Fake Money, Blue Smoke

by Josh Haven

When former platoon sergeant Matt Kubelsky is paroled from Ray Brook Federal Correctional Institute in upstate New York, he’s surprised to find his ex-girlfriend waiting for him out in the parking lot. An ex-girlfriend he’s spent years pining for after she dumped him and stopped answering his letters. An ex-girlfriend who wonders if her apparently criminally-hardened ex-boyfriend can help her out of some extra-legal difficulty of her own.


During the years Matt was in prison, Kelly Haggerty discovered she couldn’t earn a satisfactory living as an artist, so she turned her artistic talents to counterfeiting foreign currency—and ended up embroiled in an international money laundering intrigue. Now she hopes she can get herself out of trouble with a cleverly-plotted theft and one last enormous score. 


The missing ingredient is someone Kelly can trust to do the dirty work, recruiting career criminals who won’t flinch at the opportunity to make good money by whatever means necessary. And Matt is happy to oblige, as it seems like the perfect opportunity to settle the score with the men responsible for ruining his life and putting him away for a crime he didn’t commit. The heist—a horseback robbery of valuable artwork from a speeding Amtrak train—seems to be going perfectly, until one of the players starts to suspect he’s been paid in counterfeit bills…


Pulse-pounding suspense, wholly original action scenes, and enough double-crosses to leave readers reeling make this caper a must-read for fans of fast, adrenaline-fueled crime fiction. The first thriller from the author whose seafaring adventure novels are published as J.H. Gelernter, Fake Money, Blue Smoke announces an exciting new voice in the genre.

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Contemporary, Crime

288 pages, Hardcover

Published December 6, 2022

Reviews

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Josh Haven may be my new new favorite writer. This lean , mean , sexy, funny, literate, violent , suspenseful and original crime novel is fantastic. It has a retro vibe that also is modern—hard to describe - but you’ll know it when you read it. I guess the best I can say is that it reads like a modern gold medal paperback frame the fifties. Not too long, fast paced and intelligent. It involves an anti-hero a femme fatale, nazis, the dea and counterfeiting -what more can you ask for. To top it all off Haven writes historical fiction ala Patrick O’ Brian(but more accessible) and has written two such novels under the name of J.H. Gerlenter(sp.?). Those are also fantastic. So he reminds me of Loren Estleman who writes detective novels featuring Amos Walker and historical fiction primarily set in the west. Haven, like Estelman , is a double threat. Read this book now and get in on the start of a great writing career.

[Jesse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremely propulsive thriller that just hums along, starting in literally the first paragraph. There's counterfeiting, neo-Nazis, skullduggery aboard a yacht, thoughts on and murder around food trucks in Florida, and a whole bunch of, yes, sword-related mayhem. (Though our protagonist appears to become an expert wielder immediately after acquiring said weapon.) Upped a notch for the intentional downplaying of death scenes, which don't feature buffed action-movie one-liners, and for the crisp understatement of the prose. Not to mention how funny this book consistently is, in a low-key absurdist vein that works all the better for its subtlety. (Neat to read the acknowledgements and register what an effort it must have been to shave it down this effectively.) Docked a notch for the suspiciously expert instant swordplay. I did guess the final little twist (not a major plot point, tbh), which seemed fairly obvious to me, at least. Still, loads of fun.

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is absolutely great. Admittedly I wrote it, but still, I think I can honestly say that it's the best book ever written.

[Leane · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this crime debut, Haven who was an art critic brings an eclectic array of characters and skills to this almost-too clever novel about a recent ex-con (Matt) who links up with an ex (Kelly) he still carries a torch for, only to be told that she’s given up her career in the arts for one in international currency counterfeiting and laundering. And now she needs his help to make one last score and get out of the game alive. Both main CHs are more than a bit detached and too blasé about the carnage that occurs making it difficult to like them or empathize with their decisions. Matt’s military and prison background may be some of the reason for his detachment but does not explain Kelly’s bloodless lack of a reaction most of the time. Haven applies dry and self-deprecating humor to great effect; however, they was much too much tell and not enough show in this novel. The art and counterfeiting details are nicely explained, and the art heist itself was well choreographed. There are a lot of villains and no real heroes including the White Supremacist ex-cons and young Aryans or even the DEA agents. The author fleshes out Matt’s military background that gives us both his abilities and his motivation to seek revenge as some of the underlying thematic material tackles vigilante injustice while perpetrating the very same. Settings are well-illustrated from Kelly’s apartment, to the private airplane and the Middle Eastern locales. Art, heist, and counterfeiting details carried me through to the end. RED FLAG: Violence and vulgar language. Caper novels like Jeff Lindsay’s Riley Wolf series, David Gordon, and Richard Stark’s Parker thrillers may be more satisfying but Haven does show promise as a crime writer.

[TC · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recommended

Review posted at Tzer Island book blog:

https://www.tzerisland.com/bookblog/2...

[Vickie · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved it!

Fun, fast read! Looking forward to their next escapades. Well-written. Witty. Lots of blood and gore, but creative gore. 😀

[Martin Maenza · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fake Money, Blue Smoke by Josh Havens will be released on December 6, 2022. Mysterious Press, an imprint of Penzler Publishers, provided an early galley for review.

It took me a little bit to get into the flow of this book. First, I had to get a feel for Havens' dialogue rhythms; I early on I found that Matt and Kelly were flip-flopping between discussion threads. The narration (third person omniscient) follows a few viewpoints which usually turns me off, but here it works as the story moves along at a decent clip (shorter chapters) and kept the narrative focus in one place for several chapters. Hayes certainly knows his stuff as the action is clear, concise and confident. Also, it gets fairly violent.

The story is very much about morally gray folks doing morally gray things, often in order to survive. That seems to be something I've been encountering a lot of late. Readers will need to be comfortable with that to enjoy this one.

[BookTrib.com]

FAKE MONEY, BLUE SMOKE by Josh Haven is a lightning-paced story so full of reversals, twists, double-crosses, falling bodies, and dark, dark comedy that even Tarantino would be envious!

Read the full review on Booktrib.com

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the two historical fiction novels written by Haven (pen name J. H. Gelernter), and I enjoyed them, so I thought I'd give them a try.

The 2 MCs are Kelly and Matt.

First off, this book has a high body count. Matt is a former soldier who was in the middle east. He was wrongly accused of killing civilians, and sent to prison. When he is released, a former girlfriend, Kelly, picks him up. Turns out she is an expert money forger, and she needs a connection to someone who can steal some art drawings. She plans to pay the thieves in counterfeit money and sell the drawings to someone.

At this point the DEA enters the picture, they know what Kelly is up to. And she needs to sell the drawings to Simon Abbas, a member of Hezbollah, so they can capture him.

First the drawings need to be stolen. Matt gets in touch with someone from prison, "The Nazi". Matt had to join the Nazi group for protection in prison. When he get out the first thing he does is cover his nazi tattoo. He enlists TN to find some people to steal the drawings. He enlists 3 cowboys from a sheep ranch to rob the train as its moving. Thongs don't quite go to plan, but they steal the drawing, aaannndddd TN kills them off as soon as it's over.

Kelly and Matt have an elaborate scheme created with the DEA for making the exchange. It's involves private jetsand rented yachts. Long story short, they get Abbas, but the drawings are burned in the process (we THINK). Turns out Kelly had forged the drawings and was passing off her fakes at the exchange.

One last bit is when the Nazi kidnaps Kelly because he learned he was paid in counterfeit money. Theres a long rescue operation.

A subplot of the book is Matt taking revenge on the 2 guys in prison who raped him (kills them), and he frames the military officer who wrongly convicted hi

**SPOILER**
I liked how Matt framed the military man who had ultimately sent him to prison (altho he was innocent), and how Kelly fooled the DEA and the bad guy they were framing by forging the drawings, and then burning the forgeries when the deal was happening.

[Reeca Elliott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Matt has been released from prison and his ex-girlfriend, one he hasn’t seen in years, has picked him up. He thinks it is because she has finally decided she can’t live without him. But, this is not the case. She has a money laundering project and she needs his help. So much for going straight and clean. Matt immediately jumps back into the fire.

This is more of a 3 and 1/2 stars…you round up right! So that’s what I did. This book is a slow burn and I am not a big fan of that type of book. It did get intense and it sure did get physical, it was just a bit late in the story. The plot of the counterfeit scheme and the stolen art is very unique, in my opinion. I enjoyed all the intricate planning surrounding this undercover operation. It definitely takes some smarts to pull this off…too bad the bad guys didn’t actually pull it off without a hitch!

Now, I am not going to lie, but Matt with that sword…that would be something I would like to see on the big screen. You will have to read this to find out!

Need a good cops and robbers novel…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

[Thomas Kelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would rate this book 3.75 stars out of 5.

Within the first few pages of this story the action takes off and last right up to the end of the book.
Matt Kubelsky was or is a fifteen-year military veteran who got caught in a sham conviction in the military that results in him doing eight years in prison. The conviction is a sham, but it results in two benefits, one a shorten prison sentence and two being able to serve time in a federal prison. Imagine his surprise when he is contacted by a high school flame who he has not seen in twenty years and after a few letters when he was first sent to prison has lost touch with. Kelly offers to pick him up and give a place to crash and a few other things. But you know how the story goes nothing is ever free and so goes the case with Kelly she has a job offer for Matt. Kelly is not the same old innocent high school girl and she has ulterior motives. Unfortunately to reveal those motives would be giving some of the story away. You will have to trust me when I say this is a quick adventure some read and give it a look.

[Jac Filer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story. It is a refreshing change from some of the thrillers I've read. I enjoyed the counterfeiting angle and wish it could have featured a little more (perhaps in a more developed back story for Kelly).
Matt's story came together nicely, but his resolution of past wrongs (with the exception of the last one) was a little too blunt and on-the-nose. Still, these pieces rounded out his motivations well.
The tie-in to Wharton added a layer of risk to the story that helped hold it up. Though I would have preferred a little less attention on the robbery and a little more page time with Simon.
My biggest criticism is that POV often blurred, either because of ambiguity or head hopping. As a reader, this throws me into a distracting backtrack over previous paragraphs.
Finally, I would have rated the book at three stars, but the payoff of the final chapter was so good that it pulled the story up to four stars.

[Hayley · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Super enjoyable lean action thriller with forgery, a heist, neo-Nazis, a tricky Arab, and lots of people smoking a lot of cigarettes.

Kelly has turned her artistic skills to forgery and is ready for one last big payoff but she needs some help with the less glamorous end of the job, so she recruits her just out of jail (for a crime he did not commit) ex-boyfriend Matt. There's no hanging around and there are plenty of twists as they put Kelly's plan into action. Matt also has a secret revenge agenda and he pursues that with vigor and an antique scimitar.

There's no time for character development beyond Kelly being a trickster and Matt having a moral code (he's very clear on the difference between killing and murder) and some of the sword action is so deadpan over the top that I laughed out loud, but all in all I had a lot of fun in the 6.5 hours I spent with this novel.

[David W. Cofer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very exciting book to read. For the most part, it held my interest and was a real page-turner. There was a point about a third in that the plot sagged, but then it picked up and raced to a finish.

There is a nice twist at the end that I really appreciated.

I give it 4 stars instead of 5 for a few issues. There were some POV shifts within the same paragraph which were distracting and confusing. Also, I caught one misspelled word. I was a little disappointed in how Matt extracted his revenge on Captain Monroe. I wanted a more harsh and swifter retaliation. Were it not for those items, this would have been a 5+ Star read.

I certainly recommend it highly. Don't let these few issues dissuade you from reading the book. It is a great story.

[Dari · Rating 1 out of 5]

it still amazes me, how easily impressed people are these days. as long as it "moves fast and doesn't bore them" seems to be the only criteria for high ratings. that goes for everything from movies to music to books it seems. this "thriller", using the term extremely loosely, has about as much appeal as the plastic action-figures who populate it. barbie and ken have more personality than these two and probably more realistic dialogue between them. but passable plot, no interesting characters, no memorable setting, no tension, no atmosphere...no problem! after all it "moves fast and obviously didn't bore" most readers.

[Charles · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wasn't wild about this "thriller"with a cast of unlikely characters-the 2 main ones Matt(just out of jail after 5 years on a wrong conviction) & his ex-girlfriend Kelly(an accomplished counterfeiter) who collaborate in a plot to exchange stolen art for counterfeit money, but are ensnared by DEA who are trying to apprehend the sting victim who is a very wealthy UAE citizen, a supporter & financier of the terror group Hizbollah through drug smuggling. Mixed into this are a group of neo-Nazis, some ineffectual cowboys, and a lot of very unconvincing action wth a lot of killing & shed blood. Not a great read.

[Randy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 would be a more accurate rating, 4 a bit to generous. The story was original, I have to give it that, and for that fact alone it was an enjoyable read. The characters were a little lightly developed, in my opinion, especially their past relationship. It also would have been nice to know a little more of how each of them arrived at their respective current position. There is some information, but not a lot. The story moves quickly, and is easy to read. The ending comes a bit too quickly, in my opinion. Overall an enjoyable, unique, entertaining read.

[Mike Sennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read that almost seems designed to be turned into a movie. A beautiful counterfeiter caught in a legal jam reunites with her ex-boyfriend, a disgraced Army veteran seeking revenge against those who sent to him prison (or abused him while he was there). The violence ends up being a little over the top, but I still wanted to keep reading to see if they could overcome the evil neo-Nazis that they got sideways with.

[Michael McEwen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Freshly released from prison, Matt Kubelsky meets an ex-girlfriend who ropes him into a counterfeit scheme. This is a page turner filled with crisp dialogue and clearly written (and violent) action scenes. I was often reminded of the hardcore pulp thrillers from Westlake and MacDonald even if it didn’t quite reach those heights. Overall, a quick fun read.

[Chris George · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read. Lots of twists and turns that keep you wondering who’s in control of the primary action. A few characters to keep track of, but easy enough as they are very different from each other and have different motives. I did enjoy this as my first read of the summer. A good job on his first book.

[Sandy Schmidt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Newly released ex-convict reconnects with larcenous ex-girlfriend in a story that includes counterfeiting, art forgery, laundering money for Hezbollah terrorists, nazis, the DEA, CIA, and written in a style that would make Sam Peckinpah and Quenten Tarantino cheer. Relatively short but manages a commentary about the shady side of some government officials and/or agencies.

[Justin Stump · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh, a nice quick listen, but that’s the best part. The plot was ridiculous, the female lead was a dimwit and given the idea behind what she had been doing it doesn’t make sense. The attempt at comedy at the end was out of place as well. Typically not a reviewer as I can’t put two sentences together but thought I’d start.

[Lesley · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. A quick moving story with something for everyone - train heist, art forgery, revenge, etc. However I found Matt and Kelly really unlikeable which made it hard for me to care about their outcome.

[Kim Fisher-Moe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid 3.5 stars. A little slow in the first third as they set up the story and characters, but good suspenseful crime story. I did guess the ending but it wasn’t too predictable and didn’t ruin anything. Definitely action packed.

[Ken · Rating 3 out of 5]

Surprisingly good read. Fast paced with an interesting premise. The violence was very casual but very brutal. Almost too much so. Of course, I said almost. Probably a good Netflix special. Blake lively and Taylor Kitsch maybe?

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

This moved fast and loose and had an Elmore Leonard verve and swerve about it with clipped dialogue and lots of nerferious characters with drawn quirks and personalities. However, it got a little too cute and messy toward the conclusion.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

A to Z in 2023 - letter H. Brand new author coming out with some fun espionage. I love how he jumps right in to the story and keeps the pace up throughout. Although - I read the entire book and don't understand what blue smoke has to do with anything....?

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reads like a Tarantino movie watches. All of the characters are awful people, there’s a lot of blood, some high speed action, a twist, a sword, neo-Nazis, etc. I wouldn’t call it a “thriller” but I don’t know what I would call it. 2.5 stars rounded up.

[Araych · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ex-con, ex-soldier hooks up with ex-girlfriend , now counterfeiter, to run huge scam on everybody in sight. Lots of mayhem and killing but told in a light manner. Fun book, tears along at 100 miles-per-hour. I liked it, 4 stars.

[Jill Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting read although the pacing was a little uneven and a surprising amount of the story was told with a flatter affect than I would have expected given what was going on. Still, the concept was an interesting one and things moved along quickly enough to make it a fast and entertaining read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my obligation-free review copy.