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posies23's review against another edition
4.0
A quick read (I think it took me two days), about an unsuccessful actor who decides to become a racehorse owner. An interesting book for the simple fact that the protagonist is SUCH a jerk. It's one of those books you read just to see how low he'll sink. (And he sinks REALLY low!) Worthwhile, but not life-changing.
dantastic's review against another edition
3.0
Tommy Russo, an out of work actor with a gambling problem working as a bouncer in a bar, gets a chance to be part owner of a race horse. Only, he doesn't have the ten thousand dollars he needs to buy in. What depths will he sink to to get it?
While the story entertained me, I hated Tommy and couldn't wait for him to get what was coming to. He's a slimeball. Lying, stealing, lying, etc. I actually felt dirty reading the story. Finding a protagonist that you actually like in a Jason Starr book is like trying to decide which shit sandwich you want to eat from a buffet of shit sandwiches. "Well, that one hasn't got so much shit on it..."
I guess to sum it up would be to say that while the story is full of twists and turns and well written, don't expect to get attached to the protagonist. I think I'm done with Starr's asshole slimeball characters for a while.
While the story entertained me, I hated Tommy and couldn't wait for him to get what was coming to. He's a slimeball. Lying, stealing, lying, etc. I actually felt dirty reading the story. Finding a protagonist that you actually like in a Jason Starr book is like trying to decide which shit sandwich you want to eat from a buffet of shit sandwiches. "Well, that one hasn't got so much shit on it..."
I guess to sum it up would be to say that while the story is full of twists and turns and well written, don't expect to get attached to the protagonist. I think I'm done with Starr's asshole slimeball characters for a while.
jakewritesbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Perhaps because I knew what I was expecting this time with Jason Starr and his venal characters, I wound up liking this one more than his other two efforts. It helps that this one focused on one singular guy, a total moron who treats everyone around him as disposable. Also, while even the bleakest of NYC mysteries can still make the city sound amazing, Starr does a great job at treating it like an Odyssean hellscape for his doomed characters.
psteve's review against another edition
3.0
In its way like some of the best of Jim Thompson, it's a first-person story of horse racing, robbery, gambling, and murder. The main character is thoroughly despicable, if not insane like some of Thompson's heroes. The book pulls you through it, and the characters are pretty sharply drawn.
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