Big Money

by Jack Getze

Book Overview

Three women are mad enough to kill him. Only one is a murderer. Left in charge of a third-rate Jersey Shore investment firm, suspended stockbroker Austin Carr becomes the prize in a war between two... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1937495671
• ISBN13: 9781937495671
• Release Date: December 2013
• Publisher: Down & Out Books
• Length: 218 Pages
• Weight: 0.62 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

A Humorous Sequel

Things had been going well for Austin Carr right up until the naked woman pulled a gun on him. Once living in a truck camper, drowning in debt, and prevented by a restraining order from seeing his kids, Carr now has an apartment, sees his children regularly, and even with a suspended stockbroker's license is working as a consultant for a New Jersey investment company. However, things started to go downhill fast when the head of the firm departed for Tuscany, leaving Carr with instructions to watch over the man's daughter and keep her from her psychotic ex. Carr has definite reservations, which prove legitimate when Ragsdale takes the woman hostage at gunpoint and Carr has to resort to calling Tony, a man with lots of muscle and even darker ties. He's also the one thing standing between Carr's company and a bookie who wants Carr to launder money or risk the lives of his friends. A scary Mama, gunplay, and three women who are as attractive as they are deadly all lead up to a confrontation with a gun-wielding vixen clad only in his socks. This fast read has enough complications for a novel twice its size, and its humor balances out the potential for serious bloodshed. Over-the-top characters make this a lively read for lovers of caper comedies. Carr tends to be motivated more by his libido than his brains, yet his affability and smart mouth has the reader cheering for him. This is an enjoyable read that is both satisfying and entertaining.

Enormously Entertaining

Jack Getz is the male Evanovich. His Stephanie Plum is named Austin Carr and is an ethically-challenged cad of the highest order with an almost-fatal weakness for redheads. Getz writes in a style that's breezy and fun. If you like J.A. Konrath and Janet Evanovich, you're sure to like BIG MONEY and its predecessor, BIG NUMBERS.

Gotta love that bumbling Austin Carr

For the main character in this book, we need a new genre: Bumbling Idiot. Boy, do bumbling idiots make for good storytelling. I met stockbroker Austin Carr in Getze's first book, Big Numbers. Carr is perpetually a down-on-his-luck divorced dad of two. Somehow he is always in the midst of getting the stuffing beat out of him. Author Getzke can really "turn a phrase," and I found myself writing down almost 20 of those great one liners. In talking about a beautiful woman he lusted after, Carr said, "She might be too drunk... even stockbrokers have some pride. Austin Carr is managing a New Jersey stockbroker firm in the absence of the vacationing owner, Mr. Vick. And on top of that, Vick wants him to keep an eye on both his daughter, who is divorcing the former manager of this firm-and his mother, Mama Bones. (That name should tell you she isn't your typical mom!) The firm is being investigated for some highly illegal "co-mingling of funds." Carr is caught between so many different people who want something (he isn't always sure what) and will hurt anyone who gets in their way-including his kids. The mob is all over this story-actually two different "families" are trying to hurt Carr. But why, and who can he trust? Tough guys with guns and no consciences, and tough women with great bodies and "unique pasts," jump in and out of the story. The good guys/gals aren't always who they say they are, and this makes for some great guessing. This is another of those books where I negotiate with myself for just 15 minutes more to read the next chapter. I just had to know... . Getze is a writer to watch. Stories in New Jersey are rare. Stories with stockbrokers (at least fiction) are rare. His bumbling idiot hero Austin Carr always ends up on top of the heap, but he drags you along on his many trials and tribulations to get there. Armchair Interviews says: Grab this book and get into your comfy armchair a good read.

Big Money has Big Upside

Austin Carr gets into more trouble than Dennis the Menace, and Getze's latest novel has more twists than a pretzel factory. It all makes for one great read for those who like wise-cracking protagonists, a slew of beautiful and deadly women, and more bad guys at the Jersey shore than in Rahway Prison. Carr is left in charge of his investment firm. Immediately, he becomes the booby prize for a plethora of bad guys as they stake their claim to the firm hoping to be rewarded with financial rainbows. Getze has improved over the first Carr novel, "Big Numbers," with more cliff hangers than a 1930's serial while Austin escapes one tight situation after another with his gift of gab or famous grin. Getze gives us more of Jersey, more unique characters, and a bit more character depth. And he saves the best twist, like all classic mystery writers, for the very end of the story. Getze didn't pay me big money for this review, but I'll give him a big number for the novel. How about a 5.

Laughing out loud...

Austin Carr returns in Jack Getze's second book, BIG MONEY. Our favorite stockbroker has lost his securities license, but this doesn't keep his boss, Vick Bonacelli, from leaving him in charge of the store while Vick takes a long vacation. Vick also makes Carr promise to watch over his adult daughter Carmela and his mother, Mama Bones. As soon as Vick's boat sails, Carmela's ex-husband shows up, Mama Bones is arrested, the regulatory audit turns up some potentially disastrous transactions in the company's books, and the local mob boss politely requests that Shore Securities launder some money for him. Well, perhaps not so politely... Yes, it is a typical day in the life of Austin Carr. Carr is the everyman who lives his entire life caught between a rock and a hard place - and watching him try to wiggle out is a delight. A despised ex-husband but devoted father, Carr is motivated to protect his small ownership stake in the securities company so he can provide for his children. But Carr is out of his league when it comes to the machinations of the local mafia and has to rely on the more worldly assistance of his favorite bartender, Luis, and the surprising Mama Bones. I love it when an author's second book surpasses a good debut, and Getze achieves this with BIG MONEY. Getze hits his stride in this book and tips us the wink on Carr's true character. For all his posturing, Carr is always the most naïve person in the room (even when his children are present) and you end up both laughing out loud at his view of the world and rolling your eyes at his sexual impulses, which he has as much control over as your average 14 year-old male of the species. But because he is obviously the innocent in the piece, you end up cheering for him, as well. BIG MONEY becomes a real page turner as you find yourself desperately hoping that everything will turn out all right for Austin Carr in the end. Favorite character? The Creeper has some wonderful and bizarre appearances in this book, but I have to go with Austin Carr. Did I guess it? Some of it. Will I read another? Absolutely.