept you guessing about who was playing who. I liked it from start to finish.
March 20, 2021
Warning!! This book has very violent and gruesome scenes. Also the language is raw. I don’t know how I could enjoy such a book, but the chase for the criminals was interesting to me. I even liked the character of Ruben and his cunning. He and his cohorts we’re pretty despicable characters, but the writing and description drew me in. I actually had a difficult time stopping reading this book. I had a friend who asked me how I could read the Robert Ludlum books with all the violence. I said I just skim over the violence and enjoy the thrill of the chase. This is the first of Grippando’s books I have read, but I look forward to reading more
August 17, 2018
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery & I think Grippando made a concerted effort to imitate the wonderful novels of Elmore Leonard which give us an unvarnished look at our nation's criminal class...wonderfully plotted, it was difficult to generate sympathy for our "dark" characters involved...also missing was the unique humor Leonard was able to bring to his type of "noir"...based on the 2005 Miami "Brinks Money Plane" heist Grippando follows the deterioration of the heist gang in the aftermath of the big score...again decently plotted, but NOT Elmore Leonard standards, but I did like the "Meet Cute" for Jack Swyteck at the end!
July 18, 2015
Well, it surely won't make you a more enlightened person to have read this, but at the same time it's not a total waste of your time. On a moral level it shows quite clearly that criminals have a twisted outlook on life and are particularly good at self-destructing. There are some interesting bits about how law enforcement goes about its business that might make one a better consumer of law enforcement's services. I did think that, as the varying local, state, and federal agencies all pulled into town to get a piece of the action (it didn't last - it became a FBI/Miami PD case) that there are likely cost savings to be realized from watching carefully how all those dollars get spent. The narration had a good pace that accompanied nicely the movement of the story, which seldom got too far-fetched. Could do worse for a summer page-turner.
April 16, 2016
Catching up on my Swyteck after reading Grippando's most recent. This one is a prequel, which should put it back in the 90s in the time line, but it's based on a true crime in 2005: a Miami airport heist of bills headed for the Federal Reserve Bank. So a caper with the bad guys telling their story, zany yet violent. The good news is that it introduces Andie Henning, the FBI special agent who becomes Jack Swyteck's love interest. She's the investigator and we only get a nod to Swyteck at the end. Strong sense of place in Miami, well-paced, gritty. It reminded me of Elmore Leonard's capers, although the dialog isn't quite as smart. (But then whose is?) Well-narrated by Jonathan Davis, who has become the voice of the Swyteck series.
September 23, 2015
One would think that when bad guys turn on each other, it would work in favor. The problem is it doesn't help the stereotype characters in this story and instead exacerbates these issues. 4 of 10 stars
September 5, 2018
"A good thriller, as usual."--patron
April 7, 2020
Not one of my favorite Grippando efforts. I knew going in that it was not a Swyteck book, though it was set in his universe. A little predictable, dumb crooks pull off a big heist, infighting ensues, dumb crooks get caught, telling us that crime doesn't pay. It was ok, just not one of my favorites.
February 26, 2023
This was a 3.5 for me. It was pretty good, but not as good as other books by this author.
Read
April 6, 2024A very suspenseful crime novel about the heist of several million dollars taken from the federal reserve near Miami Dade County airport.
October 18, 2024
Hey James,
I like Andie, but I really only like her in conjunction with Jack...
What happened to this one?
3 Stars
Happy Reading!
I like Andie, but I really only like her in conjunction with Jack...
What happened to this one?
3 Stars
Happy Reading!
May 20, 2015
Ruban Betancourt has lost his restaurant and the bank has foreclosed on his home; he’s certain he and his wife, Savannah, deserve better. To that end, he’s concocted a scheme to grab part of a German bank’s money shipment when it reaches Miami International Airport. In his quest for the money, Ruban recruits a couple of his buddies, his dim-witted, coke-sniffing brother-in-law, and an airport insider. The caper goes off without a hitch and the motley group manages to make off with several million dollars, most of which ends up buried in the back yard of the rented house Ruban and Savannah now call home.
Ruban knows they need to lay low, to continue with their day-to-day activities and not draw undue attention to themselves, but dissension grows as greedy partners prove unwilling to wait to get their hands on their share of the loot. A delicate balancing act is complicating matters for Ruban --- he’s trying to keep Savannah from discovering his involvement in the heist and the lies he’s telling are getting more and more convoluted. Adding to his troubles, his fellow thieves aren’t the only ones after the money and with things spiraling out of control, Ruban soon finds himself in danger of losing everything.
Andie Henning, an FBI agent newly transferred to Miami from Seattle, is assigned to investigate the heist. Will she track down the thieves and recover the money or will the beleaguered Ruban find a way to control the situation and hold on to the cash?
Unpredictable betrayals, the unraveling of Ruban’s plans, and the interaction between these thoroughly unlikeable men and their low-life confederates will keep readers trying to turn the pages faster than the despicable thieves turn on each other. The suspenseful plot keeps twisting and turning with unforeseen surprises, treating readers to a wild adventure that leads to an unexpected climax.
Recommended.
Ruban knows they need to lay low, to continue with their day-to-day activities and not draw undue attention to themselves, but dissension grows as greedy partners prove unwilling to wait to get their hands on their share of the loot. A delicate balancing act is complicating matters for Ruban --- he’s trying to keep Savannah from discovering his involvement in the heist and the lies he’s telling are getting more and more convoluted. Adding to his troubles, his fellow thieves aren’t the only ones after the money and with things spiraling out of control, Ruban soon finds himself in danger of losing everything.
Andie Henning, an FBI agent newly transferred to Miami from Seattle, is assigned to investigate the heist. Will she track down the thieves and recover the money or will the beleaguered Ruban find a way to control the situation and hold on to the cash?
Unpredictable betrayals, the unraveling of Ruban’s plans, and the interaction between these thoroughly unlikeable men and their low-life confederates will keep readers trying to turn the pages faster than the despicable thieves turn on each other. The suspenseful plot keeps twisting and turning with unforeseen surprises, treating readers to a wild adventure that leads to an unexpected climax.
Recommended.
November 5, 2015
In Cash Landing, a group of amateur thieves pull off one of the biggest airport heists in history.
While this book didn't have as good of reviews as most Grippando novels, I still enjoyed it. Reading the other reviews, the main criticisms seemed to be that none of characters were likeable and that most chapters in the story are told through the point of view of Ruben Betancourt, the brains behind the heist and the most sane of the group.
While it's true that none of the main characters were particularly likeable other than Ruben's innocent and gullible wife Savannah, there were a lot of twists and turns in the plot, and I thought it was entertaining to watch the thieves self-destruct, with Ruben desperately trying to keep things from blowing up. I actually thought it was intriguing and refreshing to have the majority of the story told from the point of view of the criminal, rather than the investigator like usual in mystery books. I did think Grippando could have done a much better job developing the character of the FBI agent investigating the heist Andie Henning, who he borrowed from the Jack Swyteck series. (FYI for Swyteck fans, Jack does make a cameo appearance on the final few pages but his role is very minor).
While this book didn't have as good of reviews as most Grippando novels, I still enjoyed it. Reading the other reviews, the main criticisms seemed to be that none of characters were likeable and that most chapters in the story are told through the point of view of Ruben Betancourt, the brains behind the heist and the most sane of the group.
While it's true that none of the main characters were particularly likeable other than Ruben's innocent and gullible wife Savannah, there were a lot of twists and turns in the plot, and I thought it was entertaining to watch the thieves self-destruct, with Ruben desperately trying to keep things from blowing up. I actually thought it was intriguing and refreshing to have the majority of the story told from the point of view of the criminal, rather than the investigator like usual in mystery books. I did think Grippando could have done a much better job developing the character of the FBI agent investigating the heist Andie Henning, who he borrowed from the Jack Swyteck series. (FYI for Swyteck fans, Jack does make a cameo appearance on the final few pages but his role is very minor).
June 3, 2015
Cash Landing feels like an Elmore Leonard crime caper gone wrong. It's set in South Florida. A couple of guys get some inside info on how the can easily score a major theft of clean U.S. currency being brought back into the country. They figure that since it will be so easy that the best idea would be to have it be a family affair. So they make their plans, enlist the family, and are ready to go. From then on, things start to go wrong.
Mr. Grippando based Cash Landing on a real life heist that happened in Miami.
Cash Landing is a well written caper novel, with believable characters that do stupid things once they get their hands on huge amounts of untraceable cash. It's fun to see the extremes that people go to when they think that they are rich.
I give Cash Landing 4 1/2 Stars, and a Big Thumbs Up!
I received a Digital Review Copy from the publisher.
Mr. Grippando based Cash Landing on a real life heist that happened in Miami.
Cash Landing is a well written caper novel, with believable characters that do stupid things once they get their hands on huge amounts of untraceable cash. It's fun to see the extremes that people go to when they think that they are rich.
I give Cash Landing 4 1/2 Stars, and a Big Thumbs Up!
I received a Digital Review Copy from the publisher.
July 30, 2015
A dysfunctional family of Cuban-Americans fall on hard times during the Great Recession, basically losing everything they have worked so hard to achieve. Years later they come up with a scheme to hijack millions of dollars of overseas cash destined for the Federal Reserve. In a daring raid, they get away with almost ten million dollars and split it up, then begin to turn against each other in a matter of days in order to get all the money for themselves. I found this overly brutal and largely unsatisfying, simply because there isn't a single person in this novel to root for. Everyone lies, cheats, steals, and then rationalizes their behavior to get something over on the other guy. This may be the way things are in the Cuban community of South Miami, but any reader is generally looking for something more than this.
December 17, 2015
Ruban Betancourt and his wife Savannah have lost their house and their restaurant when the 2008 economy tanks. He tries desperately to find a way to get a little payback. In Miami where they live German Banks send bags of money to the Federal Reserve. I liked Ruban because he loves his wife and anything she wants, he'll get it for her. She doesn't know about his plans that include her coke-headed brother and other relatives. The FBI gets involved after the robbery and Ruban does his best to steer clear of the investigation so his wife wont find out about it. He always seemed to come up with a new plan to keep going. Still a fun read although no one is really too bright in this story.
August 18, 2015
I am still confused about this book. Most of the story line we are following the criminals. I am trying to figure out who the author wants me to root for. Andie Henning is introduced with such a small role and forget Jack! He shows up on the last page! The end left me sad because I did not care about the character Jack defended !! I was hoping for a clever way out for the main character Ruban since he is the one I thought the book mainly followed. First time I didn't really care for one of his books.
April 7, 2016
I really like this series of novels. This one was especially fun although I could have really done without the rather raunchy parts that take place in a strip club and what is basically a "hookup" club. By the time those parts happened I was hooked on the plot. That's my defense and I'm sticking to it! In a nutshell, this is a story about the lack of honor among thieves. The title refers to an airplane loaded with American paper money from Germany because Germany has too much of it. It lands in Miami where a group of men have plans to make off with as much of the loot as they can.
June 22, 2015
Grippando is usually better than this.
If you are after a book about the psychology of groups and self-interest then this is for you in a shallow sense. I found it predictable and with no surprises I was left feeling somewhat empty afterwards. Rating of 2.5 stars mostly for the quality of the writing.
If you are after a book about the psychology of groups and self-interest then this is for you in a shallow sense. I found it predictable and with no surprises I was left feeling somewhat empty afterwards. Rating of 2.5 stars mostly for the quality of the writing.
September 17, 2015
This story line reminded me of a Donald Westlake Dortmunder book in terms of everything going wrong for the crooks. Except, in this case, it was much more violent and definitely not funny. Perhaps it's because there was no Murch's mom involved in the caper.... An enjoyable read but not one that I couldn't put down.
July 8, 2015
I am a James Grippando, but this book did not reach my expectations. I guess that was mainly because I didn't really care about any of the people in the story - that may be because it's based on a true story and you can't really change the truth!! Ah well, I won't give up on Grippando!
July 22, 2015
If these characters are typical of the residents of Florida, I cannot imagine how anybody would want to visit Florida. The ending was a surprise but then again probably should not have been.
August 22, 2015
Not very good. I got about half-way through the book and recognized that I just did not care about the characters or the story.
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