Hey There (You with the Gun In Your Hand)

Title: Hey There (You with the Gun In Your Hand)

Author: Robert J. Randisi

Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books

Copyright Date: 2008

Print Date: December 2008

ISBN: 9780312376420

Pages: 256

Series: 3rd of the Rat Pack Mystery series



Book Description (from dust jacket):

It's 1961 and Las Vegas is still the place to be. Eddie Gianelli, pit boss at the Sands Casino, now considers the Rat Pack his friends. And this time, his friend Frank Sinatra wants him to help Sammy. Someone has an embarrassing photo of Sammy and wants $25 grand for it. All Eddie has to do is make the pay-off and collect the photo. Easy, right? But at the rendezvous, in place of a blackmailer, Eddie finds a dead body greeting him. Pretty soon Eddie and New York torpedo Jerry Epstein are up to their elbows in bodies. There's a double-cross going on. Could the presence of the Secret Service mean that JFK is somehow involved?

Celebrity cameos by Buddy Hackett and Marilyn Monroe add to the glamour. The stars are out, and it's up to Eddie to see that they don't fall from the sky.

Comments:

It's been over a month (closer to two) since I read this, so my impressions aren't clear. I do know, however that I've enjoyed this series overall, that I enjoyed this book in particular, and just reading the synopsis as I filled it in above reminded me that I need to look into getting the 4th book in the series.

Part of what makes this book enjoyable is the atmosphere. Even I can feel like I'm in 1960 Vegas. (This is important because I don't really visualize when I read. I can hear and feel it, but descriptions don't usually do me much good, as I rarely see it.) Another part is knowing that while the story is fictional, many of the characters were real people. All you have to do is read the Author's notes and bibliography to know Mr. Randisi made an effort to make the story as real as possible.

Note: The author mentions in the Author's note that the nephew of "Eddie"'s boss Jack Entratter (that's the boss, not the nephew), actually contacted him after the first book was published. How cool is that?