Danger escalates as Michael Knight and Lex Devlin enter into the defense of a Puerto Rican jockey charged with felony murder as a result of a fixed race at Boston’s Suffolk Downs.As their investigation exposes the jockey’s role, they become embroiled in a conflict between two Puerto Rican crime gangs. One of these gangs is aligned for the first time with Boston’s Italian Mafia in tapping into … tapping into almost limitless profits from the illicit trade of exotic and endangered species of wild animals captured in the Amazon rainforest of Brazil and smuggled through the shoreline of the Florida Keys.
Working to free their client and to prevent the brutal abuse of these vulnerable animals, Michael and Lex find themselves squarely in the crossfire of rival organized crime gangs from the barrio of Jamaica Plain, Boston, to the gang-dominated streets of Mayaguez, Puerto Rico.
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organized-crime, thriller, suspense, conspiracy, lawyers, smuggling
From horse racing and Italian organized crime in Boston, to the origins of certain gangs in Puerto Rico, to smuggling endangered animals from the Amazon Rainforest this fast paced thriller grabbed me by the imagination and just wouldn’t let go. And it’s all driven by a risk taking defense attorney who drives expensive cars. Loved the thrill ride!
Narrator Bill Nevitt is brilliant in both the narrative as well as differentiating the multitude of very diverse characters.
Michael Knight is a half Puerto Rican lawyer who seems to have a propensity for getting involved in dangerous situations. His two cousins, Victor and Roberto, are like brothers to Michael. When Roberto is killed during a race, the authorities charge Victor with his murder.
This book started out being a mystery involving horse racing, then quickly switched to the jungles of Brazil. At first, I was confused as to what was going on. As the book progressed, these seemingly unrelated things began to come together in an intricate scheme involving both Italian and Puerto Rican gangs.
The author obviously did a lot of research into the relatively unknown trade in exotic and endangered animals. I liked the way that he told much of this part of the book from the perspective of natives in Brazil. The book had plenty of twists and turns and Michael gets himself into some precarious situations. In fact, I would categorize Michael as more of a Private Investigator than a lawyer since there is very little in the book that involved being a lawyer. The story was very involved and there were a lot of different characters to keep track of along the way. The author did a pretty decent job of weaving all of these threads together in an entertaining way.
The narrator, Bill Nevitt, did his usual wonderful job in his performance. My only complaint would be that some of his accents didn’t really seem to fit the nationality they were meant to portray. I couldn’t really tell the difference between the Puerto Rican and Italian at times.
All in all, this was an entertaining thriller with enough twists to keep the listener engaged. I was given the chance to listen to the audiobook version of this book by the narrator and chose to review it.
This story is a thrilling story that will pull at any animal lovers heart and make you angry at the disregard of authorities where poaching and illegal animal trade is concerned. This story grabs you from the first page and keeps you captive until the last. The narrator of the audiobook really brought the book to life, making you experience all the emotions and suspense in the story. From organized crime, gang warfare, poaching of endangers species, drugs, fixing of horse racing, murder, intrigue and deception; this story combines the authors vast knowledge of thoroughbred racing with that of the illegal wild animal trade to form a nail-biting, fast paced thriller that will keep you engrossed, and educate you at the same time.
Having listened to Fatal Odds and finding out it is a fifth in a series, I realize I have a lot of catching up to do. I loved this thriller. Legal thrillers are one of my favorite genres to read and this one does not disappoint. Lots of edge-of-the-seat action, interesting and disconcerting information regarding race-fixing and drug and exotic animal trafficking help to keep interest high. A hero who hangs in there despite danger and life-threatening situations. I am so looking forward to reading more of the Knight and Devlin duo. I listened to a complimentary copy of the audiobook and was not required to write a review. The opinions are my own. Bill Nevitt did a great job narrating the story which made for an entertaining listening experience.
This review is for the audio book.
I enjoyed this book mainly because it was such a different idea for a plot. It was broken up into parts and I did wonder what the Amazon rain forest had to do with horse racing as it seemed like we had stepped back in time but it all came together nicely to make a great story. I know the story is only a work of fiction but it certainly opened my eyes as to what goes on in the world, it’s a scary place.
When Michael sees his cousin crash into his brother while racing he had no idea that it would send him on a roller coasters ride where the watches fired guns at you. When his cousin is accused of fixing the race and killing his brother Michael turns to a gang boss in order to find out who would want or need to fix a race, but caught between two rival gangs it soon becomes apparent that race fixing is just the tip of the ice burge. Nobody is safe as drug dealers and animal traffickers come together in an explosive story of greed,betrayal and revenge.
The narrator does an excellent job with all the different accents and bringing the characters to life.
Fatal Odds (Knight and Devlin, #5), my first read/listen from author John F. Dobbyn. Well-written & enjoyable, I found it very enjoyable. Bill Nevitt’s excellent narration made the 11-hour 7-minute mystery/suspense pass quickly. I was given an Audible copy of this book & am voluntarily reviewing it. I definitely need to get more by this author & narrator. (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 – July 24, 2018).