Two for the Money by Steve Zettler
Two for the Money
Steve Zettler
5 Stars
Published: 17 October 2023
Publisher's Blurb
What happens when millions in cold cash evaporates into thin air? And the only people aware of its disappearance are a collection of misfits, bunglers and crooked CIA agents? The one person on earth who knows exactly where that cash is located is a legless, ex-Navy SEAL, confined to a wheelchair.
It’s an icy Christmas Day in Philadelphia, City of Brotherly Love. Sam Christie has come to South Philly to visit the grave of a former Secret Service Agent, Pete Macaluso. Drive into town, place some flowers on Pete’s grave, and head home – piece of cake…
Not so fast; unbeknownst to Sam, he’s walking straight into a sinister trap; a trap that will take him to the exact spot where the Americas meet, and pit him against ruthless mercenaries, an unrelenting cop, and rogue CIA agents.
“It’s Panama, Sam… There are no rules.”
Review
Two for the Money by Steve Zettler is an adventure, crime thriller novel split between Philadelphia in the United States and Panama City.
Former Secret Service agent Sam Christie returns to Philadelphia every year to lay flowers on the grave of his best friend Pete Macaluso who was killed on active service.
This year it doesn't go according to plan. First he meets a mutual friend of Pete's and between them they rescue an ex-navy SEAL, Ike, who has taken a tumble from his wheelchair into an empty grave.
Ike, it turns out, has been waiting for Sam in the churchyard with a proposition.
An encounter with a Philly mobster followed by a trip to Panama City on the trail of a large amount of cash hidden in Panama Bay kicks off a roller coaster journey that could cost Sam and his friends their lives.
Throw in some local criminals and a rogue CIA agent to mix things up and you've got a cracker of a story that is very difficult to put down.
The plot is perfectly paced with plenty of twists and turns. Reveals are ideally placed to maximise their shock value.
The main characters are nicely described and get the reader rooting for them. The bad guys are suitably villainous. They give a feeling that anything could happen and that not everyone is going to get out of the situation alive.
I enjoyed the descriptions of the locations and also the bits and pieces of relevant Panamanian history.
Too few books these days have the ability to capture my attention and entertain throughout, but this one really hit the mark. I loved the characters, the plot and the writing style.
I'd recommend this to anyone who enjoys action / adventure stories, well paced thrillers or just loves a great story that is well told. In parts this reminds me of some of the early Clive Cussler novels before they became too convoluted.
Author
More by Steve Zettler
Comments
Post a Comment