Title: Cash Plays
Series: Seven of Spades: Book Three
Author: Cordelia Kingsbridge
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Length: 351 Pages
Category: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense
At a Glance: With this third installment of the Seven of Spades series, Cordelia Kingsbridge expertly creates another power-packed plot. This storyline has so much going on, with family, friends, emotions, addictions, gang wars and murders; it’s fast paced and loaded with explosive action.
Reviewed By: Maryann
Blurb: In this game, the stakes are life or death.
The Seven of Spades is back with a vengeance—the vigilante serial killer has resumed their murderous crusade, eluding the police at every turn. But a bloodthirsty killer isn’t the only threat facing Sin City. A devious saboteur is wreaking havoc in Las Vegas’s criminal underworld, and the entire city seems to be barreling toward an all-out gang war.
As Detective Levi Abrams is pushed ever closer to his breaking point, his control over his dangerous rage slips further every day. His relationship with PI Dominic Russo should be a source of comfort, but Dominic is secretly locked in his own downward spiral, confronting a nightmare he can’t bear to reveal.
Las Vegas is floundering. Levi and Dominic’s bond is cracking along the seams. And the Seven of Spades is still playing to win. How many bad hands can Levi and Dominic survive before it’s game over?
Review: Life seems to be going good for Dominic Russo and Levi Abrams. Dominic’s sister is going to have a baby, his longtime friend and neighbor is getting married, he’s got his PI license, and they finally get a much-needed vacation.
But with Levi’s lingering nightmares, the Seven of Spades, and Rohan Chaudhary, FBI profiler, now entering into the case, things are taking a downward spiral. During a meeting, the profiler takes Levi and Martine through a step-by-step breakdown of the Seven of Spades, and Levi sees himself.
Dominic has caught a missing persons case with McBride Investigations. While investigating, he finds himself falling into the black hole of his gambling addiction, but he has convinced himself that he can deal with his addiction. But, after he gets the innocent party, Jessica Miller, away from the abuse and corruption of the Collective, Los Avispones and the Parks known crime gangs, his addiction drags him down to the point of lying to and berating Levi. As Dominic is fading from their relationship, Levi also finds himself investigating Stanton, his ex, something he hates doing as the emotions are still raw.
No matter what Levi and Dominic do, good or bad, it’s a double edge sword. Their lives are turned upside down and their relationship is now in jeopardy. Levi’s connection with Seven becomes more serious and almost consoling. With Seven, the orchestrator of an all-out gang war between the Collective, Los Avispones, and the Parks, the death rate rises. Dominic and Levi, still at odds with one another, team up with a lot of emotions and jump into the fray that leads to some shocking results.
With this third installment of the Seven of Spades series, Cordelia Kingsbridge expertly creates another power-packed plot. This storyline has so much going on, with family, friends, emotions, addictions, gang wars and murders; it’s fast paced and loaded with explosive action. Seven has gotten even more gruesome, and his MO for murders starts to change and throws more confusion into the mix. I have to say that when I got to chapter twenty, I had to stop and take a breather and prepare myself for not only heartache but a hair-raising ending.
Cash Plays has me seeing Levi becoming very vulnerable, not only with the Seven of Spades case but in his relationship with Dominic. Dominic I liked from the start of this series, but I’m so disappointed in him. He just didn’t take the time to use his head and think about all the consequences that his actions and addiction could cause. He forgot about his family and friends, and hurt and neglected Levi. Even though there are only some slight instances, I also felt he also was neglecting Rebel and put her in a dangerous situation.
Kingsbridge’s Seven Of Spades series is even more mind boggling with all its twists and turns, with every new installment. The mystery of who the Seven of Spades is enthralling, and there’s not even a hint of who it could be. I think One-Eyed-Royals is going to be another thrilling installment to the series, but it’s going to get harder to read with the emotional upset between Dominic and Levi. And what other devious plans does Seven have in his diabolical mind?
You can buy Cash Plays here:
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