#TodGoldberg – Rosepoint Publishing

Book Blurb:

A luckless thief’s wrong turn becomes a crooked cop’s fortune in a wild ride of a thriller by a New York Times bestselling author.

Failed lawyer Robert Green has such a good plan: Crack three hundred safe-deposit boxes and sail off to South America with his brilliant, morally flexible sister, Penny. If it weren’t for the damned freezing rain.

In the dying resort town of Granite Shores, cop Jack Biddle is self-appointed king—mostly of bad decisions. Between his family’s crumbling legacy, a wife who just joined the city council, and life-threatening gambling debts, Jack’s looking for a way out. Then he spots a van spinning off a mountain road into the valley below. In the wreckage, Jack finds a very dead Robert, millions in heisted loot…and opportunity.

All Jack has to do is clean up the mess, disappear Robert’s body, make off with the fortune, and not get caught. One hitch is Penny. Another is Mitch Diamond, a wild card ex-con who knows more about the missing fortune than he lets on. Jack, Penny, and Mitch each have an endgame. But there’s only one way out, and they’re crashing headlong toward it.

His Review:

Penny Green had always been the smartest person in any room. Her IQ being above 220 meant her mind captured anything she saw or read. She was required to work with a criminal element that held her on the threat of death. There seemed to be no way out.

Those hired to “Protect and Serve” were no help whatsoever. Work with them or expect a bullet in the back of the head. This was the path Penny seemed to be following. She had no alternative and no way out. The crime boss got immensely wealthy while she remained under his thumb, literally!

Jack Biddle has been the Chief of Police in Granite Shores for two decades. He knew where all of the bodies were hidden and how many of the citizens owed him special treatment. Near the end of the book, he finds himself on the wrong side of some very vindictive people. Granite Shores has been controlled by the criminal element for as long as anyone could remember. Mercy and compassion are not in the city father’s vocabulary.

This book highlights some of the cruel elements that run some of the coastal cities. Gritty, unlikable characters tends to the profane. 3.5 stars – CE Williams

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book. Any opinion expressed here is my own.

Rosepoint Publishing: Three point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Dark Humor, Heist Thrillers, Police Procedurals
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
ISBN-13: 978-1662525636
ASIN: B0DWPF2ST2
Print Length: 367 pages
Publication Date: November 4, 2025
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble

The Author: Tod Goldberg is the New York Times bestselling author of over a dozen books of fiction, including The Low Desert: Gangster Stories, Gangsterland, a finalist for the Hammett Prize, Gangster Nation, The House of Secrets, which he co-authored with Brad Meltzer, and Living Dead Girl, a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. His essays, nonfiction, and criticism appear widely, including in the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal, as well as Best American Essays, and have earned five Nevada Press Association Awards. He is also the cohost, along with Rider Strong and Julia Pistell, of the popular podcast Literary Disco. Goldberg is a Professor of Creative Writing at the University of California, Riverside, where founded and directs the Low Residency MFA program in Creative Writing & Writing for the Performing Arts. You can follow him on Twitter and Instagram @todgoldberg and on Facebook at facebook.com/todgoldberg or visit todgoldberg.com.