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Contested Ransom
Corruption, greed, torture, and murder behind a hotel/marina project have triggered a kidnapping.
With no certainty that payment will end the conflict, Joey and Mira become reluctantly involved. Aided by the most unlikely allies, they formulate a clever strategy to resolve the dangerous situation.
Readers met Joey Moretti in Mystical Glasses and Innocent Retribution discovering he is a man with distinctive talents and the ability to deal with unpleasant tasks.
In Contested Ransom, we see more of Joey Moretti being tested to the limit.
With no certainty that payment will end the conflict, Joey and Mira become reluctantly involved. Aided by the most unlikely allies, they formulate a clever strategy to resolve the dangerous situation.
Readers met Joey Moretti in Mystical Glasses and Innocent Retribution discovering he is a man with distinctive talents and the ability to deal with unpleasant tasks.
In Contested Ransom, we see more of Joey Moretti being tested to the limit.
180 pages, ebook
Published March 17, 2017
2 people want to read
About the author
Jack Kregas
40 books34 followers Jack Kregas was raised in Vermont in the Northeast of the United States. After three years in the US Army he was discharged in Europe where he spent thirty years skiing, owning ski shops and other businesses.
After many winters in the Alps and summers windsurfing on Maui, Jack departed Switzerland for Maui full time with his Australian wife and small daughter. Five years later he moved the family to Australia becoming an Australian citizen.
Jack now lives in Brisbane where he wrote his first book in 2015, the autobiography of his adventurous life. With that success, he has written 16 more composing of thrillers, shorts stories, and crime novels. His last novels are SHATTERED INNOCENCE and the sequel THE VISUAL DECEPTION both out now.
These novels based in Australia are on human trafficking. PLEASE watch the videos.
AVAILABLE NOW! New Novel LESS THAN NORMAL
After many winters in the Alps and summers windsurfing on Maui, Jack departed Switzerland for Maui full time with his Australian wife and small daughter. Five years later he moved the family to Australia becoming an Australian citizen.
Jack now lives in Brisbane where he wrote his first book in 2015, the autobiography of his adventurous life. With that success, he has written 16 more composing of thrillers, shorts stories, and crime novels. His last novels are SHATTERED INNOCENCE and the sequel THE VISUAL DECEPTION both out now.
These novels based in Australia are on human trafficking. PLEASE watch the videos.
AVAILABLE NOW! New Novel LESS THAN NORMAL
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 20, 2017
You don't have to read the first two books in this series to know the story, but I recommend them as well as this newest in the series. Joey Moretti is a man with a checkered past and finally seems to find himself comfortable with life and with his girl, Mira. of course, life always surprises as and the same is true for Joey. His cousin Stefano calls him when Stefano's adoptive daughter is kidnapped and that is when Joey and Mira head to Mexico and a twisted adventure to save the young lady. I find the author has a great reader friendly style, their is quite a bit of swearing, but because of the circumstances in the book, the language fits. Other than that, sit back and get ready for a great read.
June 25, 2017
CONTESTED RANSOM
By Jack Kregas
If you’re looking for a lightning-paced, action-driven book for a vacation to the mountains or the beach, pick up a copy of Jack Kregas’ CONTESTED RANSOM. It’s fast copy, to borrow an old journalism phrase from the 30s and 40s.
Kregas, a Brisbane-based American ex-pat and tournament poker player, knows how to tell a lively story peppered with winning characters. This is his third novel featuring Joey Moretti, a well-heeled drifter and poker maven with family connections of the Mafia kind that he tries to keep at a continental distance. However, he can’t because he gets a hefty stipend from a wing of the family that has gone legit. Like Michael Corleone in Godfather III, he thinks he’s out, but they pull him back in.
This sets up a thread of dramatic tension that I suspect runs throughout Kregas’ earlier novels -- Joey is caught between the life he wants to lead with his vivacious, surf-loving wife, Mira, on the California coast and the blood ties of family he can’t refuse.
In this story, the call he can’t refuse comes from his cousin, Stefano, who heads up the legit wing of the family business, a real estate development company flying the Moretti name. Stefano’s adopted daughter, Petra, has been kidnapped by a Mexican marina developer with cartel connections after she discovers hidden holes in a development deal on land near Puerto Vallarta the Moretti company is about to sign. Cruz, the bent Mexican developer, is desperate for cash he needs to keep his cartel overlords from killing him.
Joey, with the insistent and ever-game Mira by his side, go to Mexico and hatch a plot to free Petra that involves a pair of mercs from a prison-based gang that owes Joey a one-time-only favor from past encounters and Mexican villagers who have been strong-armed by Cruz to give up their land. Guns are involved and lots of bad guys will get killed in an intense shootout that might just get Joey and Mira killed.
To find out who walks through the gunsmoke alive, pick up a copy of Kregas’ book.
CONTESTED RANSOM is available in paperback and Kindle at https://www.amazon.com/Contested-Rans...
Jim Nesbitt is the author of two hard-boiled Texas thrillers that feature Dallas PI Ed Earl Burch. THE LAST SECOND CHANCE and THE RIGHT WRONG NUMBER are both available at amazon.com/author/jimnesbitt
By Jack Kregas
If you’re looking for a lightning-paced, action-driven book for a vacation to the mountains or the beach, pick up a copy of Jack Kregas’ CONTESTED RANSOM. It’s fast copy, to borrow an old journalism phrase from the 30s and 40s.
Kregas, a Brisbane-based American ex-pat and tournament poker player, knows how to tell a lively story peppered with winning characters. This is his third novel featuring Joey Moretti, a well-heeled drifter and poker maven with family connections of the Mafia kind that he tries to keep at a continental distance. However, he can’t because he gets a hefty stipend from a wing of the family that has gone legit. Like Michael Corleone in Godfather III, he thinks he’s out, but they pull him back in.
This sets up a thread of dramatic tension that I suspect runs throughout Kregas’ earlier novels -- Joey is caught between the life he wants to lead with his vivacious, surf-loving wife, Mira, on the California coast and the blood ties of family he can’t refuse.
In this story, the call he can’t refuse comes from his cousin, Stefano, who heads up the legit wing of the family business, a real estate development company flying the Moretti name. Stefano’s adopted daughter, Petra, has been kidnapped by a Mexican marina developer with cartel connections after she discovers hidden holes in a development deal on land near Puerto Vallarta the Moretti company is about to sign. Cruz, the bent Mexican developer, is desperate for cash he needs to keep his cartel overlords from killing him.
Joey, with the insistent and ever-game Mira by his side, go to Mexico and hatch a plot to free Petra that involves a pair of mercs from a prison-based gang that owes Joey a one-time-only favor from past encounters and Mexican villagers who have been strong-armed by Cruz to give up their land. Guns are involved and lots of bad guys will get killed in an intense shootout that might just get Joey and Mira killed.
To find out who walks through the gunsmoke alive, pick up a copy of Kregas’ book.
CONTESTED RANSOM is available in paperback and Kindle at https://www.amazon.com/Contested-Rans...
Jim Nesbitt is the author of two hard-boiled Texas thrillers that feature Dallas PI Ed Earl Burch. THE LAST SECOND CHANCE and THE RIGHT WRONG NUMBER are both available at amazon.com/author/jimnesbitt
March 22, 2017
Another great novel by Jack Kregas and number three to the previous books, Mystical Glasses & Innocent Retribution. This one is fast packed and easy to read like the others. Jack Kregas has out done himself with this one though. His story telling just gets better and better, Another one I couldn't put down till finished, in a day. Amazing, is his ability to write so many excellent books in such a short time. Six to be exact in two years.(Is that a record from an Australian writer?) He is one of my favourite writers at the moment because of the easy style of writing that is quite unique. If you like to read about corruption, torture and some murder with some romance entwined within the story this is the book for you. All you readers out there, or if you have never picked up a book before, put this one on your reading list. You'll be wanting more!
July 16, 2017
Great read. Page turner. Joey and Mira are enjoying their lives. The past always catches up with Joey somehow. Joey’s family obligation pulls them into an action packed journey that may leave them dead. The characters come together from different walks of life. Defined only by the crisis at hand. Fast moving action. I believe there may be more to come from Joey Moretti.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews