The men, mostly virgins, gather in the darkest corners online, drawn together by a common bond: self-hatred. They hate the way they look. They hate their disastrous sex lives. They hate alpha males
There is only one thing they hate more: women.
Women are the root of all their problems. Women are inferior and deserve to be punished for rejecting them.
Eva Santella, independent, beautiful, confident, represents everything they despise.
So they get together online and feed on each other's rage and disappointment and frustration. And there, in their shadowy forums, they plot revenge.
On a massive scale.
It's been done before and they can do it again.
When Eva tries to stop them, they turn their deadly sights on her.
Kristi Belcamino is a USA TODAY bestselling author, an Agatha, Anthony, Barry & Macavity, award finalist, a newspaper cops reporter, and an Italian mama who makes a tasty biscotti.
One-Eyed Jack: A Thriller is aptly titled. Kristi is again scaring the pants off me. Not to worry, I was alone at the time.
I am torn by Kristi's books. On the one hand, they are very well written. She can certainly write a thriller and does. On the other hand, her books are not my usual choice of reading. I do appreciate that her main characters are self-assured tough women who regularly get themselves into and out of trouble. And, at least in One-Eyed Jack, she didn't "kill the girl."
If you like thrillers, you will like this book. I guarantee it.
-In this second story in the Eva/ Queen of Spades series, we find that one of the characters that she had helped in the first book, Jonathan, had convinced Eva to commit to helping others, specifically, women or children that are in abusive relationships that they can’t get out of. In order to better find out who needs help, a chat group has been set up. News of the Queen of Spades as a type of heroine has reached out to the point that she’s got almost 700,000 followers on the site. -A request comes in that Jonathan picks up on from someone in the chat group, which reveals something very dangerous that’s about to happen. A group calling themselves the incels, have been sending hate messages among themselves. They idolize a mass killer, who they refer to as ER, for that person’s initials. One of the members, who calls himself “Chadhater”, has sent messages that he’s going to go on a killing spree even bigger than ER. The group, who coined their name from the words “involuntarily celibate”, has a huge membership which even includes members of the police. The word, chad, refers to a handsome man and the word, Stacey, refers to an attractive female that would never give the members of this group the time of day because, typically, the members are not physically attractive. -One of the members who was actually in charge of and owned the site, had called himself One-Eyed Jack. One side of his body, including his face, was drooped. As a young child, he was tormented and other children had thrown a bottle at him, and glass got into his eye, which blinded him on one side. He never considered himself able to attract a girl, and had bought the chat group site much earlier, and even brought in the person known as Chadhater. But Chadhater ended up dominating the rhetoric on the site and turned the site into something more violent. This didn’t sit well with One-Eyed Jack, but the threat of mass killings by this person went too far. Realizing that going to the authorities would be meaningless because of the police membership who were supportive of Chadhater, he reached out to The Queen of Spades to get involved. -Eva now decides to come in person to help locate the killer before he could commit the killings. From One-Eyed Jack, she knows that it’s going to take place in Miami, and she knows the approximate time, but there are 3 possible events which involve women that are going on in the city, and it’s at one of those events that the threat is aimed at. -In order to bring out the plans, Eva has to help One-Eyed Jack, whose real name is Conrad, to prove to Chadhater (real name - Sebastian), that he’s “worthy” of knowing the plans. Conrad is told by Sebastian that he must rape a “Stacey” and send Sebastian the video. Though Conrad is part of this group, the violence is not at all what he would even dream of doing, but Eva manages to hire a girl to make believe she’s the victim, and Eva and this girl go to Conrad’s home to stage the scene. -Though Sebastian is convinced that the scene is real, he decides that he’s going to one up Conrad, and he discovers the address of the girl. He now goes to rape and kill her before he goes on his killing spree. -It’s here, that the story picks up speed. The young girl, Molly, is viciously attacked, but she’s feisty and manages to fight him off, but not before she takes a beating. Eva, Conrad and Molly now must join forces to determine where and when Sebastian intends to unleash his attack, while Sebastian suspects them and gives them all the wrong signals. -A story of possible rape, even discussing the filming of a make believe version, is distasteful to me, making the beginning of the story hard for me to read. Once the action starts, the appeal of the book comes close to that of the last book in the series. The story does reach a very satisfying climax and characters are introduced which have a mystery about them, and which you know will be included in the sequels to this story. Though not as good as the first book in the series, the author has done very well in this 2nd installment.
Eva Santella has moved on since the last story, finding herself now leading a comfortable life developing other women into strong warriors to fight evil in her homeland. But her reputation has spread world-wide and because of a website devoted to her cause, has prompted a total stranger from America to reach out to the Queen of Spades for help. When she learned more about the evil plot and the inability of local law enforcement to respond to the threat, she offers to give a hand.
Her journey to America brought back memories of her own dear family who had been brutally murdered years ago. Still, she compartmentalized and didn't let those thoughts deter her. On her flight she meets a man who just happens to turn up at the same hotel where she is staying, and they have a blossoming relationship.
Most of the story revolves around two characters who are part of an online forum that is devoted to the hatred of women. The group worships as a hero a man who committed a mass murder of women before killing himself. One of the current members of this group wants to become the new hero by killing ten times as many women. Another member of the group who was instrumental in forming the group is determined to stop him. Together with Eva, they work to find out the identity of this would-be killer and the planned site of his killing spree. There are many twists and turns along the way to accomplish this and side stories to make this a very interesting read. Definitely 5 stars!
Eva Lucia Santella, the so-called Queen of Spades (and aunt to another Kristi Belcamino heroine, Gia Santella), is a wealthy, martial arts grand master and leader of a literal army of women 'soldiers,' who live and train at her fortified villa on one of Italy's lesser-known beaches.
'One-Eyed Jack', (an online tag) brings an impending atrocity to the Queen of Spades website. Eva acts swiftly to meet up with 'Jack' and brings in a young actress, Molly, to form a team that can bring down the evil terrorist, Sebastian.
Will Eva be in time to save the day, rescue the victim's and punish the evil and guilty perpetrators?
Get Kristi Belcamino's excellent new crime-thriller One-Eyed Jack as soon as possible to find out - you'll be up all night to finish it, as it's absolutely unputdownable!
This one rated as a 4.5 star. This installment was much better than the first book. I believe it's shorter as well but the author did a great job in making it interesting while still trying to ensure not too much information is cut out.
So far each book has sad moments in them. If you're an emotional person, you might need at least one tissue.
I'm looking forward to the next book in this series.
Eva,the Queen of Spades joins forces with an awkward young man and an aspiring actress to stop a massacre in Florida. The would be killer belongs to a group of malcontents, men who hate their lives looks and selves. They blame all their misforune on women.
This sequel is taut and exciting. It works as a stand alone but the first book in the series is equally good. The ending is bittersweet but satisfying. Good book.
Getting to know the Queen of Spades has been truly exciting. Character Development of Eva’s friends that support Eva’s Robin Hood like escapades keep the reader turning pages. She stands up for those unjustly accused, and rewards the downtrodden. Write faster!
I would have easily given this book 5 stars had it not been so short. Definitely another great adventure by this author. Looking forward to the next installment in this series.
Belcamino writes a strong female protagonist like no one else! In this second outing, Eva is strong and a little broken, spirited and a little bit heartbroken, badass and a little bit motherly, a reluctant champion for those unable to attain fair circumstances within the bounds of the law. It is a delight to see how much Eva has grown and developed since the first book. The care Belcamino demonstrates in creating depth and complexity of character in Eva also applies to the characters of Conrad and Molly who are well-matched partners for Eva in this new mission. When Eva is called upon to prevent a mass shooting, we are set on a break-neck roller coaster ride of a thriller. As always, Kristi gives us a wickedly clever thriller! As a stand-alone, Eva’s sophomore outing is a brilliant and timely story! But as the second in a series, there is flaw in the timeline that I found distracting. Maybe I’m being too much of a stickler but Queen of Spades took place in the 1990s and it is mentioned that One-Eyed Jack takes place between one to three years later. By that description, this has to take place no later than 2002. (This is important as it relates to who Eva is by the time she appears in the Gia Santella series which is on a more current timeline.) The problem is several of the real events mentioned within the story hadn’t taken place by then and certain technological tools didn’t exist at that point. This absolutely DOES NOT diminish the power or enjoyability of One-Eyed Jack but I did find it distracting. Overall, another powerhouse of a story from Kristi! Looking forward to reading the next installment in Eva’s saga!
I received an ARC of this book from the author. These are my thoughts:
This latest of the Queen of Spades series has it all – action, bad people, good people, the dark web, twisted minds. Eva Santella receives a request for help with something bad about to happen in Miami. Of course, as she finds more about it, she HAS to help! This is about a dark web group, the kind that spews hate with members that egg each other on to do nasty things. Can she stop events already in motion? Overall, this story is pretty educational, delving into how these groups work, how they keep their anonymity, how they find each other of like (dastardly) interests and how they fuel a small flicker into a roaring blaze. It’s interesting; I’ve read 2 books in the last few weeks that mention this ‘Incel’ group and at first thought it a fiction writer’s fabrication, but when the second book included the group, it was no longer a coincidence.During the time reading the books, I also heard news stories from major news networks that have reported on it. Never let it be said that Belcamino does not have a nose for current events! One last thought: Enter Alex Miller. Hopefully, he will appear in Eva’s life again! (Sorry, you’ll have to read the book to find out more!)
Review for One-Eyed Jack I really loved how this novel continued from the first one. Kristi really adds depth to her Queen of Spades heroine. Eva is more than her past and this comes clearly through the plot of this book. Conrad and Mollie add to the storyline as does Alex who owns the villa neighbouring Eva’s back in Italy. All three help to reveal the complexity of The Queen of Spades through the relationship each has with her. Jonathon, from the first book, is the administrator of the Queen of Spades fan web site. His message to Eva that was sent by the One-Eyed Jack, sets the whole plot in motion. Kristi has certainly done her homework and educates the reader about Incels, Chads, normies, and Stacies and the influence of the chat room has in motivating violence. The dialogue moves the plot along and also helps to develop the characters by the choice of words they either write or speak. Violence against women is not new but this is an eye opening look at a movement that needs to be stopped , done in a novel that reaches maybe a different audience. I look forward to reading future novels about Eva, The Queen of Spades. I did receive this book as an ARC from the author.
Kristi Belcamino writes stories about Kick-Ass female protagonists. Of that there is no question. One-Eyed Jack is no exception. What she also writes are stories about some of the darkest sides of our society. Child slavery, the Central American migration, and now, incels and mass killings. These are self-proclaimed misogynistic men who are “involuntarily celibate”. This book takes on one such person and his plan of vengeance.
Eva once again puts aside fighting her own demons in order to help out those who have heard of the feats and wrongs righted by the Queen of Spades. This is a story of pain and discovery in which bad quys turn good and the good don’t always survive.
Kristi is at the top of her game and she brings the Queen of Spades along with her.
I am newer to Belcamino’s work but have become a quick fan. Her books are fascinating and compelling and she does an amazing job of pulling a current issue/concern into a great read. Her heroines are powerful, intelligent, bold, and brave yet have compassion for those in need and a softer side that helps make them more relatable. In One-Eyed Jack, Eva is still mourning and dealing with the aftermath of losing her family but has found a new calling in helping those with no place to turn, as well as training women, like herself needing a purpose. Aside from her personal issues, she is determined to do what is right in helping the individuals who contacted her for assistance to help prevent a horrible event of epic proportion. This is a great story full of suspense, action, and mystery with a complex storyline that is gripping from the first page to the last. Eva is an amazing character with great resolve and fortitude and I am looking forward to her next story.
*I received an advanced copy from the author and I am voluntarily providing my honest review.
Not sure why, but for some reason it didn't occur to me that the title was going to refer to a person. I envisioned some new type of "calling card" for Eva. This is the second story I read in the last 2 weeks that has dealt with incels...and I must live under a rock because I had never heard of them before.
This story gives us an insight to the softer side of Eva. The person she was when her family was alive...Oh don't get me wrong! I still would not want to be on her bad side for sure but when she decided to help Conrad and involves Molly in her plan I enjoyed reading how she took care of them and especially Molly.
The end of this story...well, I do not give spoilers in my reviews.
Always a thrill to read such powerful books with bada$$ heroines. Belcamino has a natural skill zoning in to a current issue and creating a fantastic storyline. Mass shootings have become an epidemic without an end in sight. She's got us following a man intent on killing, one that wants to stop him and a young lady realizing she could be an instrumental part in preventing a massacre. Eva's personal story is ongoing as she mourns her family but craves companionship. As the Queen, Eva strives to help those in dangerous situations and trains women in her secret bootcamp. She is an intriguing woman with endless possibilities for her series. I received an early copy, review was given voluntarily.
The books by this author just keep getting better and better, there is simply no other way to describe them. If badass, kickass and do the right thing are things you love to read about, this is certainly a book for you! Eva is the wonderful heroine in this captivating page-turner that will have your attention from the first page to the last. This book was hard to put down; the only way to describe this book is absolutely captivating! Thrills, suspense, excitement, danger, all await you in the second book of this series. That being said, you don't have to read the first book to enjoy this one, but you will certainly want to after this (if you haven't already)! I received an ARC of this wonderful book and am providing my honest review.
ONE EYED JACK. Kristie Belcamino The opening draws you in, giving you a glimpse of a man so dark, and full of hate. He is pleading for help, to right a wrong, he knows about. Eva a diverse person, a soft side, that few know of . She is tough and determined for a cause, and to help those, that can’t,. This helps to bring healing to her, and to fight the demons at night. ...In this story was against men gathering their hate against women, and feeding it, by gathering together, the FBI wanted more details. Now it is directed at her. A friend in Conrad, and another loss. The story is always filled with the emotions and heart aches that she goes thru, we admire this person, this Queen. Given ARC for my voluntary review and my honest opinion.
I have read the Queen of Spades books out of order so "doubled back" for this one. Most definitely worth it. The reader journeys back to the US with Eva who re-lives, through memory, the trauma of her husband and children being killed.
She returns to try to catch a killer who is planning a mass killing and meets two unlikely heroes in the attemot.
A member of an online group has planned something huge that will be truly devastating. They have strong views and will go to extremes to prove a point. Eva is contacted as a last resort to help control and prevent the catastrophe from occuring.
Behind closed doors, Eva still struggles with her loss, but in the presence of others she is strong and determined to do what's right.
Characters in this book (and series!) are all complex, each with their own insecurities and flaws, yet most think with their hearts before their heads, putting the well-being of others ahead of themselves.
Another great read by Kristi Belcamino! Highly recommend!
Eva, now firmly reestablished in Italy, is drawn in by a plea for help from a young man in Florida. As the story progresses help is given, tracking down information becomes dangerous, and being a hero is not always a blessing. Kristi Belcamino’s One Eyed Jack is just as thrilling as the first book Queen of Spades and equally haunting. I can’t wait to see what is in store for Eva next.
I received a free copy of the book from the author. I had the opportunity to review or not.
WOW! Kristi does it again Another one you cant put down. Exciting. Topical and timely. The Queen dishes out justice like no other badass chick on the planet. Thrilling and nonstop action bring this story about underdogs to completion. Conrad and Molly are perfect partners to stop the misguided terrorist. An interesting topic in today's world of sexual issues and violent senseless crime.
In this book, The Queen of Spades is trying to stop a mass murder. The murderer is an incel (look it up they actually have a web presence). This book introduces a variety of terms and people I knew nothing about. The sad thing is, the book introduces us to yet another group of disenfranchised citizens. Not every person can be beautiful but killing those who look better than you is not a viable option. A really thrilling book with a message.
This is such an unusual series that I cannot keep myself from reading about this poor women's life events. Losing her entire family to murder!!! You can only imagine what what she has to look forward to. I can tell you I wasn't going to read next book in series but after reading first book I had to continue. Now I must wait for third book in the series. It is such an interesting series I do not want to give away any thing. Read the books and enjoy!
I had the pleasure of reading an ARC copy of One - Eyed Jack , book 2 in the Queen of Spades series. Kristi Belacamino has done an outstanding job bringing Eva to save those who can't seem to save themselves. Eva demonstrates not only her kick-ass self, but we also get to see a softer and caring side as well! Be prepared to not put the book down until the last page is turned!