The Big Gamble (Dev Haskell Mystery, #28) by Mike Faricy

The Big Gamble (Dev Haskell Mystery, #28) Reviews

• 
  Madelon

  Reading a book in the Dev Haskell - Private Investigator series is like hanging out with old friends. Sometimes they're funny and goofy, while other times they are as serious as a heart attack. Either way, they're your friends. The tried-and-true regulars - Dev, Louie Laufen, and, of course, Morton - are now in every book. The running gags - leaving the empty coffee pot on, taking his biscuit off to the side so he 'doesn't have to share' - nearly always involve two of these three. This kind of world building brings a certain comfort level when everything around them is falling apart.
  
  It's winter in St. Paul, Dev is running low on cash, so Louie suggests he turn his spare room into an AirBnB. After some thought, the idea sounds like a winner, but as we who have been reading the entire series know, something is bound to go wrong.
  
  The title is telling… yes, there is gambling going on. There are crimes being committed… the police are aware of some but not others. Crime boss Tubby Gustafson puts Dev on the spot as only he can. Then there's Maddie McGuire, Dev's high school sweetheart. To say more than that would be telling.
  
  Mike Faricy examines the devastation of domestic violence and the ways with which it is coped. Living in fear for one's life at the hands of a domestic partner is all too real, and too often ignored. If there is one thing I've learned about Devlin Haskell, he does not tolerate violence against women.
  
  As always, I recommend that you read the ongoing adventures of Dev Haskell and his pals starting at the beginning with RUSSIAN ROULETTE. Part of the charm in these easy-to-read page turners is watching the development of our hero. Each book reveals a little more.
• 
  Black Butterfly

  3 ¾ *stars REALLY
  LOTS OF EATING, WALKING THE DOG, GOING TO THE BAR AND/OR TO THE OFFICE, DRINKING COFFEE WITH A LITTLE DETECTIVE WORK BUT FUNNY. I DID FIGURE OUT THE TWO BIG MYSTERIES BEFORE THEY WERE REVEALED. YEA ME! I LIKED DEZ AND HOPE HE WILL FIND A STABLE RELATIONSHIP ONE DAY HE AND MORTON DESERVE THAT. ;>
  
• 
  Stanley McShane

  Read his full review on
  Rosepoint Publishing.
  
  Never abandon a great writing formula. Mike Faricy has done it again with his 28th novel in the Dev Haskell Series. A hole in the ice and an old girlfriend’s personal effects are found on the shore of the river. The family is devastated.
  
  Mike had dated Madeline (Maddie) in high school but she married another man. What was she doing on the ice? Everyone knew you should not try to skate on the river. Maddie, although a very skilled skater, had gone through a hole in the ice and her body was not found. Her purse, one blue mitten, her identity and drivers license were all left at the shore.
  
  One of Dev’s clients, Fat Tubby Gustafson has demanded he investigate each of the people who apply to work for him in illegal gambling enterprises. Mike Faricy provides twists and turns that are entertaining.
  
  Dev went to Maddie’s wedding to Colton Ferral. Colton and his mother are in collusion. Their intent is to take over the gambling in town and get rid of Fat Tubby. Dev is investigating the robberies of Fat Tubby’s establishments. Everyone knows you do not cross Fat Tubby.
  
  The story brings back many of the same characters and relationships in Faricy’s other books. I particularly like the dog named Morton in the series who provides some lighter moments to the overall tale.
  
  Can Dev solve the mystery of what happened to Maddie? The reminiscence of a former high school sweetheart adds a romantic twist to the story. Much like the old dime novels, these are a fast and fulfilling read. 4.5 stars - C.E. Williams
• 
  Chris Norbury

  My first Mike Faricy book. I jumped in late because this was the most recent Dev Haskell book I could find. Pretty darn good, assuming I'm missing many of the inside jokes between characters. Dev is a charming likeable protagonist who seems to not do to well with romances but is a good friend, master to Morton his dog, and private investigator.
  
  I liked the plot --the apparent drowning of an old girlfriend who was unhappily married to a wannabe big time Twin Cities mobster. The characters were a bit one-dimensional, but Faricy writes in a light-hearted, fast-paced, more or less "cozy mystery" style that keeps the story moving.
  
  There's a bit of sameness to the chapters--many start with Dev waking up and end with him going to sleep. And as others have mentioned, repeated coffee drinking, dog feeding, and going to and from the office and the local bar. But I can see why this series is popular with readers who want an easy, breezy read.
• 
  Jeff Benham

  When Dev's high school girlfriend, Maddie, is presumed drowned from falling through the ice on the Mississippi River, he attends her memorial. Things don't seem to add up. Not only is her husband not in mourning, but he already has a new main squeeze. He also is in competition with Tubby Gustafson, which makes him not too bright. A couple of Tubby's casinos (illegal, of course) get robbed an Dev is the person who is tagged to find out who did it. The Maddie shows up on his doorstep, and that basically doubles his troubles. There seems to always be a side plot in these books. This time, Dev decides to turn his unused guest room into an AirBnB. His ad is answered by two brothers who claim to be ministers. Plenty of humor.
• 
  Randy

  Dev Haskell, private investigator and ever the loser with the women, finds out that a high school girlfriend is assumed dead after falling under the river ice while ice skating. Her sisters ask Dev to look into this since her husband might have had something to do with her death. This begins a story involving gangsters and airbnb guests at Dev's house. Some of the characters in the story are well known in other books in this series. And, of course, his dog Morton is included.
  
  I've read many of the Dev Haskell books and enjoyed this one better than many of the others. There is always some humor that adds to the tale.
• 
  debbie ragan

  Great read
  
  I love Dev Haskell stories, he really is a gentleman unlucky in love, lucky at solving mysteries and funny as he'll.
• 
  Don Paske

  Another good read about Dev Haskell. This one was more "normal" than many of the other books. He even received money (normally, he only spends it with no indication how money comes in)!
• 
  GW

  Ehh... Kind of simplistic and very unrealistic. The good news is that it's a fairly short read.