A story ultimately about people.
Rating:
5 / 5
High Steaks is a story that is ultimately about people. You get to meet a full spectrum of characters in this book, all of them equally fascinating, quirky and engaging. Mr. Loughran has the great talent of inciting emotion in the reader. I found myself loathing some characters and wishing I could buy a drink for some of the others. The story is fast-paced and immediately engaging. I highly recommend this book.
We can't help but root for Davis
Rating:
5 / 5
Rob Loughran's career has consisted of working in restaurants. HIGH STEAKS is his first novel, and is the winner of the Fourth Annual Mystery Award.Davis O'Kane's ex-wife wants custody of their twin daughters, the house, and to make his life miserable. He adores his twins, and his restaurant isn't doing so well either. He is a certified member of Gambling Anonymous. But when Wanda Marie, his on and off girlfriend, is found dead in the freezer in the restaurant of Nightingale, Nevada, Davis begins to wonder if there isn't a conspiracy out to get him. Freddy Finnegan, the town drunk whom Davis feeds a nightly steak, turns up in the trunk of his car, and the IRS comes knocking at the door. All the while, notes from Wanda Marie are addressed to the friends of Davis urging them to bet on a horse named Future Glue that barely qualifies for its races. Something doesn't smell right: "No one's stupid enough to have a horse work out the morning of a race. Davis fumbled with the HumVee's door and walked to the trailer-Woody monitored his actions in the mirror. Future Glue lolled against the padded and blanketed side of the trailer, held up by a bridle and three straps. The horse's tongue lolled, gray and dry, from the side of his mouth. Davis jogged back to Woody. 'You've been doping Future Glue?'" HIGH STEAKS is a mystery packed with many subplots all leading to the same conclusion. Davis is a nice-guy hero who is surrounded by misfits; spies; mobsters; and bad cops. The plot is driven by vignettes involving the various characters and their motives, and the denouement is a squirmer for anyone who loves animals and horses in particular. HIGH STEAKS exposes yet another seamy side of horse racing and the greed that usually results in beautiful horses being destroyed. Throughout the story, the drifty but celestial writings of the deceased Wanda Marie provide insight and depth to a well conceived plot. We can't help but root for Davis to put his life back together, and the lovely Tasha appears just as things are at their bleakest. All's well that ends well, and Davis becomes a humble hero in the end, inviting a sequel. The reader gets to see Davis win and stay unaffected. A good read. Shelley Glodowski
Senior Reviewer
Very Impressed
Rating:
5 / 5
Swiftly moving, gripping, heartfelt, intelligent, funny, sensitive, emotional, and brutally honest down and dirty. Rob takes you on a journey with masterly crafted interwoven plots, but doesn't let you get lost in them. He gives just enough info to portray the scene and to make the reader feel up close and personal with the characters, but does not overwhelm the reader with unnecessary and excessive detail. And boy could he. Who has this depth and scope of knowledge of so many topics?? Again what intelligence! The characters are all so different and fleshed out really well, you really feel like you're there with them - a sweeping scope of human existence in many of its forms. An intriguing plot hard to put down...It felt as though I was watching a movie. Can't wait to see it! Keep em' coming Mr. Loughran!
|