Finished Mo 12/16/13
Dismas Hardy-Ex-cop, lawyer who now works as a bartender in a friend's bar. He saved this man in Vietnam. Divorced but trying to get back with his wife, Jane. Their marriage collapsed after their son fell out of his crib and died. Jane is in Hong Kong for business during the whole novel, and she has found a new guy, but Dismas has decided to marry Frannie. She is the brother of his friend and pregnant by her dead husband, Eddie.
Rusty Ingraham is a seedy lawyer and acquaintance of Dismas who warns him that Louis Baker is about to be released. He's a black career criminal who threatened Dismas and Rusty. Rusty sets up a phony crime scene in which his girlfriend, Maxine has been shot, Rusty is nowhere to be found (assumed shot), and it looks like Louis Baker did it. Rusty was trying to fake his death to get out from under a huge debt to the mob including thousands in 'vig' money. Hence the novel's title. Maxine had just gotten almost a hundred thousand in an insurance settlement and Rusty took that money as well, but he was really just trying to get the mob off his back.
Dismas tracks him to Mexico and captures him with the help of Abe Glitsky. Abe is a black cop with a distinctive scar on his face and lip and also the protagonist is several novels by Lescroart.
Many red herrings are introduced as to who actually killed Maxine and whether or not Rusty was dead or alive. Baker's gang pals at the housing project. Maxine's husband (they're separated). He might have been trying to bet the insurance settlement. Johnny Laguardia is the collection agent for the mob boss, Mr. Tortoni.
Not a bad novel, but pretty average. Beach or Airplane Read
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