Paydirt Paperback – December 27, 2011

This was an intense, exciting read about a football dynasty - The "Dallas Mustangs" and their over-wealthy owner. While it is a fiction book, it is easy to insert names into the right places. It is the first in a series of Superbowl Thrillers, and even though I am not a football fan, and don't even understand the intricacies of the game, it made for thrilling reading. Bobby Gallagher is married to the team owners' daughter and is the team legal counsel. After rigging trial after trial so the football players can (and do) get away with every crime under the sun, Bobby comes clean to the press. He cannot take the ill morals any more, the lies, the bribery. He thinks his beloved wife will back him up.He finds out differently. At least he gets to still see the light of his life, his 12 year old son Scott. But the ex-father in law (and wealthy team owner) not only gets him disbarred but tries to end his ties to his son Scott.This pushes Bobby a step too far.I highly recommend this book. You don't have to be a fan of the game to enjoy the book! And if you are a football fan, this book will be fascinating!Read it!

Having read the whole Lassiter series, along with pretty much all of Paul Levine's Florida-based stories, this one has to be right up there at the top of the list. In fact, I've written quite a few reviews here on Amazon for the Levine books. All of them have been great fun. This one stands alone as a really great story. A lot of the characters in the book have real life counterparts we know, like team owner Kingsley as a fictional version of Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. It would be really easy to see the real life owner of that team acting exactly as Paul Levine has written him.But if you're a football fan (and even if you're NOT) you're going to love this great read. Fast-paced, it's got the right mix of good guys, bad guys, evil rich guys, mafia/thug guys, retired Miami Beach jewish bookies and a good selection of spoiled and overpaid football players. Something for everyone. Here we are in the middle of football season and if you enjoy a thriller novel with football as the backdrop, then "Paydirt" is perfect for you.Paul Levine has written a career-full of tremendously enjoyable books, located in and around South Florida. Much like Carl Hiassen and Laurence Shames, Levine combines action, suspense, laughs and beautifully crafted characters who come forth with some of the best dialogue you've ever read. If you haven't read any of Paul Levine's work before, you don't know what you're missing."Paydirt" is a really fun-filled read that works well, especially in the middle of the football season.Enjoy.

This would have been a five star review, except I thought it could have been shorter and moved along faster. Mr. Levine is a wonderful writer whose characters are fun to follow. He's clearly a man with high moral standards, and his protagonists represent these values. Love is forever, and not undertaken lightly. Avarice and moral depravity are negatives and those who follow this course come across as real villains. This book combines attitudes about professional sports; lawyering; relationships; and professional football stars. As often in Mr. Levine's books, there's a precocious youngster who is wise beyond his years and who has an attitude. I've enjoyed each of the books I've read by Mr. Levine and can highly recommend them. The Lassiter books are my favorites. You can't go wrong with this book.

This was a great stand alone suspense drama type. I have become hooked on Levine's books since my first Lassiter series and have found that he is really a talented writer. I love books that I can read with excitement and can imagine the images for a TV series or major movie as well. Very descriptive, great ability to keep with the locale of his characters and always draws you in wanting more. This book is great for mystery lovers, suspense lovers, and even those loving and believing in the good ol' All-American past time and those who play while being true to themselves. A nice, heart warming story with lots of twists and turns.

This book was very ok. Gambling and betting, and vigs and all things having to do with chance and (losing) money are mostly lost on me. Even when I read it slowly. So that part of the story was tedious for me. And it's frustrating when people make crappy choices over and over. But I do know someone who held the ball for the kicker in college and was a 3rd string quarterback, and I had several discussions with that person because of this book. (Who knew?) You could tell where this story was going, but that was ok. While this was not the greatest literary piece of work I've ever read, it did open up some dialog and help me to understand someone very close to me (another layer of that person, I guess you could say). Also to see the extent to which I know nothing of football.

Bobby Gallagher, an attorney, is employed by his wealthy and influential father-in-law who also owns the football team going to the Super Bowl. The father-in-law is not happy with Bobby's decision to leave his job as a less than honest lawyer and sees it as a betrayal. Bobby becomes estranged from his wife because of this and works hard to keep part custody of his young son. Falling to the lowest level of his career possible, Bobby somehow fights to get his family back and to thwart his father-in-law who is set on destroying him at the Super Bowl.I learned a lot about how betting is done on football games, what the rules are, and how sometimes they are broken. This is fiction, but the legal aspects keep you on edge as you watch Bobby fight to keep his principles intact and get back up on his feet. I found the romantic aspect - Bobby's continued love for his wife who doesn't seem to know what's going on between Bobby and her father- a bit unrealistic and slightly sentimental, but overall this was an enjoyable thriller and just in time for the real Super Bowl.Disclosure: I received a review ecopy of this book