Today’s team review is from Sandra
Sandra blogs here https://www.firthproof.co.uk/index.php/book-reviews
Sandra has been reviewing Fast Cash by J Gregory Smith.
Fast Cash is the fourth book in the Reluctant Hustler series by J Gregory Smith. I have read and enjoyed them all, and while you could read it as a standalone you would get much more out of it by going back to the beginning and finding out how it all started. Kyle and his fellow team members all bring different skills to the table, and work well together to help those most in need in return for the promise of a favour in the future if required.
Here they are up against criminals on two different continents, and this is where computer expert VP comes into her own. Phone scammers in Kolkata are stealing money from vulnerable elderly victims worldwide, including locally in Philadelphia, and with the help of an Indian contact they set out to trace the source and shut them down – not an easy task when they are so far away and can’t intervene. At home, they come up against a project called Sweat Equity, a kind of pyramid scheme, whose main aim is to defraud local government of multi-million-dollar grants. Fuelled by sheer greed, they will stop at nothing to achieve their aims. Can Kyle, Rollie, VP, Steve and Sandy stop them before they get clean away? The best thing about this series is how well developed the characters are – the black humour and witty banter helps to offset the danger they face on a daily basis. Fast Cash is a gripping thriller, dealing with very real contemporary problems, and it kept me reading long into the night. I look forward to catching up with Kyle and his friends in the next book.
Book Description:
Hustlers Without Borders.
Overseas scammers swindle an elderly Philadelphia woman out of her life’s savings. Soon after, the crooks use her stolen information to target her friends and neighbors in a relentless plague of cons. After getting nowhere with the local authorities, she takes her case to Kyle Logan and his crew of misfits who look after the neighborhood by operating outside the law with their own code of justice.
They’ve never gone after criminals outside of the country before and Kyle knows they’ll need to enlist help on the ground if they’re going to have a chance to recover any stolen funds. What he doesn’t realize is that their new allies may be more dangerous than their foes.
Meanwhile, closer to home, Kyle sees a disturbing invasion of cut-rate home contractors who sell themselves with the zeal of a cult. Called Sweat Equity, the business has formed a partnership with the city government amid glowing praise from the media. When Kyle digs deeper, he learns why the group refuses to take no for an answer and that the group is more than willing to add blood to the sweat.
