Rat Pack Again

So, at first I was a little let down by It Was a Very Bad Year...The initial part of the story was redundant of an earlier story, and there seemed like there was no big mystery after all. But I should have known my Eddie G had way more up his sleeve than just finding some racy pictures of an actress. Eddie G and Big Jerry never let me down, and they certainly didn't in this Rat Pack Mystery.

To recap: Eddie is approached by the on-screen wife of Joey Bishop, Abby Dalton, to help retrieve some pictures she made early on in her career that wouldn't uphold her current good girl status. Naturally, Eddie agrees, and since Big Jerry just happens to be in town with his nephew, he enlists the hit man into intimidating the photographer holding the pictures. While there's some breaking and entering involved, this portion of the story resolves quickly and is a bit ho-hum. And then...Frank Sinatra calls. His son, Frankie Jr., has been kidnapped, and he needs his buddy Eddie to help handle the situation. It should come as no surprise that the earlier bit of the story is woven into the second half, and things are not at all what they seem.

It never ceases to amaze me how adeptly Randisi intertwines actual events with those of the fictional Eddie G, and in this case, he has Eddie helping the FBI make the case against the real-life kidnappers. The way Randisi writes the tale, I am almost convinced this is how it really, truly happened. Eddie and Jerry are delightful as always, and the appearances of the Rat Pack and other celebrities add completely to the atmosphere. Bookended by a short narrative of present-day Eddie looking back, this is a fun entry that will keep you turning the pages.

~taminator40

Fly Me to the Morgue

Love this series and love Eddie G.! In book 6 of the Rat Pack Mysteries, Fly Me to the Morgue, Eddie's newest life-threatening problem comes when he accompanies Bing Crosby to look at a possible race horse the celeb may want to buy. Having impressed Bing with his horse knowledge a year earlier, Big Jerry is asked along for the ride, but naturally it's far from a regular visit to look at a horse. Instead, the trio meet with the body of the guy selling the horse, and while that's not their fault, one thing leads to another. Once again, members of the Rat Pack and their friends become involved, along with the Mob and other unsavory characters.

This mystery, like the others, isn't particularly deep but it is so engaging, and so page-turning, that I thoroughly enjoyed myself and raced right through it. All our favorites are back, including Eddie, Jerry, Danny, as well as Frank, Dino, and various other celebrities. Randisi continues to weave Eddie seamlessly into the Vegas of the 60s, and I continue to love these books. This one is just as good as the others, and the addition of Bing to the storyline is just icing on the cake. Why aren't you reading these books? They're too much fun!

~taminator40

Rat Pack Mystery...Again!

Before I go any further, I have to admit that I absolutely adore the Rat Pack Mysteries: They sweep me away into the Vegas era of the 1960s, with the Rat Pack and various mobsters front and center.  And Eddie G.! What a guy. Okay, I'm done now.

This installment features Ava Gardner, Frank Sinatra's ex-wife. Somehow, Ava turns up after a 40 hour drunken binge, covered in blood with somebody dead. She goes to Frank, but since he's with his children, she tries to quietly slip out of town, but since she's Ava Gardner, that doesn't go quite as planned. Of course our Eddie G is called in to find out what's going on, so he tracks her down in LA, only to find himself in danger now as well. Enter our friend Jerry Epstein, always ready to protect and eat, and soon the trio is traveling around looking for places to hide Ava from whomever is following her while Eddie tries to find out what took place in those missing hours.

This is standard fare for our hero, Eddie, and his pals, and throw in appearances from Frank, Dino, and Sammy, and you've got the perfect mix for a mystery. Randisi name-drops with the best of them, and it's easy to envision strolling through a Beverly Hills Hotel and encountering all the performers of the 60s. The mystery itself develops nicely and involves all our favorites with a couple of interesting surprises thrown in. Definitely another winning entry in this series that has me fully engaged.

~taminator40

The Rat Pack Mystery That Features Marilyn

Okay, yes, I admit it:  I am addicted to these fun novels about the Rat Pack! This time, our Eddie G. is asked to help a friend of Dean's...one Marilyn Monroe. What red-blooded male of the early 60s would turn down such a gig? Not our favorite pit boss. Marilyn feels someone has been following her, so Eddie agrees to look into it. Unfortunately, he receives word of the passing of his mother back in New Jersey, so Eddie turns the job over temporarily to detective buddy, Danny Bardini. Things take a turn for the worse when the funeral doesn't go well and Danny disappears. Along with sidekick Jerry, Eddie becomes determined to discover what happened to his friend and also to keep Marilyn safe. Suffice it say, nothing goes as planned and someone ends up injured and someone ends up...dead.

The portrayal of Marilyn in this mystery is handled sensitively yet realistically; it's great to see Eddie react with care and concern for Marilyn's worries, and to see her portrayed as sexy yet vulnerable. Along with Marilyn, Frank comes off particularly well in this installment, agreeing to help Eddie G out more than once. I can feel the relationships developing here, deepening into true friendship. Jerry is a delight as usual, and it's great to see Eddie relying more on his friend, and realizing just how important Jerry is to him. The story does go off in an unexpected way, but more icons of the 60s are involved and it's easy to see how seamlessly Randisi weaves personalities into his story. Particularly poignant is the ending; you'll start to believe it all truly happened this way. And that is the true beauty and fun of this novel. So much fun!

~taminator40

Hey There! (A Rat Pack Mystery)

By the time you get to the third book in the Rat Pack Mysteries, you pretty much know what you're going to get: a Rat Pack member (or two) with an issue that our hero, Eddie G., can help discreetly, but things go awry and bullets fly. This time it's Sammy Davis Jr., who has the problem: a roll of film has disappeared from Sammy's home and it contains some photos Sammy would prefer not be made public. Of course the situation calls for the utmost care and discretion, and Eddie G., pit boss at the Sands in the 1960s, is called upon to act as a go-between for Sammy and the blackmailers holding the photo. It doesn't take long for the incident to take a deadly turn and soon Eddie finds himself, along with his buddy Jerry Epstein, into things much, much deeper than an embarrassing photo for Sammy. Indeed, it becomes clear that there is something else on that roll of film that people in very high places need to make sure does not get out. But can Eddie maneuver his way through the obstacles and stay alive?

It's no secret that I love these books, and this one is no exception. When I think I have things figured out (and I did feel pretty smug about this one), I find out that I'm not as smart as I thought I was. Randisi does an admirable job of weaving people and events of the times throughout his novels, and  he evokes the era clearly in his descriptions. I'm totally hooked on this series and highly recommend it to anyone, but especially those with an interest in the heyday of Frank, Deano, Sammy, and the gang.

~taminator40

Luck Be a Lady, Don't Die

About six months have passed since the last escapade Eddie Gianelli found himself involved in, and he's finally gotten over almost being killed while helping out Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra in Las Vegas of 1960. Still, life's been a bit dull as a pit boss at the Sands hotel, until the Rat Pack arrives back in town for the premiere of Ocean's 11. Then a girl friend of Frank's disappears from her hotel and he wants Eddie to discreetly look into the circumstances. Eager to help and a bit flattered by the attention, Eddie calls Jerry from New Jersey  to help him find out where the girl has gone. It's about that time that bodies begin turning up and it becomes very clear that Eddie is not the only one looking for Frank's girl.

Just as in the first Rat Pack mystery, the action is fast and the settings are perfect. I was easily swept back into Las Vegas of the 60s with the slang, descriptions, and actions of all the characters; Randisi's writing style is engaging and true to the era. It's fun to read a mystery that doesn't rely on today's technology to solve every detail, and adding in celebrities we think we know is just an added bonus. Eddie G admits he's not a detective, but the regular cast of characters who surround him help this man about town solve everything just in the nick of time. Just enough humor and excitement in the short chapters to keep me thoroughly entertained.

~taminator40

The Rat Pack Lives

If you're looking for a light but engaging mystery that is gonna take you to a time of crooners, mob ties, and glamor,, then look no further. The Rat Pack Mysteries fit the bill perfectly, and this first one sets the stage for all that is to come.

In Everybody Kills Somebody Sometime, we meet Eddie Gianelli, pit boss and friend to many of the Names of Vegas of the 60s. Eddie gets asked by his boss, Jack Entratter, to solve a private matter involving Dean Martin: Dino's getting death threats. Eddie's not an investigator; he's just a former New Yorker who has found his calling at the famous Sands Hotel and Casino. Still, he reluctantly takes on the case, enlisting his PI friend Danny to help him figure out what's going on. Along the way, he becomes friends with the other Rat Packers, and finds at least three bodies...so not what he'd signed up for. By then, he's in too deep and needs to see the whole thing to its conclusion, if he can stay alive long enough to do so.

Confession time:  I read these last three books of the series before reading this one, so I'm aware of what's ahead for Eddie G. Still, there was major delight for me in being introduced to Jack, Danny, Jerry, and the Rat Pack, and seeing them in their early days, and I found that I loved them just as much. The mystery is pretty light, though it doesn't become clear until late in the book who the culprit(s) is/are.  As usual, I was turning the pages, enjoying the atmosphere evoked and imagining myself sitting in the Copa Room as the Rat Pack played for a packed house.

I don't know, however, if it was because this was the first book in the series or what, but the story is littered with errors:  There are punctuation, spelling, and syntax errors that pulled me out every time I came across one. I still loved the story and am happy to report that these lessen as the series goes on.

I also admit that I spent time looking up some of the characters and events mentioned, and they are all right on the money for accuracy. Rindisi has done his research and it shows. He weaves Eddie G and friends seamlessly into the backdrop of the Sands, giving us a taste of the powerful behind the scenes. If you haven't tried any of these excellent, fun mysteries, do yourself a favor and make them a part of your summer reading plans.

~taminator40