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![A Gambling Man [Large Print] by David Baldacci](https://cdn.thestorygraph.com/97gohwhrr54lnj87fnfwg15l69hb)
3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Started fairly slowly and with a lot of slightly tedious description of every new character, but picked up pace and I didn't guess the ending. There was a somewhat excessive body count, but the descriptions weren't unduly detailed or gory. The last quarter or so of the book was compelling, and I've immediately started the sequel. I did read the first book of the series recently but I would say this one stands alone well.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Suicide, Violence, Kidnapping, Death of parent
Minor: Drug abuse, Sexual content
Multiple murders, violence against women. Descriptions aren't particularly detailed. No sexual violence against women.
I just couldn't get past the writing. I do not believe Baldacci wrote this himself. Here is one paragraph that is so bad, it actually distracts from the story:
He got a recommendation on a place to stay the night from a gal behind the bus counter with blonde hair that wrapped around her neck like a naughty mink stole and mischievous blue eyes to match. She had a curvaceous figure that reminded him of the photo of a swimsuit-clad Ava Gardner he had kept in his helmet during the war. After telling her he was headed to California, she handed him a map, along with a recommendation for where to grab his dinner.
She had blue eyes to match what? the mink stole? Can stoles be naughty? Can a professional author use the same word twice in a 3 sentence paragraph?
I had to stop reading at the 20% mark because I couldn't concentrate on the actual story, given the ongoing terrible prose! Hopefully Baldacci either gets a new editor or goes back to writing his own books.
He got a recommendation on a place to stay the night from a gal behind the bus counter with blonde hair that wrapped around her neck like a naughty mink stole and mischievous blue eyes to match. She had a curvaceous figure that reminded him of the photo of a swimsuit-clad Ava Gardner he had kept in his helmet during the war. After telling her he was headed to California, she handed him a map, along with a recommendation for where to grab his dinner.
She had blue eyes to match what? the mink stole? Can stoles be naughty? Can a professional author use the same word twice in a 3 sentence paragraph?
I had to stop reading at the 20% mark because I couldn't concentrate on the actual story, given the ongoing terrible prose! Hopefully Baldacci either gets a new editor or goes back to writing his own books.
2021 ATY Challenge - a book whose title refers to a person without using their name
3.5 maybe.
I'm not sure about this series. Set in 1949 so clearly the world was different. I like the Archer. I like Dash and Liberty. Not 100% sure I liked this particular story.
I will still always read David Baldacci.
3.5 maybe.
I'm not sure about this series. Set in 1949 so clearly the world was different. I like the Archer. I like Dash and Liberty. Not 100% sure I liked this particular story.
I will still always read David Baldacci.
This was a slow to start but soon got good book to me. It was something a little different for me and I enjoyed it.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I did this for you, Granddad.
Me and this book just did not mesh. I’m not a fan of gritty noir old-fashioned detective novels, so I was bound to dislike everything about this one. Everything was just… blah. I did like that the women were (mostly) very self-assured and driven. I think it’s safe to say I will not be reading the next book in this series.
Me and this book just did not mesh. I’m not a fan of gritty noir old-fashioned detective novels, so I was bound to dislike everything about this one. Everything was just… blah. I did like that the women were (mostly) very self-assured and driven. I think it’s safe to say I will not be reading the next book in this series.
Another classic from Mr. Baldacci. Archer is a great character, and I can't wait to see where he goes from here.
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Author David Baldacci follows up the first installment of his Aloysius Archer series, One Good Dead, by embroiling Archer in intrigue and another mystery as he attempts to launch his career as a private investigator. He so impressed Detective Irving Shaw as he assisted Shaw in Poca City, that Shaw offered to provide him with a recommendation. As the story opens, Archer is ready to leave Poca City behind him for good and make his way to Bay Town, California, to take advantage of Shaw's generosity. He's hoping that the renowned Willie Dash, who worked with Eliot Ness, will give him a chance. He has no way of knowing that Dash and his practice have fallen on hard times, and it will not be as easy as he'd hoped.
Nothing comes easy for Archer. A stop in Reno brings a big prize to a man who doesn't gamble -- $4,400 and a bright red, valuable 1939 Delahaye convertible, manufactured in France. But it comes with baggage and criminals chasing its former owner that Archer has to outrun in order to survive. He also meets Liberty Callahan, a beautiful woman who has been performing in a Reno nightclub but has much bigger dreams. She wants to try her luck in Hollywood. Since Archer is en route to California, he agrees to give her a ride as far as Bay Town, but not without some trepidation. After all, it's "the start of a new life for him. Or at the very least, the potential of a new life. What if he screwed it up? What if California and his dream of becoming a PI came to nothing? Then what would he do? He'd be out there without a dime to his name, in a car he couldn't afford to make the payments on, without the prospects of anything getting better."
Like much of post-World War II America, Bay Town is booming. But it has a decidedly seedy side. Some of the residents are scheming to make Bay Town more respectable because that will enable them to make lots of money. Archer gets involved in an investigation involving Douglas Kemper who is running for mayor, and his associate, Wilson Sheen. Kemper is being blackmailed because he has allegedly been involved in an extra-marital affair. His father-in-law, Sawyer Armstrong, wields unfettered power in Bay Town. Midnight Moods, the local burlesque and card club (California does not permit casinos) provides Liberty the opportunity to perform, but bodies begin piling up. Working with Dash, Archer finds himself in danger as he inches closer to the truth about the corruption that is rampant in Bay Town and the agenda of whomever is blackmailing Kemper. Could the blackmailer be Ruby, a dancer at the club, Kemper's political opponent, or even his own beautiful wife, Beth? Someone is willing to kill in order to prevent their plans from derailing. Drug addiction and long-held family secrets also figure into the mystery, which is, in typical Baldacci fashion, intricately plotted, and full of surprising twists and revelations that make the conclusion thoroughly unpredictable. Baldacci incorporates actual historical details that lend plausibility and context. The story moves at a steady, relentless pace and is, again, in true Baldacci style, told in short, action-packed chapters featuring crisp dialogue that is appropriate to the era.
Archer is not actually a gambler and he grew a great deal as a result of his experiences in Poca City. Readers learned in One Good Deed that he is handsome, principled, and a gentleman. Which is not to say that he doesn't savor the allure of a desirable woman. But because of his past, he is guarded and does not reveal much about himself easily because he is distrustful, having paid the price for getting involved in situations he should have avoided. Baldacci introduces Liberty, a beautiful woman who is pursuing a dream and is no one's fool. She's also able to take care of herself -- she's no man's damsel in distress and speaks her mind. The attraction between Archer and Liberty is palpable and quite charming, but both agree that they need to remain friends. At least for the time-being.
Baldacci's affinity for vintage noir is again evident and he expertly evokes the time period. Every scene is carefully constructed to take readers into the world in which Archer exists. Baldacci explains that in order to make the experience authentic for his readers, he imagined a day in Archer's life, starting with the moment he wakes up in the morning. "What do I need to know in order to describe what he would do, see, feel, and think, and interact with people over the course of one day?" he asked himself, and determined that if he could encapsulate those details in one day, he could duplicate the experience for each of the days over which the story unfolds. That approach informed his research. Baldacci explains that the series in a unique time in history. Following World War II, America was changing quickly. He notes that people were tired of the Great Depression and fighting a war, and "looking for something better," which is Archer's goal. He's seeking to "earn a living and do something interesting for whatever time he has left."
A Gambling Man is another sophisticated, engrossing adventure through which readers learn more about and establish a deeper connection with Archer. Baldacci promises that Archer will be back in another installment set in 1953. Hopefully, Liberty will also return, and Baldacci will reveal how their relationship has enfolded during the ensuing years.
Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader's Copy of the book.
Nothing comes easy for Archer. A stop in Reno brings a big prize to a man who doesn't gamble -- $4,400 and a bright red, valuable 1939 Delahaye convertible, manufactured in France. But it comes with baggage and criminals chasing its former owner that Archer has to outrun in order to survive. He also meets Liberty Callahan, a beautiful woman who has been performing in a Reno nightclub but has much bigger dreams. She wants to try her luck in Hollywood. Since Archer is en route to California, he agrees to give her a ride as far as Bay Town, but not without some trepidation. After all, it's "the start of a new life for him. Or at the very least, the potential of a new life. What if he screwed it up? What if California and his dream of becoming a PI came to nothing? Then what would he do? He'd be out there without a dime to his name, in a car he couldn't afford to make the payments on, without the prospects of anything getting better."
Like much of post-World War II America, Bay Town is booming. But it has a decidedly seedy side. Some of the residents are scheming to make Bay Town more respectable because that will enable them to make lots of money. Archer gets involved in an investigation involving Douglas Kemper who is running for mayor, and his associate, Wilson Sheen. Kemper is being blackmailed because he has allegedly been involved in an extra-marital affair. His father-in-law, Sawyer Armstrong, wields unfettered power in Bay Town. Midnight Moods, the local burlesque and card club (California does not permit casinos) provides Liberty the opportunity to perform, but bodies begin piling up. Working with Dash, Archer finds himself in danger as he inches closer to the truth about the corruption that is rampant in Bay Town and the agenda of whomever is blackmailing Kemper. Could the blackmailer be Ruby, a dancer at the club, Kemper's political opponent, or even his own beautiful wife, Beth? Someone is willing to kill in order to prevent their plans from derailing. Drug addiction and long-held family secrets also figure into the mystery, which is, in typical Baldacci fashion, intricately plotted, and full of surprising twists and revelations that make the conclusion thoroughly unpredictable. Baldacci incorporates actual historical details that lend plausibility and context. The story moves at a steady, relentless pace and is, again, in true Baldacci style, told in short, action-packed chapters featuring crisp dialogue that is appropriate to the era.
Archer is not actually a gambler and he grew a great deal as a result of his experiences in Poca City. Readers learned in One Good Deed that he is handsome, principled, and a gentleman. Which is not to say that he doesn't savor the allure of a desirable woman. But because of his past, he is guarded and does not reveal much about himself easily because he is distrustful, having paid the price for getting involved in situations he should have avoided. Baldacci introduces Liberty, a beautiful woman who is pursuing a dream and is no one's fool. She's also able to take care of herself -- she's no man's damsel in distress and speaks her mind. The attraction between Archer and Liberty is palpable and quite charming, but both agree that they need to remain friends. At least for the time-being.
Baldacci's affinity for vintage noir is again evident and he expertly evokes the time period. Every scene is carefully constructed to take readers into the world in which Archer exists. Baldacci explains that in order to make the experience authentic for his readers, he imagined a day in Archer's life, starting with the moment he wakes up in the morning. "What do I need to know in order to describe what he would do, see, feel, and think, and interact with people over the course of one day?" he asked himself, and determined that if he could encapsulate those details in one day, he could duplicate the experience for each of the days over which the story unfolds. That approach informed his research. Baldacci explains that the series in a unique time in history. Following World War II, America was changing quickly. He notes that people were tired of the Great Depression and fighting a war, and "looking for something better," which is Archer's goal. He's seeking to "earn a living and do something interesting for whatever time he has left."
A Gambling Man is another sophisticated, engrossing adventure through which readers learn more about and establish a deeper connection with Archer. Baldacci promises that Archer will be back in another installment set in 1953. Hopefully, Liberty will also return, and Baldacci will reveal how their relationship has enfolded during the ensuing years.
Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader's Copy of the book.