Review of Fiddlers Creek
Posted: 24 Jul 2022, 14:25
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Fiddlers Creek" by Steve Taylor.]
Fiddlers Creek by Steve Taylor takes the reader on a fast-paced ride involving a drug cartel, financial ruin, deception, torture, and murder. What would you do if you found $20,000,000 in suitcases inside a crashed plane and there were no bodies around the area? That is the dilemma 'Scrap' Scruggs was facing. He was also facing financial ruin and had not told his wife, Beth, who was in line for a prestigious job with the school district. He decided to take the money and hide it. Scrap knew it was drug money because the plane had two suitcases filled with drugs. He took several suitcases of money and hid some in his garage and the rest in different storage buildings. He began to ease some of it into his business. Little did Scrap know what was coming his way when a high-ranking crime boss named Snake traced the money to him.
Without warning, Scrap gets escorted to Snake's office. He agreed to give back Snake's money but would have to do it over time. He told Snake he had only taken four of the suitcases. Scrap laid out a plan to repay Snake the money, and he could do it so it would be clean money when he got it back. Out of character, Snake agreed on a date to meet Scrap again, but he warned Scrap his family was a target if Snake suspected anything was amiss. Snake was a high-profile drug lord smuggling drugs into the United States; he didn't play. Scrap had a good friend in the upper echelon of the FBI. Did he dare involve the FBI after receiving threats toward his wife and daughter? How would his friend feel about him when he learned what Scrap had done? Would he even help?
Taylor developed some interesting characters in this book. Snake's character was evil—no one messed with Snake. Scrap had gone to a military academy where he learned solid morals and values and lived by them until he found the money. He didn't appear to be someone who would stand a chance against Snake. The secondary characters are also well-developed and essential players.
I liked everything about this book. The storyline was intense, and the book has plenty of action and violence to satisfy the biggest crime novel fan. My favorite part was when Scrap was getting the suitcases out of the plane and moving them to his boat. My heart was pounding, wondering if he would make it before someone saw him. It is an adrenaline-pumping few moments in the book!
The only complaint I have is the amount of non-borderline profanity. However, I expected it because the book is about a drug cartel and the people involved. I don't think the book would have as much impact without some profanity to go along with the plot. I don't enjoy jumping over words as I read, but I still enjoyed this book. It appears professionally edited with only a few simple errors. There was one incident of partial nudity and several innuendos about sex but no graphic sexual content.
This well-written book has all the essential elements necessary to make a great read. Plenty of action, violence, deceit, and murder keep the reader turning the pages to see what will happen next. The author's writing style is superb for this genre. The ending had surprises I had not anticipated, making it all the more spectacular. I gladly rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. I did not find anything that warrants the deduction of a star. I recommend this book to mystery crime novel fans and those who enjoy lots of suspense and drama. Because of the descriptive violence and the drug smuggling theme, the ideal audience should be adults eighteen and older.
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Fiddlers Creek
View: on Bookshelves
Fiddlers Creek by Steve Taylor takes the reader on a fast-paced ride involving a drug cartel, financial ruin, deception, torture, and murder. What would you do if you found $20,000,000 in suitcases inside a crashed plane and there were no bodies around the area? That is the dilemma 'Scrap' Scruggs was facing. He was also facing financial ruin and had not told his wife, Beth, who was in line for a prestigious job with the school district. He decided to take the money and hide it. Scrap knew it was drug money because the plane had two suitcases filled with drugs. He took several suitcases of money and hid some in his garage and the rest in different storage buildings. He began to ease some of it into his business. Little did Scrap know what was coming his way when a high-ranking crime boss named Snake traced the money to him.
Without warning, Scrap gets escorted to Snake's office. He agreed to give back Snake's money but would have to do it over time. He told Snake he had only taken four of the suitcases. Scrap laid out a plan to repay Snake the money, and he could do it so it would be clean money when he got it back. Out of character, Snake agreed on a date to meet Scrap again, but he warned Scrap his family was a target if Snake suspected anything was amiss. Snake was a high-profile drug lord smuggling drugs into the United States; he didn't play. Scrap had a good friend in the upper echelon of the FBI. Did he dare involve the FBI after receiving threats toward his wife and daughter? How would his friend feel about him when he learned what Scrap had done? Would he even help?
Taylor developed some interesting characters in this book. Snake's character was evil—no one messed with Snake. Scrap had gone to a military academy where he learned solid morals and values and lived by them until he found the money. He didn't appear to be someone who would stand a chance against Snake. The secondary characters are also well-developed and essential players.
I liked everything about this book. The storyline was intense, and the book has plenty of action and violence to satisfy the biggest crime novel fan. My favorite part was when Scrap was getting the suitcases out of the plane and moving them to his boat. My heart was pounding, wondering if he would make it before someone saw him. It is an adrenaline-pumping few moments in the book!
The only complaint I have is the amount of non-borderline profanity. However, I expected it because the book is about a drug cartel and the people involved. I don't think the book would have as much impact without some profanity to go along with the plot. I don't enjoy jumping over words as I read, but I still enjoyed this book. It appears professionally edited with only a few simple errors. There was one incident of partial nudity and several innuendos about sex but no graphic sexual content.
This well-written book has all the essential elements necessary to make a great read. Plenty of action, violence, deceit, and murder keep the reader turning the pages to see what will happen next. The author's writing style is superb for this genre. The ending had surprises I had not anticipated, making it all the more spectacular. I gladly rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. I did not find anything that warrants the deduction of a star. I recommend this book to mystery crime novel fans and those who enjoy lots of suspense and drama. Because of the descriptive violence and the drug smuggling theme, the ideal audience should be adults eighteen and older.
******
Fiddlers Creek
View: on Bookshelves