The Fix

by Robert Downs

Professional gambler, Johnny Chapman, plays the hand he’s dealt, but when he’s dealt a series of losers, he decides to up the ante with more money than he can afford to lose. Just when he thinks his life can’t get any worse, it does. The loan shark he owes the money to demands that he pay up and sends his goons after him. The man offers Johnny one way out—fix a race by fatally injecting the dog most likely to win. A piece of cake, Johnny thinks, until he looks into the big brown eyes of the beautiful dog, and the price suddenly seems too great to pay. Now Johnny’s on the run and the goons are closing in…

166 pages, Paperback

First published December 2, 2017

About the author

Robert Downs aspired to be a writer before he realized how difficult the writing process was. Fortunately, he'd already fallen in love with the craft, otherwise his tales might never have seen print. Originally from West Virginia, he has lived in Virginia, Massachusetts, New Mexico, and now resides in California. When he’s not writing, Downs can be found reading, reviewing, traveling, or smiling. To find out more about his latest projects, or to reach out to him on the Internet, visit the author’s website: http://www.RobertDowns.net. The Bridal Chase is his seventh book and second novella.

Reviews

[Paul Falk · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author reminded me why I don't prefer to gamble. I hate to lose! Am I the only one? More precisely, I wouldn't want to lose some gangster's money hell-bent of taking it out on my hide. This character-driven narrative moved along at the speed of a bullet. In fact, it came down to many at the end.

Professional gambler Johnny Chapman had found himself on the flip side of winning. Not a good place to be. Especially, when the money he lost wasn't his. He'd overextended himself with a bundle of cash to loan shark, Harrison Barrymore. Bad news for Johnny - his loan's been called in.

Turns out Harrison's not such a bad fellow after all. Softened up while tied to a chair, Johnny had been given an ultimatum: either fix a dog race or die. Will it be box number one or box number two? That was an easy one. The fix was in. After being untied, Harrison handed him a syringe filled with some type of liquid. An injection ensured a less-than-stellar performance for the canine champion. Now all that was left was to stick the dog. No problem. Right?

Race day had come. Shortly before post time, Johnny found the kennel where the dog was being kept. Surprisingly, he got in with no problems. Supermax it wasn't. So far so good. The Moment of Truth came when he found the dog. Everything went to pieces when he looked into the soft brown eyes of the racing champion. His ship was sunk. No way he could slip that dog a Mickey. All he could do was hope for the best, plan for the worst. A silent prayer was made to the god of dog racing. Second place - second place.

From The spectator stands, he watched the incredible four-legged athlete bolt to another first-place finish. There is no God. Looks like he's stuck with box number two. With Harrison's goons on his tail, another race was underway. Survival. Only there's no finish line.

My appreciation sent to NetGalley and Black Opal Books for this Arc in exchange for an unbiased review.

[Dianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Johnny Chapman was a professional gambler. Seems he would have been better off in another profession, because his losing streak and debts owed to the local loan shark are going to get him killed. The way his luck has been going, it won’t be quick or painless, although he has been offered an out. Once again, Johnny is about to find himself on the receiving end of trouble, but this time, it’s because he did the right thing, just a little too late.

Johnny is that guy who is looking for the fast buck, the easy buck, and can’t see he has a problem, even after his ex-girlfriend repeatedly reminds him what a loser he is. THE FIX by Robert Downs is short read that really plays out like a fly’s eye view of the downfall of one more victim of a total lack of control in a world of vultures just looking for that lame, baby bird who wants to play with the big boys’ league. Probably a good thing he is confident he can take a punch or fifty…

Lots of action, turmoil and a character who makes life a lot harder than it is, I had to wonder if Johnny would get wise before he got dead! I can't say I felt much for Johnny or his girlfriend, but the dog, definitely!

I received a complimentary review copy from Black Opal Books.

Publisher: Black Opal Books (December 2, 2017)
Publication Date: December 2, 2017
Genre: Crime Fiction
Print Length: 103 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com

[Quintin Zimmermann · Rating 2 out of 5]

This novella is a noir - morally ambiguous characters operating in a dark, foreboding atmosphere of cynicism and fatalism.

I do love the noir genre, but prefer it when the main protagonist has, despite all his shortcoming, a sliver of stubborn nobility to navigate this morally bankrupt world and a steely resolve to tackle the odds so stacked against him.

These are not stories with happy endings, but there is generally some form of resolution in the end.

In this novella, Johnny unashamedly has very few redeemable qualities, so I really struggled to be invested in him and the story itself. Moreover, the novella essentially consists of a series of unfortunate events that are mostly self-perpetuated.

In the end, there wasn't really any resolution, it all just seemed rather pointless.

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

In author Robert Down's gritty noir suspense novella, The Fix, the reader meets down-on-his-luck gambler, Johnny Chapman. Johnny has lost the last of his money at a card game and loan shark Harrison Barrymore wants him to pay his debt. Harrison offers Johnny a way out: fix the next dog race by doping the dog that has been winning races lately. Johnny figures he could do the job, that is until he looks into Sam the dog's eyes, and Johnny realizes that he can't do it. So now what does Johnny do? He runs for his life from the loan shark's henchmen, trying to stay one step ahead in order to save his life!

The Fix is a fast-paced gritty noir novella that is full of in your face action and suspense that easily keeps the reader engaged. Author Robert Downs interweaves Johnny's flaws and troubles that he finds himself in as his life spirals downward with the same kind of down-on-your-luck troubles of his ex-girlfriend, Gwendoline Nivea in an alternating fashion that makes the reader stay on their toes. I kind of thought that this alternating interweaving of Johnny and Gwendoline's stories was confusing because I thought the premise of the story was supposed to be primarily focused on the trouble that Johnny found himself in after he didn't fix the dog race. Somehow the madcap dangerous adventure Johnny found himself in with the goons chasing him down was further into the story than I had expected. In any case, I did appreciate the suspense and dark humor that is prevalent throughout the book, it was quite entertaining. I just wish that maybe the story could have focused only on Johnny's crazy adventures, and not have been interwoven with his ex-girlfriend's life problems too.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author/publisher in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours.

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[Madelon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novella sucks you in with what appears to be incredibly good writing. However well-constructed the language, if it doesn't tell a coherent story, something is definitely lacking. The first two thirds of THE FIX reads like a series of disjointed vignettes where each one paints a vivid picture that never quite reveals the intended theme. There are paragraphs that read like the voiceover in film noir; you can almost hear Bogart reading the lines.

There are three main characters Johnny, Gwendoline and Harrison. There are also innumerable nameless characters that somewhat hard to track, yet are integral to the action in their particular scenes.

As much as I want to praise the prose, I also want to pan the plot. It isn't until the last couple of chapters that a coherent story materializes.

Reading THE FIX is much like attending a film festival of short noir themed movies with no intermission.

[Jessica Bronder · Rating 3 out of 5]

Johnny Chapman is a professional gambler. But he is on the down and decides to get some money from a loan shark, Harrison Barrymore and he just demanded Johnny to pay up. Of course Johnny can’t so the Barrymore offers him a deal, fix the next dog race and he will be good to go or die. But one look at the dog and Johnny can’t follow through.

What ensues is a mad chase where Johnny tries to get away from Barrymore but never quite makes it. He gets caught, gets beat up, escapes, and caught again. He’s not really a loveable character but you have to give him credit for continuing to fight. Granted the situations he finds himself in are caused by his own flaws.

This is a quick novella that you can read in one setting. It has a good story and was entertaining. I am curious about other books from Robert Downs and will be checking those out.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.

[Shanell Meek · Rating 3 out of 5]

There could be some lessons learned here.

The Fix by Robert Downs is a novella that follows Johnny Chapman, who is a professional gambler who apparently isn’t that good at gambling. He finds himself in over his head owing a pretty scary loan shark more money than he has. The loan shark offers Johnny a way out from his debt and Johnny finds himself in deeper than he was before when he can’t follow through with the plan. I’ll be honest, none of the characters in this book really had me pulling for them. Johnny is in a cliché relationship with a woman who has been beaten down by life, the “bad guys” are only marginally worse than the not so bad guys in the story. Overall it wasn’t a terrible story, I just didn’t feel connected or invested in the characters or their predicaments. It wasn’t a bad afternoon read though. I would read more from Robert Downs, he has an interesting writing style.

[Kimberley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novella was a tough read. It shares the story of a professional gambler and the horrible things that can happen when you are dealt a few bad hands gambling with other people's money. It was tough to follow since the gambling terminology was unfamiliar to me. I am sorry to say it read like a short story written for a college English writing class. I felt the author was trying too hard. There was strong character development for the minor characters but I am still trying to envision our main character . Except for unimaginable bruising and breakages , the main character needs more description .

[Kate Brackett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Johnny is in deep trouble. Losing at gambling provides an interesting and dangerous opportunity for Johnny to get out of debt- but at another price. The book is fast-paced. It is a short read and if you want a down and dirty quick novella, this is it. Johnny (to me) is a loser. He really didn't have any qualities that I liked and I kinda wished the "goons" mentioned in the book would just let him have it. With that being said, the characters aren't really developed.I feel we only kind of know them but that might due to the fact the book is short and it seems to focus on the action. Otherwise the plot was interesting and it felt like it had the likeness of a TV series.

[Joyce · Rating 3 out of 5]

Johnny is a drunk and a gambler. He is not particularly good at either and now owes a large amount of money to Harrison. Harrison wants Johnny to fix a dog race as repayment of the gambling losses. Johnny doesn’t. He does a number of foolish things in order to extricate himself from the situation in which he finds himself. People are killed and he is kicked and beaten more than once. The climax is almost anticlimactic. Thanks to Net Galley and Black Opal Books for an ARC for an honest review.

[Linda Epach · Rating 2 out of 5]

In Robert Downs novella "The Fix" gambler Johnny Chapman's losing streak results in a loan shark offering him only one way out, drug a dog to fix a big race. One look in the dogs eyes and he can't do it. Now he's on the run. While I enjoyed the writing style, the characters and plot needed a bit more rounding out for my personal taste. But it was a short story that could be read in one sitting so if you are looking for a short quick read this book supplies that.

[Jeff · Rating 1 out of 5]

I won this in a Goodreads Giveaway. thus is the first thing I've read by the author.

It will most likely be the last thing I read by the author. this story was confusing on so many levels. many of the characters had such similar descriptions that it was easy to confuse them. time did not appear to flow in a linear fashion which added to the confusion. none of the characters were likable. this is filled with cliches and what sound like bits and pieces of works by other authors.

[Lizenbyl · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about a big-time gambler that is on a losing streak and tries to fix his losses with potentially drugging a dog which he does not do with a lot of consequences.

This book has good language, but the story is told in a way that at times leaves the reader confused about what is going on.

[Threasa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I won this book on Goodreads, and I was hoping to like it a lot. I couldn't even finish the book. There was no background on any of the characters, so you couldn't figure out who was who. Johnny was a gambler, but what led to that? I didn't even get far enough to see if he saved the poor dog. I am so sorry I didn't like the book.

[Kes Townsend · Rating 2 out of 5]

The plotline seemed to jump around and was hard to follow, sometimes like a stream of consciousness. Or, it seemed like several people wrote it and pieced the book together. I almost stopped reading the book but did complete it. The short online of the book was more interesting than the book itself.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good entertaining read. Fast paced and full of action. The main characters (Johnny and Gwendoline) are two tough persons. Good ending after a madcap series of adventures. I recommend for a good enjoyable read. I won this book in a GoodReads Giveaway!

[Sheri · Rating 1 out of 5]

When I first began reading this book, I felt that it did get off to a decent start, however, unfortunately, the author totally dropped the balls soon after. Filled with excessive vularity, I could not finish it. Sadly, this book was not for me.

[Shelby · Rating 3 out of 5]

It wa well written, but I hated all the characters except Sam the dog. And he was only there maybe 5 pages. All the other characters were incredibly unsympathetic.

[Roxanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a fan of this genre. Too many characters.

I won a copy of this book on GoodReads.

[Tena · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great little read.. very intense for ONLY 122 pages ** I won this in a GOODREADS giveaway!

[Debra Barstad · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick easy read. It was fast paced and had action with a tinge of romantic notions in it.

[Bookschatter · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars - I kind of liked it

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. Some parts were rambling. The action parts were too short.

[Joyce · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars

Gambler Johnny Chapman is on a big losing streak. When he gets in too deep with a loan shark, they tie him to a chair and beat him. Then they offer him a proposition. He is to drug a consistently winning dog in a big race. No problem, right?

When he gets to the dog, he finds he simply can’t do it. Instead, he goes on the run with the bad guys chasing him.

The charter Johnny Chapman has few redeeming qualities as his girlfriend is most likely to say. (She’s not a real winner herself.) He’s the true essence of a loser who has things happen to him. He seems to have little control over his life – or his decisions.

What one can say about this book is perhaps look out for the danger inherent in all addictions. The writing is not bad, and the plot is interesting to a degree. I didn’t like Johnny very much and I would guess that that affects my opinion of the book. His only good quality was that he had affection for the dog.

I want to thank NetGalley and Independent Book Publishers Association (IPBA), Members Titles for forwarding a copy of this book for me to read.

[Laura Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Johnny doesn’t have any luck. He keeps think the next time will be the big win. But in gambling, that’s never guaranteed. His luck stays bad and the money he borrowed from the loan shark must be paid, in cash or in blood. So he takes the one time offer to cancel his debt, but can’t go through with it. Now the heat is on. As bad goes to worse, it’s anyone’s ‘bet’ whether he’ll come out of this alive

This novella read like a screen play almost. The author showed me a lot and it felt like I was watching an episode from a series. And while I wish I could have connected with the character’s, but I didn’t, the action kept it moving fast and it was still an edgy, fun read.

I received a complimentary copy. My review is voluntarily given.

[Erica (The Literary Apothecary) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book. However, it didn't "pull me in." The background information, building of the story's unique "world", and suspense were nice. Yet, they were not enough to yank my attention from other things.

[Dawn Thomas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Book Review: The Fix by Robert Downs
Review by Dawn Thomas


Pages
Publisher: Black Open Books Publication

General Fiction

Johnny Chapman has the worst luck. He is a gambler who has not won in a while and owes a lot of money to Harrison. Harrison makes Johnny an offer, inject a dog with a hormone to fix a race or else. Johnny takes the needle and heads to the track but once he looks into the dog’s eyes, he knows he cannot do it.

Gwendoline Pearce is in a similar situation. She has just lost her job and her husband is having an affair with a perky young blonde-haired woman with pouty lips. When Johnny crosses her path, neither of their lives will be the same.

The book is written in third person present tense and was a fast read. I actually read the book twice. Although it is classified as a mystery & thriller, there is little mystery in the book. The story is full of action, drugs, cursing, and violence. I usually enjoy this type of book but I could not connect with any of the characters. They seems shallow and were not well developed. The author also eludes to a relationship between Johnny and Gwendoline but does not go into detail.

[Laura]

I chose not to give this a rating as it just did not appeal to me. I recognize the author has talent.
The story is gritty, sometimes graphically vulgar. It is darkly atmospheric and the description of his choice regarding the dog is only a minor piece of this story.