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Fool's Errand Lib/E
Years after the death of his gangster father, a young man discovers a letter that sends him reluctantly defying the mob as he races to locate a hidden treasure.
It’s been six years since the untimely death of Blackie—a charming rogue who endlessly pursued “The Big Deal”—when his son discovers an enigmatic letter telling of a cache of stolen money. Feeling no choice but to pursue his father’s dream, he embarks on a search that leads from New York, to the Strip in Las Vegas, and ultimately to the south of France. Along this life-altering journey, he is confronted by the dangers of his father’s past as he unravels a decades-old mystery, while revealing other long-buried secrets as well.
Poignant and entertaining, humorous and exciting, romantic and mysterious, Fool’s Errand leads him to discover both the treasure and himself.
It’s been six years since the untimely death of Blackie—a charming rogue who endlessly pursued “The Big Deal”—when his son discovers an enigmatic letter telling of a cache of stolen money. Feeling no choice but to pursue his father’s dream, he embarks on a search that leads from New York, to the Strip in Las Vegas, and ultimately to the south of France. Along this life-altering journey, he is confronted by the dangers of his father’s past as he unravels a decades-old mystery, while revealing other long-buried secrets as well.
Poignant and entertaining, humorous and exciting, romantic and mysterious, Fool’s Errand leads him to discover both the treasure and himself.
Audio CD
Published January 26, 2021
3 people are currently reading
26 people want to read
About the author
Jeffrey S. Stephens
10 books739 followersJeffrey Stephens is the Amazon best-selling and PenCraft award-winning author of the Jordan Sandor thrillers, TARGETS OF DECEPTION, TARGETS OF OPPORTUNITY, TARGETS OF REVENGE and ROGUE MISSION; the Anthony Walker murder mystery CRIMES AND PASSION; the Pencraft First Place Award winning novel, FOOL’S ERRAND; and the first Nicholas Reagan thriller, THE HANDLER.
A native of New York City, the author is a successful attorney in private practice, admitted in both in New York and Connecticut, who has lived for more than forty years in Greenwich, which is where he and his wife Nancy raised their two sons, Graham and Trevor.
A native of New York City, the author is a successful attorney in private practice, admitted in both in New York and Connecticut, who has lived for more than forty years in Greenwich, which is where he and his wife Nancy raised their two sons, Graham and Trevor.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
January 11, 2021
Interesting, unique but a bit predictable. 3.5 Stars
~~~~~~~~~~~
I had a tough time getting into this book to be perfectly honest. I kept trying to compare it to his last story hoping it was a sequel. But this book is a about a man on quest and his search for a legacy.
The author has a cool story to tell. In many ways it could definitely be a true life family story. We get into the intricate down and dirty detail of this mafia family. That father-son difficult dynamic is on full display! His father’s wacky behavior and boisterous stories, and the close knit friendships that last a lifetime are something to strive for.
But then the treasure hunt begins. But is there really a treasure or is it just another one of his fathers “stories“? Strange things happen and the author adds interesting twists that keep us a bit off-balance as to what is really going on. Who knows the truth and who can you trust?
While the story is engaging and appealing to a wide variety of readers, it lacks fire and passion. It needs that suspense factor that really makes you hold your breath and turn those pages faster. Interesting, unique but a bit predictable.
Fool’s Errand reminds me of a family saga and a cool story you would tell your grandkids someday. It just needs that little extra edge to take it up a notch and get that punch in the gut feeling.
* copy received for review consideration
Full Review - https://amidlifewife.com/fools-errand...
~~~~~~~~~~~
I had a tough time getting into this book to be perfectly honest. I kept trying to compare it to his last story hoping it was a sequel. But this book is a about a man on quest and his search for a legacy.
The author has a cool story to tell. In many ways it could definitely be a true life family story. We get into the intricate down and dirty detail of this mafia family. That father-son difficult dynamic is on full display! His father’s wacky behavior and boisterous stories, and the close knit friendships that last a lifetime are something to strive for.
But then the treasure hunt begins. But is there really a treasure or is it just another one of his fathers “stories“? Strange things happen and the author adds interesting twists that keep us a bit off-balance as to what is really going on. Who knows the truth and who can you trust?
While the story is engaging and appealing to a wide variety of readers, it lacks fire and passion. It needs that suspense factor that really makes you hold your breath and turn those pages faster. Interesting, unique but a bit predictable.
Fool’s Errand reminds me of a family saga and a cool story you would tell your grandkids someday. It just needs that little extra edge to take it up a notch and get that punch in the gut feeling.
* copy received for review consideration
Full Review - https://amidlifewife.com/fools-errand...
January 26, 2021
Was looking for a shorter audiobook and found this, didn't have high expectations on this. But I was soon hooked on the story. It as a nice balance of family drama and exciting plot points that keept the book interesting whole way through!
April 21, 2021
Fool’s Errand
Jeffrey S. Stephens
237 Pages
This was an interesting find. First let me say it was a delightful read. This is a novel that has all the earmarks of a successful thriller mystery story. We have death, money, a questionable past, a bright young man, his relationship with his farther and the presence of Daddy’s crooked mob cronies always in the vicinity.
A young man has long since buried his father. He always wanted to please that man and yet never felt he fully measured up to the bar that his father set for him at the moment of his birth. Still, he went and made a life of his own, away from his father.
Things were going fairly well until one day his mother calls and says she has a letter for him from his Dad that she found in a bunch of his things. As I think anyone would be, the son is a little leery about opening this letter. What could possibly be in this letter that his father hadn’t told him already? His mother won’t open it and she doesn’t want to discuss it.
So, what’s with all the mystery? What kind of information is lurking in that letter? This young man knows his father was a mobster and not always walking the straight line. He knows his old man did and got involved with some very questionable, if not down-right wrong activities.
Here are the actual blurbs:
Back Cover:
“Years after the death of his gangster father, a young man discovers a letter that sends him reluctantly defying the mob as he races to locate a hidden treasure.”
Inside dust jacket front flap:
“It’s been six years since the ultimately untimely death of Blackie- a charming rogue who endlessly pursued “The Big Deal”- when his son discovers an enigmatic letter telling of a cache of stolen money. Feeling no choice but to pursue his father dream, he embarks on a search that leads from New York to the strip in Las Vegas and ultimately to the south of France. Along this life altering journey, he is confronted by the dangers of his father’s past as he unravels a decades-old mystery, while revealing other long-buried secrets.”
Once in possession of this letter the son is soon pulled into a world of his father’s unique personality and communication, not to mention his father’s old business associates, leading him to investigate the past in order to understand the present. Winding through all kinds of dangers and strange and suspicious obstacles, he makes his way onward, determined to solve the mystery of his father’s cryptic letter.
But soon he finds that along with many other things, people, friends, acquaintances and business partners, the people and things he knew as a kid were not all what they seemed. Now it’s a question of who he can trust and how much he can trust them.
This was a gripping and exciting read. I tore through it once I finally got to it on my reading list. What a great find! The mystery aspect of this book is written so well that you are completely absorbed, wanting to know everything, just like our main character, who is also narrating the story.
This novel is filled with surprised, twists and turns, one thing after another bringing constant questions, constant answers and constant suspense. Any thriller or mystery lover is sure to totally dig this book.
RATINGS
5/5 Stars
Jeffrey S. Stephens
237 Pages
This was an interesting find. First let me say it was a delightful read. This is a novel that has all the earmarks of a successful thriller mystery story. We have death, money, a questionable past, a bright young man, his relationship with his farther and the presence of Daddy’s crooked mob cronies always in the vicinity.
A young man has long since buried his father. He always wanted to please that man and yet never felt he fully measured up to the bar that his father set for him at the moment of his birth. Still, he went and made a life of his own, away from his father.
Things were going fairly well until one day his mother calls and says she has a letter for him from his Dad that she found in a bunch of his things. As I think anyone would be, the son is a little leery about opening this letter. What could possibly be in this letter that his father hadn’t told him already? His mother won’t open it and she doesn’t want to discuss it.
So, what’s with all the mystery? What kind of information is lurking in that letter? This young man knows his father was a mobster and not always walking the straight line. He knows his old man did and got involved with some very questionable, if not down-right wrong activities.
Here are the actual blurbs:
Back Cover:
“Years after the death of his gangster father, a young man discovers a letter that sends him reluctantly defying the mob as he races to locate a hidden treasure.”
Inside dust jacket front flap:
“It’s been six years since the ultimately untimely death of Blackie- a charming rogue who endlessly pursued “The Big Deal”- when his son discovers an enigmatic letter telling of a cache of stolen money. Feeling no choice but to pursue his father dream, he embarks on a search that leads from New York to the strip in Las Vegas and ultimately to the south of France. Along this life altering journey, he is confronted by the dangers of his father’s past as he unravels a decades-old mystery, while revealing other long-buried secrets.”
Once in possession of this letter the son is soon pulled into a world of his father’s unique personality and communication, not to mention his father’s old business associates, leading him to investigate the past in order to understand the present. Winding through all kinds of dangers and strange and suspicious obstacles, he makes his way onward, determined to solve the mystery of his father’s cryptic letter.
But soon he finds that along with many other things, people, friends, acquaintances and business partners, the people and things he knew as a kid were not all what they seemed. Now it’s a question of who he can trust and how much he can trust them.
This was a gripping and exciting read. I tore through it once I finally got to it on my reading list. What a great find! The mystery aspect of this book is written so well that you are completely absorbed, wanting to know everything, just like our main character, who is also narrating the story.
This novel is filled with surprised, twists and turns, one thing after another bringing constant questions, constant answers and constant suspense. Any thriller or mystery lover is sure to totally dig this book.
RATINGS
5/5 Stars
December 20, 2020
This is the second book of this author that I have had the pleasure of reading. The main quality I see is that he successfully captures your attention right from the first chapter.
This is a John Rinaldi's (Blackie) son's story. How he comes across a letter from his late father which talks about some money that he might have gained through some heist, along with his two friends, about 30 years ago. He then goes in pursuit of that, with little to guide him. The letter gives almost nothing away other than to talk to one of his friends. That's the book's title all about.
In between going about his search, we find ourselves going into flashbacks where we learn more about Blackie, his character and the past, getting introduced to different family members of the Rinaldi family. It's really interesting how everything is put together so well.
As soon as he sets forth on his search, he is faced with many challenges and some danger since others wish to know if he is privy to information about this money his father always boasted about. Also, along the way he gets to know Donna, a beautiful girl who is ready to jump on a flight to France with him and is always interested in what he has to say about his father's letter which only makes him wonder if she has any ulterior motives. Caught in all these flashbacks, edge of danger and some love, this book takes us on a whirlwind ride trying to find what his father had left him to find out about. All in all, a great read. I enjoyed it and highly recommend you read it.
This is a John Rinaldi's (Blackie) son's story. How he comes across a letter from his late father which talks about some money that he might have gained through some heist, along with his two friends, about 30 years ago. He then goes in pursuit of that, with little to guide him. The letter gives almost nothing away other than to talk to one of his friends. That's the book's title all about.
In between going about his search, we find ourselves going into flashbacks where we learn more about Blackie, his character and the past, getting introduced to different family members of the Rinaldi family. It's really interesting how everything is put together so well.
As soon as he sets forth on his search, he is faced with many challenges and some danger since others wish to know if he is privy to information about this money his father always boasted about. Also, along the way he gets to know Donna, a beautiful girl who is ready to jump on a flight to France with him and is always interested in what he has to say about his father's letter which only makes him wonder if she has any ulterior motives. Caught in all these flashbacks, edge of danger and some love, this book takes us on a whirlwind ride trying to find what his father had left him to find out about. All in all, a great read. I enjoyed it and highly recommend you read it.
December 27, 2020
Blackie Rinaldi may have passed six years ago, but his son is only just about to uncover his long-buried secrets in Jeffrey S. Stephens’ Fool’s Errand.
When John is given a letter written just days before his father’s untimely death, it sets him on a quest — or is a Fool’s Errand? — to discover more about his family history and secure an enigmatic hidden treasure before the mob can wrestle it away from him.
Complicated relationships, family secrets, and Blackie’s foolish pride play an integral part in this exciting fictional account, which takes John and readers from New York to Vegas and even Europe as he uncovers more about an omission, a clandestine heist, and a mob hit that lead John to secure his own legacy.
Fool’s Errand is another of Stephens’ exceptional works, an intriguing tale in his captivating style, that draws readers in with depth of character, and the promise that time spent with this novel yields a satisfying reward.
5 stars.
When John is given a letter written just days before his father’s untimely death, it sets him on a quest — or is a Fool’s Errand? — to discover more about his family history and secure an enigmatic hidden treasure before the mob can wrestle it away from him.
Complicated relationships, family secrets, and Blackie’s foolish pride play an integral part in this exciting fictional account, which takes John and readers from New York to Vegas and even Europe as he uncovers more about an omission, a clandestine heist, and a mob hit that lead John to secure his own legacy.
Fool’s Errand is another of Stephens’ exceptional works, an intriguing tale in his captivating style, that draws readers in with depth of character, and the promise that time spent with this novel yields a satisfying reward.
5 stars.
May 24, 2023
Very entertaining short novel. It's been out for a while (2020). The tone of this book is different from others by the same author. It is much lighter and more comedic in tone. The main character is more quirky and eccentric. The tone is lighter and less stressful than in many of this genre. Don't get me wrong. There is tension, suspense, and serious action; enough to maintain interest before it comes to very satisfying conclusion.
Overall, I enjoyed the novel very much. It entertains without pressure and unnecessary violence. Good show from Mr. Stephens.
Overall, I enjoyed the novel very much. It entertains without pressure and unnecessary violence. Good show from Mr. Stephens.
March 25, 2021
I absolutely loved this book!
Check out my full review
here.
A fascinating story that is very different from his usual thrillers and definitely worth reading!
Check out my full review
here.
A fascinating story that is very different from his usual thrillers and definitely worth reading!
January 23, 2021
Run of the mill.
October 23, 2024
A decent stand alone book some likeable characters, a bit of history and some intrigue.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews