Official Review: Gambled Dreams by Jim Sanderson

[Mwatu]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Gambled Dreams" by Jim Sanderson.]

---

4 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

Gambled Dreams by Jim Sanderson is a fictional tale that follows the lives of Colton Parker, a bouncer for a gambler and loan shark, and several others in Odessa, West Texas. The tale's timeline is from the 1980s onwards. The town experiences an oil boom, and drinking and sex work is rampant. Amid the celebrations, Danny Fowler, a gay man from a wealthy family, is found dead in a ditch. Mina Fowler, Danny’s mother, uses her influence and power to stop the investigation into her son’s murder. She wants her son’s queer lifestyle kept hush. She, however, wants justice and hires Colton Parker and Bullet Price, a friend to Danny and a retired sex worker, to track down the killers. The book follows the investigation by Colton, Price and their team, and the effects Colton’s choices and those of his circle affect his family and later on his son Mando’s family.

I enjoyed the meticulous development of the book. I followed the different well-developed characters with ease as the story progressed. I felt the frustration Colton experienced over his lack of choice. He had to do as told. I felt for Mando as he tried to bond with his mostly absent father and as Lionel observed more precautions as he was a black man in West Texas in the 80s. He would get it harder than Colton for just being involved if things went wrong. I felt joined to the characters, and their experiences tugged at my emotions. While the action was not fast-paced, Jim weaves in suspense and sometimes humour into the story. I also sympathized with the fact that as the story unfolds, even after making strides in the right direction, the characters seemed to come full circle and end up where they started.

At first, I felt the book was slow, with not much suspense or action for a crime story. Additionally, I initially felt parts of the story were incomplete. The author, however, ties them up using flashbacks or by providing the needed context later on in the book. The book also picked up soon enough, and I no longer had anything to dislike. The book seems professionally edited, as I only detected a few errors.

I rate this book 4 out of 4. Jim Sanderson does a good job developing a good storyline with well-developed characters. I loved reading his work, and there was very little for me to dislike.

I recommend this book to mature audiences that enjoy crime stories. The book has several profanities, erotic content and detailed scenes of violence. It is, therefore, not appropriate for younger audiences or those sensitive to these themes.

******
Gambled Dreams
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[Kanchan Sharma]

A clear and candid review. I would love to check it myself.

[Peace Odii]

This sounds like a historical fiction. Great job.

[Sou Hi]

Thanks for your interesting review. This book seems to address many sensitive topics from the 80s, such as homosexuality or racism. Mrs. Fowler using money to hush her son's secret is also believable, since homosexuality was considered a shame or even a crime back then.

[Becca Olsson]

This sounds quite intriguing and the characters sound multi-dimensional with their own motivations. I hope they can bring justice to Danny. Thanks for the great review

[Dimi1]

It's good that the characters seem developed despite the slow pace of the book. Great review, great insight!

[Durgeshwari Dolas]

Very descriptive and interesting review. Would love to give the story a go.

[Prisallen]

I'm glad that the suspense picked up in the book as you went along. It sounds like a book I would enjoy. Excellent review!

[NetMassimo]

This seems like a crime thriller that becomes intense as the story unfolds, sometimes even brutal. Thank you for your great review!

[smolbird]

This seems like an interesting read, but a heartbreaking one at the same time. Thank you for the detailed review!

[Mwatu]

A clear and candid review. I would love to check it myself.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I hope you love the book!

This sounds like a historical fiction. Great job.

Thank you for stopping by!

Thanks for your interesting review. This book seems to address many sensitive topics from the 80s, such as homosexuality or racism. Mrs. Fowler using money to hush her son's secret is also believable, since homosexuality was considered a shame or even a crime back then.

Yes, it does. Thank you for reading my review!

This sounds quite intriguing and the characters sound multi-dimensional with their own motivations. I hope they can bring justice to Danny. Thanks for the great review

They give a good attempt at bringing justice to Danny. However, their means are questionable. Thank you for sharing your thoughts!

It's good that the characters seem developed despite the slow pace of the book. Great review, great insight!

Thank you very much for stopping by!

Very descriptive and interesting review. Would love to give the story a go.

I hope you enjoy the read. Thank you for reading through!

I'm glad that the suspense picked up in the book as you went along. It sounds like a book I would enjoy. Excellent review!

It was quite the pick-me-up when the action kicked in. Thank you for sharing your thoughts!

This seems like a crime thriller that becomes intense as the story unfolds, sometimes even brutal. Thank you for your great review!

Thank you for reading through!

This seems like an interesting read, but a heartbreaking one at the same time. Thank you for the detailed review!

Thank you for stopping by!

[Mariana Figueira]

Incredible review, thanks for the recommendation.

[Josephe-Anne]

It seems like there are some controversial topics in this book. But the story sounds entertaining. Flashbacks can be a useful technique for authors to provide some background information in the plot.

Thank you for a thorough review.