carlbruce1979's review
5.0
Fast paced, character driven, and a sock-you-in-the-gut ending. Loved this book. Luke Murphy did a great job and I look forward to reading more from him in the future!
jeanniechambers's review
5.0
I enjoyed reading this book. Calvin Watters is a very likable character- after you get to know him. He scared me, which was part of his job as a collector. (Remind me never to owe anyone gambling bets) Murphy spares no character pain, whether it's physical or emotional, and there were a few times I was really caught off guard. I like police procedural, mystery, romance, action, etc. I don't get caught up on minute details as some other reviewers have, because I think the story flowed well, and some details wouldn't have made a difference to me anyway.
There was one aspect (and I don't like spoilers) but there's a connection between Watters and the detective that I thought may have been a little 'easy'; at first I thought 'that would never happen',but who am I to judge? It very well COULD work that way in real life in Vegas, and it worked very well for this story. I certainly liked this book enough to read the second one (and hope there are more to follow that one too).
I found myself making excuses to 'go read' so I could find out what Calvin Watters was getting himself into next, who the next target was, and if justice would prevail.
Bottom line: Luke Murphy crafts a well written story that was exciting to read.
There was one aspect (and I don't like spoilers) but there's a connection between Watters and the detective that I thought may have been a little 'easy'; at first I thought 'that would never happen',but who am I to judge? It very well COULD work that way in real life in Vegas, and it worked very well for this story. I certainly liked this book enough to read the second one (and hope there are more to follow that one too).
I found myself making excuses to 'go read' so I could find out what Calvin Watters was getting himself into next, who the next target was, and if justice would prevail.
Bottom line: Luke Murphy crafts a well written story that was exciting to read.
rgardull25's review
3.0
Good
The shutout contacted me on Twitter and asked me to read his book which I fund to be very uncommon and it made me snag a copy immediately.
The shutout contacted me on Twitter and asked me to read his book which I fund to be very uncommon and it made me snag a copy immediately.
kelly_e's review against another edition
3.0
I was gifted a signed copy of "Dead Man's Hand" this past Christmas and it just so happened to fill the "local author" category on my 2018 reading challenge. At first I found the book a bit confusing, as the reader is introduced to a bunch of different characters right off the bat and I had a hard time keeping track, but I got used to the switch back and forth between perspectives. The narrative is believable, and it kept me guessing throughout. While there are some definite flaws to this work, it is the author's first work and those can be forgiven given how easy it was to get into and want to find out more. Definitely looking forward to the sequel.
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