The Monte Carlo Hustle

by Belston Campfield

NOTE: Digital reviewer copies available on BookSirens until Feb. 2022, https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...

SYNOPSIS: Eight L.A. crooks are recruited by a stranger named Esposito to stop a black-market art sale and steal the art and twenty-five million dollars. The job is this weekend in Monaco during the prestigious Monaco Grand Prix car race.

The painting is The Card Players, by Paul Cézanne. It was painted in the 1890s and is worth hundreds of millions. Esposito wants the painting. The crew members will split the twenty-five million dollars.

None of the crew members know each other. None trust each other. And each comes with his own motivations and personal baggage. The men--aged twenties to forties--adopt pseudonyms like Chief, Jefe, B, and McQueen.

The 48-year-old Chief (Black) leads the crew. Like the others, Chief is skeptical of both Esposito and the job. After serving time in prison for grand theft, Chief has turned his life around. He has a job managing a body shop in Carson. He has remarried. His life is normal. But he wants the cash. A $3.1 million payout for two days of work is too tempting for him to resist. The promise of a quick and lucrative payday convinces the others to accept the job as well.

The crew flies to the French Riviera and arrives in Monaco a day before the art sale, which is expected to occur in a five-star Monte Carlo hotel Sunday during the race. A tax haven for the wealthy, Monaco is the second smallest country in the world with a population of fewer than forty thousand. Grand Prix weekend attracts 200,000 tourists and turns the quiet principality into a party zone consisting of exclusive yacht parties, expensive popup nightclubs, and luxurious cocktail lounges bustling with plutocrats, race fans, and high-end prostitutes.

The men track down the Cézanne's prospective seller and buyer. The seller is Trey Scarborough, the twenty-nine-year-old son of a Texas oil billionaire. The buyer is a mystery man named Felipe Garcia. The crew members split into teams and follow Scarborough and Garcia. They befriend them. They party with them. Anything to grab the art and cash ASAP and return home.

However, the job is less than advertised. And a weekend in paradise becomes anything but.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery

399 pages, Paperback

Published October 7, 2021

About the author

Belston is the author of The Monte Carlo Hustle.

He worked as an award-winning newspaper reporter after college before working as an analyst in the healthcare industry. As a child, he attended the Long Beach Grand Prix in California every spring with his dad, Jim. This, along with an interest in crime stories, served as inspiration for The Monte Carlo Hustle, which is about a robbery that goes awry in Monaco during the Grand Prix. His influences run the gamut from books to movies to television to general observation about day-to-day life.

Reviews

[Jeff Gudzune, M.A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eight thieves gather in a warehouse to meet a mysterious man who offers them the job of a lifetime. It’s a straightforward heist—steal a painting and split the reward. Seems simple, doesn’t it? Nothing in life is as it seems and betrayal is guaranteed among those who skulk in shadow, grasping for an easy score.

This is plot of The Monte Carlo Hustle. The provenance of the painting is unknown, but it’s safe to assume it was obtained illicitly. The current owner delegates his playboy son to sell the painting for the sum of $25 million. The thieves are to disrupt the sale by absconding with the painting and the money. What could go wrong?

After reading this book, the answer to that question is painfully obvious—a lot. A lot could go wrong—and it does. Not so much for the cabal of crooks that are held up as protagonists but for the novel itself. It’s rough and wordy and climbs to a climax with the speed of a hobbled mountain goat scaling the Matterhorn.

Most of the novel is character exposition, which works to get to know the mixed bag of criminals around which the story is based but seem like filler as they journey to their inevitable fate. There is depth to these wayward men, each having a reason for turning to a life of crime. This is the strength of the narrative—character development. The repeated segues into the history of the Principality of Monaco are interesting as well. Finally, there is a sharp turn of events toward the end of the story that serves to shake things up a bit.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Shawn · Rating 1 out of 5]

I won this book through a Goodreads giveaway which is why I bothered finishing it. I was expecting a fun or clever heist in Monaco. What a disappointment.

Excerpt from p. 59 (when I wanted to stop reading):

“Port de Fontvieille was nothing like Port Hercules. At least, not today. Port de Fontvieille was quiet. It was much smaller than Port Hercules. There were yachts here but no parties. The yachts were empty.”

Not every book has to be sophisticated, but how about a compound sentence here or there? I can forgive bad writing if the story is interesting, but unfortunately, that was not the case either. For most of the book, not much happens. The main crew follows some guys around and waits for them to do something. When the robbery is scheduled to happen, the action is limited to just a lot of shooting and killing—between multiple teams of bad guys, between bad guys and police, and then between teams of bad guys again. There are too many characters, all of whom are minimally developed. I didn’t know who was who most of the time but it didn’t matter because they all (with one exception-the character B) could easily changed places with each other and it would have made no difference to the storyline. Every female character is a prostitute or presumed to be a prostitute. And why spend so much time writing about these women/prostitutes when they have nothing to do with the plot? That’s just ugly. Throw in some unbelievable escapes and an unsatisfying, non-sensical wrap up and you get a one star book.

[Vince M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book reminded me a lot of an old school action movie. Fun to watch but overall there are some tacky eye rolling moments. Lots of action, guns, girls, and short witty dialogue. The plot was good and kept you turning the pages once it got moving though it is a slow build. I thought the descriptions of Monaco were excellent and really put you in the story. Like others have said, with so many characters most of them being fairly nondescript and unpredictable. So much so that two of the characters that are around for a decent amount of time have literally only one description/character trait: meatball.

I enjoyed the twist, actually the double twist of the story. I applaud a book that has the courage to kill off almost every character in the book (and there are a lot of them).

This book could greatly benefit from an editor.  The writing is repetitive, gets way off track at times, and I've never seen the word "said" hammered to death so much in dialogue. The only way I can think of how to describe the writing style is "bro", which may not be for everyone.

Overall a fun read, but really relies on the driving of the plot and not much else. Thank you to goodreads and the author for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Theresa Kulenkamp · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a difficult time knowing who was who. Characters not well defined, and too many of them. It is an ambitious attempt. Interesting story line.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Put eight criminals - all strangers - in a room, offer them a famous stolen painting and lots of cash, during a trip to Monte Carlo over race weekend - provided they can pull off the job. What could possible go wrong? For fans of heist stories, we all know the answer: A LOT.

In typical fashion, there are two distinct parts to the story: the heist-related prep and setup (largely conveyed in description and conversation) followed by the action. I enjoyed the interplay between the characters, the description of and immersion into what I imagine is the world of Monte Carlo, and the timing related in the story - most of it occurs over a few days.

Overall, I enjoyed the story. The plot was intriguing, and while I expected a twist, it was not apparent too early. For me the story read similar to a transcript of audio from movies like the original Ocean's Eleven or The Italian Job. Since large chunks of the story are told via conversation, there can be some confusion on which character is speaking in group exchanges. However, once I was in the flow of the story, I had only minor issues with this, as if I was listening to speakers with similar voices. Partly this is from several of the characters being more developed and integral than others, although I feel the characters were typically true to their classic type characteristics.

I received as advanced review copy for free in exchange for an honest review. I am leaving this review voluntarily, and all opinions stated are my own.

[V · Rating 2 out of 5]

The chapters alternate between international cities and countries from Los Angeles, Italy, France, Houston TX, and Monte Carlo, Monaco.
The timeline for the majority of the story is related by minute increments over two days. The premise is an art heist which includes adult subject matter, murder, violence, mayhem and brief profanity.
Esposito recruites eight total strangers anonymously, all apparently with criminal backgrounds, to steal a painting and millions in cash. The Card Players by Cézanne is preportedly already a stolen painting.
The seller isTrey Scarborough, son of a wealthy  father, Sonny, from Texas oil. The buyer is Felipe Garcia and the transaction is to take place on the famous weekend during the Monte Carlo Grand Prix.
The eight crew are nicknamed Chief, Monty, Joe, McQueen, B, Jefe, Lou, Zuck. One doesn't show up for the cross Atlantic flight to Monaco.
Here lies my first issue with the story. There is very vague, sketchy background information about the characters throughout the book. Just  unorganized strangers with no plan, flying by seat of their pants, who have two days to take possession of a Cezzane painting and twenty- five million. There is nothing to like or relate to about any of these crooks. The names were confusing and I didn't connect to anyone in the entire story. It truly didn't matter if they succeeded, lived or died. They lie to each other and there is no hero or anyone to root for.
The legalized female prostitutes were much better described characters than the players. Lots of older multimillionaire men, younger gorgeous women, parties and booze. The twists and turns will bring in more total strangers, Peruvians, Russians and the Qataris.
The positive in the story is the excellent atmosphere of the location described throughout. It certainly felt like I was there hearing the race cars, seeing the Ferrari's, driving through the curves and up the hills, enjoying the yachts in the bay.
Overall the concept for this plot is good, the characters did not work for me. The pace for more than fifty percent was extremely slow. The story ending was action packed and fast paced, but involved even more confusing characters.
Thanks to BookSirens for the advance digital copy of "The Monte Carlo Hustle" by Belston Campfield. These are my personal thoughts and opinions given voluntarily.

[Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this a difficult review to write. I cannot remember another story that engrossed me so much that had no major character that I liked while reading it. I guess that goes to show the strength of the premise that attracted me to it.
Basically, a stranger approaches eight men with an offer to earn 25 million dollars to be split evenly among them, if they will take on the task of stealing both a painting and the cash being paid for it in a private sale taking place in 48 hours on another continent, during the Monaco Grand Prix. The eight do not know one another, other than each has a criminal record. They only know the name of the seller of the painting, and the nationality of the buyer.
The author does a good job of showing the greed and desperation of the men, from considering whether or not to attempt the heist, to the planning of the job, and their desires for what to do with their share of the haul upon completion. As you might think from the task and time frame given to the group, things do not go anywhere close to ideally. Even with the challenges I would have expected, the author managed to pull off a plot twist that caught me by surprise!
As I indicated in the beginning, I did not like any of the major characters. But I read this in about a day and half because I could not stop until I finished. I truly enjoyed the story.
I received an advance review copy for free from BookSirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Lydia Cox · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall this was a fun read and I really enjoyed the insight into Monaco. Eight men are called to a warehouse in LA and offered the job of going to Monaco during the Monaco Grand Prix and stealing a picture and $25 million cash. They return the picture and can split the cash. I usually have a hard time following heist books and films, because I often don't know what they are doing or why (probably because all of it is WAY outside my experience). This was no exception, although it was somewhat easier to follow than most.
The hardest part getting into the book was keeping the characters straight. It starts in a warehouse with nine men, and I spent the first 30% of the book trying to sort them out. Once I kind of had them sorted, it was a lot easier, although keeping track of the seven men involved took some doing. Then when we get to Monaco, another half dozen or so men are thrown into the mix, so a little more complicated.
The writing style itself made the plot fairly easy to follow. Although the syntax was a bit strange in parts, it was not enough to annoy. The descriptions of Monaco were very interesting, especially showing the reader the insane level of wealth. I did find it a bit amusing that Campfield spent quite a bit of time describing clothes.
If you enjoy heist stories, then I would recommend this. It's a fast read and the pace never slows.

[Patty · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise for this book was promising. I've been to Monaco and I'm avid fan of racing. I wanted to like this book, I really did...but it was hard to even get through half of it without feeling like I was getting lost in the characters and the plot. I'm giving this read 3 stars because I know how hard it can be to be a writer and how hard it is to make a name for yourself as a writer, and I admire those who do that. I just wish that the writing had been edited more and that the characters had been established more foundational so that the reader isn't needing to go back and remember who is who.

I mean this in the most respectable way--because I don't believe in bringing any one down for their efforts--but this book tired really hard to read and feel like an Ocean's 11 movie. I could see this book work well as a script because then the visual would help to remember important details.

I really do like the premise and the storyline. It really has the potential to become a great novel with some editing.

[I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily]

[Roberta · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a mixed review of a Kindle e-book I won on Goodreads. The author shows he is capable of writing action and suspense evidenced by the last 1/3 of the book. However the first 2/3 of the book almost put me to sleep, showing primarily single line dialogue of 7 men hired to perform a mission in Monaco and reviewing over and over each possible problem which might occur.

The men were hired to confiscate and return a rare Cezanne painting plus the 25 million dollars which would be there during the selling of the painting from one individual to another in a Monaco hotel on race day. The men were told they could split up the 25 million and the individual who hired them only wanted the painting back. There was far too much of the book devoted to planning the venture. The part of the book which I liked was learning details about life in Monaco.

The mission ran into more problems than planned by any stretch of the imagination. Exactly what happened is for the reader to glean when they read the book.

[Rachelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

MINOR SPOILERS: Received this book from the Author/Publisher as a Goodreads Giveaway. I was excited to win something but also to read this book as I had read the blurb and it sounded fun. Unfortunately, I just didn't really care for it. It was difficult to keep track of who was who as they all seemed 1 dimensional. The background girls seemed to be described more than the main characters but they were basically all prostitutes. It got to a point where enough was enough, for my taste. The storyline takes place over roughly 48 hours and each minute was accounted for that it seemed to bog down the story line. There were so many red flags that they were set up for failure that it came as no surprise that it turned into a bloodbath. Their escape from Monte Carlo seemed far fetched, shot and survived a crash? The book hardly held my interest although I did finish it, but I will admit that I skimmed through the last quarter.

I can imagine books I read playing out in my head and the impression I got of this book was a grainy 1980's stick 'em up movie.

[Eric · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't like this book.

Overall, it was an interesting tale about an interesting topic; however, on reflection, I found it had many superfluous details in many of the scenes, about characters, and describing items unrelated to telling the story.

I kept getting distracted with "why is the author showing me that or telling me this" with no real reason in the end. It causes the reader to lose focus and feel a bit cheated on a meaningful conclusion.

The plot line is a bit unusual as well, being (almost) two tales in one, with a fair ending ... in the end.

I did like the surprises in story, and they were well concealed by the author.

A valiant effort that could be carried more smoothly across the middle, tightened up overall, with unnecessary characters and descriptions removed, focusing on what's important without giving away the "secrets".

NOTE: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Norma Jean · Rating 2 out of 5]

DISCLAIMER: I received an advanced copy for a voluntary review.

One has to appreciate the effort to carry an idea for a novel to fruition. The premise of the novel is simple—hire a bunch of strangers to heist a painting and $25 million from a playboy and his son while they are at the Monte Carlo (yes that Monte Carlo) Grand Prix.

For me, from there it goes downhill. The strangers for the “gang” are very chatty, revealing much of who they are to each other—so much so that I couldn’t figure out if it was to be a screenplay or a novel. Then there are a whole host of other characters that may or may not have a thing to do with the plot or mission. All that adds a lot of confusion on who’s who.

After things go sideways, some die, some make it only to turn around and do something similar a second time. By the end of the novel, I felt like Mr. Campfield maybe did a tongue-in-cheek Katzenjammer kid sort of thing and turned it into a spoof. I was the one feeling hustled.

[Joelle Willis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eight criminals are handpicked by a mystery man who offers them the deal of a lifetime -- to travel to Monaco on the Formula 1 Grand Prix weekend, interrupt the sale of a stolen painting for $25 million, and split the cash between them. They seem to have a plan well in hand until they don't. In Monaco they meet up with nine more characters to tangle with. The background descriptions of the high life in Monaco were fascinating, but the large number of characters made the robust action confusing. Some of the characters seemed to have nine lives, sustaining and surviving improbable injuries. In the end, all was explained, but I'm still not sure I understand completely who double crossed who and what was really going on. I received an advance reader copy for free, and I am grateful to the author to be able to provide this review.

[Samantha Orszulak · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to the author and GoodReads Giveaway for a free ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

I think the concept of this book was interesting, however, the execution was lacking at times. I would have wished the author delved deeper into who the characters were besides just what they looked like and where they came from. When you have this many characters (more than just the 8 crew members) it's helpful to really understand them and their backstories to fully absorb the plot.

Although some of the action scenes were hard to visualize, I found the mystery to move and flow well. You really didn't know how the book was going to end up until the last few pages which is what you want when you read a book like this.

[Renee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciate the amount of research the author did. It is evident in the details describing Monte Carlo and racing and the people who come to Monte Carlo to be part of it all.

Research is great, but sometimes details are not relevant to plot. Sometimes details do not require repeating (over and over).

I give this book 3 stars for the concept--yep, very Unusual Suspects, as advertised. The book is pretty cleanly edited. The first 30 pages and last 50 pages are where the real action is. After a mysterious start to the caper, there are a 100 or so pages before the plot finally twists and brings the reader to a satisfying, climactic end.

I hope Belston Campfield will continue to write. And I thank him for the review copy.

[Ashley Reel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very thankful to have recurved a copy of this book from the author. I really enjoyed reading this book, it was quick paced and the text was not dense. However, I do not believe I am the target audience for the novel itself; seems to be a very male dominated book. The only women in the book are prostitutes, adulterers or brief sexualized objects. This is fine … just sorta an odd observation I noticed. Also, character’s race was frequently described awkwardly and not really in a way that added depth.

I think with a few edits/revisions this story could really pull through to be more well rounded. Ultimately, I still very much enjoyed the story.

[JeanneK · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Monte Carlo Hustle by Belston Campfield is a fun read involving eight thieves who are hired by a stranger to steal twenty-five million dollars of art during what is supposed to be a fabulous weekend in paradise that turns into a nightmare. It was entertaining, the author did a good job creating and crafting the characters; however, I did think there were too many characters and at times it was a bit difficult to keep up with all of them. I received an ebook copy of this from the author through Goodreads and these opinions were strictly my own. I rated it a three.

[Steve · Rating 2 out of 5]

Got this on Kindle in a Goodreads giveaway, so I felt compelled to read the whole thing. I enjoy a good caper film, so why not a good caper book? Plus I dug the title.

I appreciate the effort it takes to write a book and keep a plot moving over many pages. It's not easy. That said, the story and characterizations lean too heavily on caper cliches in characterizations and action. I get a very real "Usual Suspects"/"Reservoir Dogs" vibe here, as far as research goes. I see the author has other books on Goodreads, and I hope he has learned his first experience.

[Dayna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the premise but felt that there was more telling than showing in the 1st half of the book. Yet it still felt very cinematic (think heavy-dialogue films), & the action sequences near the end were vivid. (I would definitely pay to see the sniper-attached-to-the-undercarriage-of-a-car scene! Has this been optioned by a production company?) The characters were appropriately & expectedly bumbling. I received a Kindle edition from a Goodreads giveaway.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first 250 pages moves along slowly, and then till the end of the book it is absolute chaos. At first, each character was unique and well-developed, but overtime too many characters were added to make it difficult to keep track. I decided to add another star for the one scene where two of the men were worried the prostitutes were too young and immediately left. It's the bare minimum, but yet so many books in this genre manage to ignore it.

[Justin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Got this as a Goodreads Giveaway a couple years ago and just got around to reading it.

It was… fine. The story was fine, the writing wasn’t the strongest (sometimes the author would dive into the history of things that didn’t matter to the plot). Chapters would drag with exposition about characters doing this or that that didn’t really affect the plot and (in the end) didn’t matter as none of the characters’ endings were based on their choices…

[Susan, aka Pooh Bear · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really didn't enjoy the book very much. There were too many characters. Very hard to follow who was who, and i couldnt figure out at times who the main character was supposed to be.

Summary: during the famous Monte Carlo race, eight things are hired to steal a piece of art.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

a classic heist book

I received this book in a Goodreads giveaway. The premise is well laid out but there are so many characters it gets confusing especially in the first half. The action scenes especially in the last third are well done and hold your attention. I enjoyed the book

[Brenda Shorten · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a goodreads give away that I won. Unfortunately I have had a really hard time getting into the book. It takes too long to get to the main plot and I lost interest along the way. I know that many people will love this book as it dose have some really good parts to it, it just wasn't for me.

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Certainly an exciting novel, but, like other reviewers, I found it hard keeping track of the characters. Also a note to other readers, the body count is high.

Disclosure, I received a copy of this book as part of the Goodreads' giveaway program.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fast moving, fast read with lots of action and double crosses. It was fun but perhaps a bit confusing by the time I finished it. Loved the descriptions of Monte Carlo and the area. I think this would be the perfect book to read on a trip, preferably to Monaco or Italy or France....

[Erika · Rating 2 out of 5]

The plot is interesting but the book could use a good editor. It reads like a screenplay, and would be an exciting film. However, the grammatical errors, awkward phrasing, and long explanations wore me down and I dnf’ed at 12%.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

how to describe

I won this book from a Goodreads giveaway. There were some good twists and turns, but the writing was a little dry for my taste. It was filled with details on a timeline, which isn’t really my style.

[Rebecca O’Dell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an adventure. So much to get through, the mystique of Monte Carlo and the tawdriness of burglars. A quick read, I think this authors next book will be truly fun and a great read. This book was a good novel.