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Rat Pack Mysteries #3
Hey There [You with the Gun in Your Hand]
It's 1961 and Las Vegas is still the place to be. Eddie Gianelli, pit boss at the Sands Casino, now considers the Rat Pack his friends. And this time, his friend Frank Sinatra wants him to help Sammy. Someone has an embarrassing photo of Sammy and wants $25 grand for it. All Eddie has to do is make the pay-off and collect the photo. Easy, right? But at the rendezvous, in place of a blackmailer, Eddie finds a dead body greeting him instead. Pretty soon Eddie and New York torpedo Jerry Epstein are up to their elbows in bodies. There's a double-cross going on. Could the presence of the Secret Service mean that JFK is somehow involved? In this next installment, the Rat Pack is back in full swing. Celebrity cameos with Buddy Hackett and Marilyn Monroe add to the glamor. It's certain the stars are out, and it's up to Eddie to see that they don't fall from the sky.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published December 9, 2008
2 people are currently reading
74 people want to read
About the author
Robert J. Randisi
249 books106 followersRobert Joseph Randisi was a prolific American author, editor, and screenwriter, best known for his work in detective and Western fiction. He wrote over 650 books, including The Gunsmith series under the pen name J.R. Roberts, and edited more than 30 anthologies. A co-founder of Mystery Scene magazine, the American Crime Writers League, and Western Fictioneers, he also established The Private Eye Writers of America and created the Shamus Award. Randisi collaborated on novels with Eileen Davidson and Vince Van Patten, and created memorable characters such as Miles Jacoby, Joe Keough, and The Rat Pack. He received multiple lifetime achievement awards and the John Seigenthaler Humanitarian Award.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
July 21, 2009
I am a huge Rat Pack fan and knew I’d enjoy this the minute I spotted the cover of this book on the “new fiction” shelf in my local library.
The year is 1961 and Las Vegas is swinging. This time Sammy Davis, Jr. is the member of the Rat Pack who has found himself in a compromising position, all because of a photo he took (and doesn’t even remember), although it has certainly caught someone else’s eye. When Sammy receives a note attempting to blackmail him, like his pals Mr. S. and Dino before him (in previous books, apparently), he turns to Eddie Gianelli, pit boss at the Sands, for help. Eddie knows the in’s and out’s of his casino, not to mention his town, and he is flattered to be called upon to help the Pack, all three of whom he genuinely likes. He calls his buddy Jerry (from the Bronx) for backup. The only thing Jerry enjoys more than eating whenever possible is driving Mr. G’s Cadillac. And as if obtaining the crucial photo for Sammy isn’t challenging enough, Gianelli learns that a second photo is creating even more of a situation for someone even bigger than a member of the Pack –specifically the father of the famous new President - none other than Joseph Kennedy.
G-men, sexy showgirls, mysterious blackmailers, and the backdrop of the relatively new and very exciting city of Las Vegas provide a great “vintage” setting for the story. The reader can certainly sense the allure of the casinos in the towns of Vegas, nearby Tahoe, and Reno. The author Randisi’s love for Vegas and the Rat Pack, not to mention his knowledge of the history of the place is evident throughout the book, which makes for an easy, enjoyable read.
In his introduction, he describes a re-enactment of a Rat Pack show with impersonators who are spot on. Having seen a fantastic re-enactment myself, I can only imagine how much fun one of the original performances with Frank, Dino, and Sammy must have been. If possible, read this with a background soundtrack of Rat Pack songs to get the full effect. So of course now I’ll have to read the previous books in the series. . .
The year is 1961 and Las Vegas is swinging. This time Sammy Davis, Jr. is the member of the Rat Pack who has found himself in a compromising position, all because of a photo he took (and doesn’t even remember), although it has certainly caught someone else’s eye. When Sammy receives a note attempting to blackmail him, like his pals Mr. S. and Dino before him (in previous books, apparently), he turns to Eddie Gianelli, pit boss at the Sands, for help. Eddie knows the in’s and out’s of his casino, not to mention his town, and he is flattered to be called upon to help the Pack, all three of whom he genuinely likes. He calls his buddy Jerry (from the Bronx) for backup. The only thing Jerry enjoys more than eating whenever possible is driving Mr. G’s Cadillac. And as if obtaining the crucial photo for Sammy isn’t challenging enough, Gianelli learns that a second photo is creating even more of a situation for someone even bigger than a member of the Pack –specifically the father of the famous new President - none other than Joseph Kennedy.
G-men, sexy showgirls, mysterious blackmailers, and the backdrop of the relatively new and very exciting city of Las Vegas provide a great “vintage” setting for the story. The reader can certainly sense the allure of the casinos in the towns of Vegas, nearby Tahoe, and Reno. The author Randisi’s love for Vegas and the Rat Pack, not to mention his knowledge of the history of the place is evident throughout the book, which makes for an easy, enjoyable read.
In his introduction, he describes a re-enactment of a Rat Pack show with impersonators who are spot on. Having seen a fantastic re-enactment myself, I can only imagine how much fun one of the original performances with Frank, Dino, and Sammy must have been. If possible, read this with a background soundtrack of Rat Pack songs to get the full effect. So of course now I’ll have to read the previous books in the series. . .
December 29, 2008
Hey pallies! Robert J. Randisi’s third installment of the Rat Pack Mystery series, Hey There (You With The Gun In Your Hand), is on the shelves and waiting for you to dive right in!
At Ol’ Blue Eyes request, Joey Bishop has called upon Sands pit boss Eddie G. to take a quick trip up to his house in Tahoe. Seems one of the Pack is in a bit of a jam. Again. This time it’s Sammy Davis, Jr. Sammy’s hobby is photography, and now he’s being blackmailed over one of his photos. Whatever is in the picture must not be worth much because the blackmailer is only asking twenty-five grand for it. More than the money, Sammy is worried about the embarrassment he and his family will have to endure if the photo reaches the tabloids.
After all the beatings Eddie G. took for Frank and Dean in the first two capers, he’s a little reluctant to make the drop alone. He calls his favorite muscleman from New York, Jerry Epstein, a.k.a. Jerry the Torpedo. As long as Jerry has his back, Eddie G. is willing to do whatever the guys ask.
When Eddie G. and Jerry scope out the rendezvous site, they find a dead body. Is that the guy blackmailing Sammy? Don’t know. Now the wait until begins. Will someone contact Sammy? Or is it safe to go back to work at the Sands?
No one contacts Sammy right away, but Eddie and Jerry are involved in enough scuffles and shootings to make Eddie wonder is there isn’t a double-cross going on.
Most of the action takes place in Tahoe and Reno and without as much involvement from Frank and Dean. Eddie G. has to track down Peter to get some info. More than a bit role for Peter adds depth to Hey There (You With The Gun In Your Hand).
I love this series and read Hey There in one afternoon. Now I’m left waiting a whole year for the next Rat Pack Mystery, which Randisi tells me will be called You’re Nobody ‘Til Somebody Kills You. I can’t wait!
Review originally appeared at www.armchairinterviews.com
At Ol’ Blue Eyes request, Joey Bishop has called upon Sands pit boss Eddie G. to take a quick trip up to his house in Tahoe. Seems one of the Pack is in a bit of a jam. Again. This time it’s Sammy Davis, Jr. Sammy’s hobby is photography, and now he’s being blackmailed over one of his photos. Whatever is in the picture must not be worth much because the blackmailer is only asking twenty-five grand for it. More than the money, Sammy is worried about the embarrassment he and his family will have to endure if the photo reaches the tabloids.
After all the beatings Eddie G. took for Frank and Dean in the first two capers, he’s a little reluctant to make the drop alone. He calls his favorite muscleman from New York, Jerry Epstein, a.k.a. Jerry the Torpedo. As long as Jerry has his back, Eddie G. is willing to do whatever the guys ask.
When Eddie G. and Jerry scope out the rendezvous site, they find a dead body. Is that the guy blackmailing Sammy? Don’t know. Now the wait until begins. Will someone contact Sammy? Or is it safe to go back to work at the Sands?
No one contacts Sammy right away, but Eddie and Jerry are involved in enough scuffles and shootings to make Eddie wonder is there isn’t a double-cross going on.
Most of the action takes place in Tahoe and Reno and without as much involvement from Frank and Dean. Eddie G. has to track down Peter to get some info. More than a bit role for Peter adds depth to Hey There (You With The Gun In Your Hand).
I love this series and read Hey There in one afternoon. Now I’m left waiting a whole year for the next Rat Pack Mystery, which Randisi tells me will be called You’re Nobody ‘Til Somebody Kills You. I can’t wait!
Review originally appeared at www.armchairinterviews.com
April 8, 2009
Don't tell anyone I've been reading "rat pack mysteries"!!
But, it is a bit like sneaking away with an entire bag of Cheetos--need I say more? (cheesy yes!)
Frank Sinatra is part of the culture for those of us who spend time in Palm Springs--his hip spirit is integral to the vibe of the community so I couldn't help but pull this book from the library shelf. Robert Randisi is writing about Sinatra (and his friends') time in Las Vegas, not Palm Springs, but the chummy, bad boy aura is the same and makes this series easy and fun reading.
But, it is a bit like sneaking away with an entire bag of Cheetos--need I say more? (cheesy yes!)
Frank Sinatra is part of the culture for those of us who spend time in Palm Springs--his hip spirit is integral to the vibe of the community so I couldn't help but pull this book from the library shelf. Robert Randisi is writing about Sinatra (and his friends') time in Las Vegas, not Palm Springs, but the chummy, bad boy aura is the same and makes this series easy and fun reading.
February 26, 2010
Once again Eddie G is asked to help out a member of the Rat Pack, this time it's Sammy who's in trouble. He's being blackmailed and askes Eddie to make the drop, but, of course, things go wrong, and bodies pile up. This one is my favorite so far, but just because I have the softest spot in my heart for Sammy Davis, Jr.!
March 2, 2019
Eddie Gianelli is the Pit Boss at the Sands – what says 1960s Las Vegas more than that? Well, how about the fact that Eddie Gianelli's friends include local legends named Sinatra, Martin, Davis (Jr.), and Bishop? Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack are the type of friends that most guys would love to have – but Eddie sometimes wishes that discovering dead bodies didn't seem to come along with the friendship.
In this edition of the ongoing series, Eddie has been asked to provide a little assistance to Sammy Davis Jr. Mr. Davis has suffered a break-in, and a roll of film was taken. That roll of film has a certain photo that the thieves would like to sell back to the entertainer at a tremendous mark-up, and Eddie has been recruited to act in the delivery service i.e. bag-man. Problem: The blackmailer never showed up for the meet. Problem #2: Some dead guy IS laying in the location chosen for the meet. Problems 3, 4, etc. won't become apparent until later in the book …
I enjoy reading, but Mr. Randisi succeeded in hooking me into this book to the extent that it was almost painful to have to put it down. When one has to choose between eating and reading, between sleeping and reading, one knows that the author has exceeded in their task of providing an entertaining diversion.
Is the book perfect? Naw – let's start off with a gratuitous appearance by Marilyn Monroe. I can come up with two valid reasons why the author chose to include the scene in this book – one indirectly foreshadows a possible event later in the book, and the other may be setting the reader up for a future book in the series – but I think the reader deserved a bit more direct explanation for the inclusion of those couple of pages. Secondly, when dealing with the private lives of public personas, it can be challenging to balance perception from reality, rumor from fact. Does the author succeed at this? I fear, most of us will never know. However, given that the characters in question and their celebrity friends rarely if ever show a negative emotion, trait, or action, we can suspect that some rose-colored glasses are in employ.
Overall – a most excellent read. This is the 3rd book I've read in the series (the first two centering on Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra), and I certainly look forward to reading others in the series.
In this edition of the ongoing series, Eddie has been asked to provide a little assistance to Sammy Davis Jr. Mr. Davis has suffered a break-in, and a roll of film was taken. That roll of film has a certain photo that the thieves would like to sell back to the entertainer at a tremendous mark-up, and Eddie has been recruited to act in the delivery service i.e. bag-man. Problem: The blackmailer never showed up for the meet. Problem #2: Some dead guy IS laying in the location chosen for the meet. Problems 3, 4, etc. won't become apparent until later in the book …
I enjoy reading, but Mr. Randisi succeeded in hooking me into this book to the extent that it was almost painful to have to put it down. When one has to choose between eating and reading, between sleeping and reading, one knows that the author has exceeded in their task of providing an entertaining diversion.
Is the book perfect? Naw – let's start off with a gratuitous appearance by Marilyn Monroe. I can come up with two valid reasons why the author chose to include the scene in this book – one indirectly foreshadows a possible event later in the book, and the other may be setting the reader up for a future book in the series – but I think the reader deserved a bit more direct explanation for the inclusion of those couple of pages. Secondly, when dealing with the private lives of public personas, it can be challenging to balance perception from reality, rumor from fact. Does the author succeed at this? I fear, most of us will never know. However, given that the characters in question and their celebrity friends rarely if ever show a negative emotion, trait, or action, we can suspect that some rose-colored glasses are in employ.
Overall – a most excellent read. This is the 3rd book I've read in the series (the first two centering on Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra), and I certainly look forward to reading others in the series.
October 29, 2023
Robert Randisi's excellent historical mysteries featuring the Rat Pack rolls on with this third installment. This time the Rat Packer needing help is Sammy Davis, Jr. It's 1961 and Sammy is being blackmailed over an embarrassing photo of him. Eddie Gianelli, Sands Casino pit boss and amateur shamus, agrees to make the payoff and get the picture back. At the rendezvous, rather than a tradeoff Eddie G finds a corpse. With the help of New York muscle Jerry Epstein, Eddie tries to solve the double cross while avoiding the Secret Service agents in Vegas - is JFK in the picture?
This series shows Randisi's skill and experience with mysteries. He weaves together fictional characters and real-life ones with ease, placing them in a fast-paced, thrilling case. If you are at all interested in stories of Las Vegas in the glamorous days when Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and their fellow Rat Packers ran the town, you will love this series and this book. I can't wait to read the next in this fun series.
This series shows Randisi's skill and experience with mysteries. He weaves together fictional characters and real-life ones with ease, placing them in a fast-paced, thrilling case. If you are at all interested in stories of Las Vegas in the glamorous days when Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and their fellow Rat Packers ran the town, you will love this series and this book. I can't wait to read the next in this fun series.
March 22, 2025
The 'Rat Pack Mysteries' are pulp fiction - written fast using a trusted formula.
Therein lies the problem.
Three books in and I'm running out of steam because even though each has a different plot, they all evolve in exactly the same way.
It makes it difficult to binge read - I'd recommend taking a break between each one.
This time out Frank Sinatra wants Eddie G. to help Sammy Davis Jr.
Sammy, it turns out, is an enthusiastic photographer and somewhere along the line he took at least one photo that is being used to blackmail him.
A roll of film, along with a pistol, was taken in a burglary at his home - the blackmailers want $50,000 for the negative.
It all seems easy enough until the bullets start flying and the bodies begin to drop.
As with the previous books in the series all is not what it seems.
“Hey There [You with the Gun in Your Hand]” is a likeable read but left me vaguely dissatisfied.
3 Stars.
Therein lies the problem.
Three books in and I'm running out of steam because even though each has a different plot, they all evolve in exactly the same way.
It makes it difficult to binge read - I'd recommend taking a break between each one.
This time out Frank Sinatra wants Eddie G. to help Sammy Davis Jr.
Sammy, it turns out, is an enthusiastic photographer and somewhere along the line he took at least one photo that is being used to blackmail him.
A roll of film, along with a pistol, was taken in a burglary at his home - the blackmailers want $50,000 for the negative.
It all seems easy enough until the bullets start flying and the bodies begin to drop.
As with the previous books in the series all is not what it seems.
“Hey There [You with the Gun in Your Hand]” is a likeable read but left me vaguely dissatisfied.
3 Stars.
February 7, 2017
It's 1961 and Las Vegas is still the place to be. Eddie Gianelli, pit boss at the Sands Casino, now considers the Rat Pack his friends. And this time, his friend Frank Sinatra wants him to help Sammy. Someone has an embarrassing photo of Sammy and wants twenty-five grand for it.
All Eddie has to do is make the payoff and collect the photo. Easy. Right? But at the rendezvous, in place of a blackmailer, Eddie and New York tough guy Jerry Epstein are up to their elbows in bodies. There's a double cross going on. Could the presence of the Secret Service mean that JFK is somehow involved?
Celebrity cameos by Buddy Hackett and Marilyn Monroe add to the glamour. The stars are out, and it's up to Eddie to see that they don't fall from the sky.
All Eddie has to do is make the payoff and collect the photo. Easy. Right? But at the rendezvous, in place of a blackmailer, Eddie and New York tough guy Jerry Epstein are up to their elbows in bodies. There's a double cross going on. Could the presence of the Secret Service mean that JFK is somehow involved?
Celebrity cameos by Buddy Hackett and Marilyn Monroe add to the glamour. The stars are out, and it's up to Eddie to see that they don't fall from the sky.
May 8, 2023
Another fun, entertaining Rat Pack Mystery.
It's 1961 and Eddie G (Pit Boss at The Sands)
is once again asked to help out one of The Rat Pack.
This time, it's Sammy Davis Jr who needs a favor.
Someone broke into Sammy's house and has a picture and negative that would be very embarrassing if it was made public.
At first, Eddie G (and Jerry, a New York tough guy who often helps Eddie out) is just going to pay the blackmail money and get the photo and negative back.
But at the meeting place, there's a dead body and no pictures...
Soon, Eddie realizes that there is another picture in the roll of film stolen from Sammy...
And that picture reaches up much higher than The Rat Pack.
A fast moving mystery that pulls you along.
There are some Celebrity cameos in this one...
Great fun.
It's 1961 and Eddie G (Pit Boss at The Sands)
is once again asked to help out one of The Rat Pack.
This time, it's Sammy Davis Jr who needs a favor.
Someone broke into Sammy's house and has a picture and negative that would be very embarrassing if it was made public.
At first, Eddie G (and Jerry, a New York tough guy who often helps Eddie out) is just going to pay the blackmail money and get the photo and negative back.
But at the meeting place, there's a dead body and no pictures...
Soon, Eddie realizes that there is another picture in the roll of film stolen from Sammy...
And that picture reaches up much higher than The Rat Pack.
A fast moving mystery that pulls you along.
There are some Celebrity cameos in this one...
Great fun.
June 8, 2023
All the books in this series are a fast, fun read. Eddie Gianelli and JerryEpstein are a great pair and very likable characters. This books do have a formula of Eddie needing to help a member of the Rat Pack with a problem but the problems are so different and the stories are so engaging, that every book is different.
June 16, 2020
This mystery is about how Sammy Davis needs help out of a blackmail scheme.
August 28, 2010
The third Rat Pack mystery, in which Eddie G is recruited by Frank Sinatra to help his buddy Sammy Davis, who's being blackmailed because of an embarrassing photo in the wrong hands. Eddie and Jerry look into it and discover that this is not the only photo at large, nor the only blackmail scam going on, and it involves people with a lot more power, and more to lose, than the Rat Pack.
There's one bit where Eddie acts like a complete moron, sleeping with a new employee of the Sands who is clearly there for other reasons; he doesn't come off as an experienced pit boss wise in the ways of showgirls and the Vegas streets at that moment, and it makes the illusion flicker a little. But overall, it's as pulpy and entertaining as the previous books, slight on character development or cultural background, but fun and engrossing.
There's one bit where Eddie acts like a complete moron, sleeping with a new employee of the Sands who is clearly there for other reasons; he doesn't come off as an experienced pit boss wise in the ways of showgirls and the Vegas streets at that moment, and it makes the illusion flicker a little. But overall, it's as pulpy and entertaining as the previous books, slight on character development or cultural background, but fun and engrossing.
March 2, 2012
I love the characters and the backdrop. The chemistry between Eddie G. and Jerry is a lot of fun to watch. Randisi does a great job of rendering Vegas in the early 1960s. The real historical figures come across true, but not so intrusive that they dominate. I found the third Rat Pack mystery a bit sloppier than the first two, though. A number of characters and plot threads were introduced, played as significant, then abandoned. There was also a major anachronism within the first two pages of the book. Otherwise, I would have given this book four stars.
January 2, 2015
Eddie G., a Las Vegas pit boss, is friends with Frank Sinatra, and has a reputation for being able to “fix” problems. In this Rat Pack mystery, Eddie helps out Sammy Davis, jr., by agreeing to be a go-between to buy some embarrassing photos by the entertainer.
A traditional mystery steeped in 1960s nostalgia, this book is as fun as a Las Vegas headliner’s act.
A traditional mystery steeped in 1960s nostalgia, this book is as fun as a Las Vegas headliner’s act.
March 1, 2015
These books aren't going to the change the world, but the Rat Pack series gives me a great way to escape every so often. This time the focus is on Sammy Davis, Jr. and a stolen photograph that he would like that. Eddie G and Jerry are soon caught up in a case that as usual involves lots of dead bodies, wisecracking characters, and hanging out with the Rat Pack.
April 15, 2010
Not much to add to my reviews of other books in this series. For my money it was better than the first book in the series, but not as good as '....Til Somebody Kills You. All these stories have been a blast -- what will I do when I'm done with Luck Be A Lady?
November 7, 2014
Excellent; Continuing characters: Eddie Gianelli and the Rat Pack; this time Eddie G is helping Sammy Davis Jr. who is being blackmailed over a photo, but then other, more violent people are looking for additional pictures that may have bigger consequences
February 4, 2009
Fun especially if you are a Rat Pack or Vegas fan.
August 8, 2009
This is the 3rd in the Rat Pack series. Very intertaining, particularly if you are fans of those guys, and I am.
August 23, 2012
Great stuff if you're a fan of the Rat Pack, or Vegas or just nostalgia in general. No underlying message here. Just a good, fun read.
June 28, 2013
Thought I give this series another try. This book no better then the first. I done with this oneM
August 24, 2013
A nice light-hearted mystery. I gave it four stars because of my all abiding love for the Rat Pack, more than anything else.
June 5, 2014
a very easy read but fun and about my era and my rat pack
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January 26, 2009On page 58 I was just greeted by the F-riendly word. Of course I stopped there.
March 29, 2017
A great way to purge the brain after the Mo Yan Experience.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews