Book Review

Basic Details:

Book Title: Lion on Fire

Subtitle: A casino-heist thriller

Author: Ted Galdi

Genre: Crime

Part of a series? No

Order in series:

Best read after earlier books in series? N/A

Available: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37549107-lion-on-fire

Overall score:

I scored this book 4/5

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Short Summary of the book:

What do you do if your little brother gets into trouble selling drugs and getting into debt? Brian tries to help him by taking a job in a casino and is soon forced to realise just getting a bit of money is not going to cut it. He sets up a heist with one of his co-workers and all turns to hell from there.

What I liked about the book:

The book kept you turning the pages to find out what happens next.

What I didn’t like about the book:

I enjoyed the entire book.

My favourite bits in the book:

There is a lot of action and excitement in this book.

My least favourite bits in the book:

I enjoyed the entire book.

Any further books in the series? Any more planned by this author?

The author has written other books.

What books could this be compared to and why?

This book reminds me of other crime and mafia-type stories.

Recommendation:

In summary, I would recommend this book for the following readers:

Children No

Young Adult Yes

Adult Yes

If you like crime novels, this book may be the book for you.

I look forward to reading more by this author.

Book Description by Author:

"Sometimes you have to burn your world down before you can live in it"

Brian, a clean-cut, recent college grad, takes a side job in an underground casino in New York City to make extra cash to help his derelict brother out of a jam. Nothing goes as planned, and soon Brian is forced to team up with a charismatic co-worker to rob the mobsters who run the casino.

Lion on Fire is the third book by Ted Galdi, the Amazon #1 bestselling author of Elixir and An American Cage. He’s been featured by Kirkus magazine, ABC, FOX, iHeartRadio, and many other media outlets.

Main character Brian is shocked to learn that his younger brother not only has been dealing cocaine, but foolishly lost a whole package of it, and now owes his boss $30,000. If Brian’s brother doesn’t come up with the money in a few weeks, he’s dead.

Brian decides to help. However, he realizes scrapping together that sort of cash in such a short timeframe is nearly impossible legally. So he approaches Dusty, another driver at the limousine company where he works, and asks him about the whispers of lucrative, yet illegal, side jobs he’s heard among the staff.

After proving himself trustworthy with an initiation test, Brian is invited to participate in an underground driving network that shuttles wealthy individuals to extravagant, though illicit, gambling events set up in multi-million-dollar Manhattan penthouses.

At first things go smoothly, and Brian pockets a lot of much-needed extra income. However, they turn jarring once he finds out a high-profile Russian gangster is behind the gambling events, and becomes mixed up with him not only professionally, but personally.

With tensions rising, and the fate of Brian’s relationships with his parents and girlfriend now entangled with the underground casino, not to mention the life of his brother, he winds up in a position where pulling off a mafia robbery may be his only chance to get himself and his loved ones out of this mess alive and intact.

Lion on Fire is a fun, fast-paced, action-packed gambling thriller, and also an emotionally charged buddy story, which pairs do-gooder Brian with the charmingly wild and alluringly mysterious Dusty, who not only guides Brian through the dangerous world of the mafia casino, but ushers him toward a new and profound view of the world as a whole.

The book is perfect for fans of crime fiction that’s edgy while having a soul. A Russian mafia thriller featuring a revenge plan and heist, it’s loaded with adrenaline. However, it is just as touching as it is exciting. At the core of a plot about organized crime and pursuing police officers is the budding friendship of two young men who initially seem very different.

Set in New York City, Lion on Fire takes readers on a ride through a colorful cross section of neighborhoods and the lives that populate them. It’s written in the tradition of the Manhattan thriller, showcasing both the glamour and the grit of the city.

With this unique story, you’ll find yourself quickly turning pages as your pulse rises, while cheering for characters who make their way into your heart.

About the Author:

Ted Galdi, an Amazon #1 bestselling author, writes suspenseful, smart crime thrillers. His goal is to get your blood and brain pumping when you read his novels and short stories.

He's been featured by Kirkus magazine, ABC, FOX, iHeartRadio, and many other media outlets. He’s a winner of a Reader Views Reviewers Choice Award and a Silver Medal in the Readers' Favorite Book Awards. Ted is a graduate of Duke University.

His available releases are the books Elixir, An American Cage, and Lion on Fire, and the short stories A Road to Nowhere, Hazel Is Missing, Intrusion, and The Split. Over 100,000 people have read his titles.

To learn more about him and download a free bestselling crime thriller, visit his website at tedgaldi.com.