All In by Joel Goldman and Lisa KlinkAll In by Joel Goldman, Lisa Klink
Published by Thomas Mercer on September 8, 2015
Source: Publisher
Genres: Crime Fiction
Pages: 308
Format: eARC
Purchase at Bookshop.org or Audible
Add on Goodreads
four-half-stars

Cassie Ireland works as a modern-day Robin Hood for people who have nowhere else to turn, not even to the police. Jake Carter is a roguish high roller traveling the world to play—and win—big-money poker. As Lady Luck would have it, the two unexpectedly find themselves targeting the same mark: Alan Kendrick, a ruthless, megarich hedge fund manager who doesn’t mind padding his bank account with a few shady deals. He’s swindled the wrong people this time—and now Ireland and Carter will join forces to take him down.

From New York to Buenos Aires to the Mediterranean, Cassie and Jake go all in, risking everything, including their lives, in a game with the highest of stakes and no rules. Who is the hunter, and who is the prey?

All In is a fun, breezy thriller – danger, bad guys, gambling, and a touch of romance. From a New York penthouse to a luxury yacht on the Mediterranean, it’s just a fun ride. There’s plenty of action and not a slow spot in the book. Both Cassie and Jake are fabulous and will take your money. Cassie because it’s her job – and she’s very good at her job. Jake because he’s a good poker player- not lucky, he just knows the odds and can read people very well. Together, they are quite a team, even if they’d rather not be and are not sure how much to trust each other. And of course there are sparks between them, even though Cassie at first and then Jake want to resist the attraction for their own reasons. Okay, so it’s a fairly typical book, one that I could totally see as date movie, but the authors do it really well. The story zips along; you like the good guys; the baddies are clearly thugs or too rich for their own good or both. The women are strong, each in her own way – it’s nice to see an action story where the guy doesn’t get to save the day.

It’s not great literature – it’s not pretending to be. It’s a truly enjoyable read, though, perfect for the beach or a rainy afternoon.

About Joel Goldman

Joel Goldman is the bestselling author of the Lou Mason thrillers, the Jack Davis thrillers, and the Alex Stone thrillers. He was a trial lawyer for twenty-eight years. Goldman wrote his first novel after one of his colleagues complained about a partner, prompting him to write a thriller featuring that partner, kill the son of a b*tch off in the first chapter, and spend the rest of the book figuring out who did it. And he never looked back. Goldman is also the cofounder of the crime fiction imprint Brash Books. He lives with his wife and two dogs in Leawood, Kansas.

About Lisa Klink

Lisa Klink started her career in the world of Star Trek, writing for Deep Space Nine and Voyager before coming back to Earth for shows such as Martial Law and Missing. In addition to writing for television, she’s scripted a theme park attraction and authored graphic novels, short stories, and three novels in The Dead Man series. Klink is also a five-time champion on Jeopardy!

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