Luck Be A Lady, Don’t Die
by: Robert J. Randisi
Published by: Thomas Dunne Books
Buy From Amazon.com
Reviewed by Julie Failla Earhart
Hey pallies! Robert J. Randisi is back with the second in the Rat Pack Mysteries, Luck Be A Lady, Don’t Die. The boys (Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Peter Lawford, and Joey Bishop) are back in Sin City for the premier of their first movie together, Ocean’s 11. Dean’s already arrived and is playing the Copa Room. Joey’s in town get things ready, while Sammy, Peter, and Frank sneak in the front door via limos with tinted windows and a little hush money.
Sinatra has been stood up by a dame–and nobody stands up Sinatra. It’s Dean’s turn to help his pally, Frank, so Dean sends Eddie to see Frank and Frank asks Eddie G.—who is the Sands’ pit boss and the most wired cat in Vegas—to help find the missing broad, who also happens to be canoodling mob boss Sam “MoMo” Giacomo.
First stop, home. Here Eddie G. finds a present from Dean– a New York muscle man Jerry Epstein, a.k.a. Jerry the Torpedo. Jerry is to stick by Eddie G. no matter what. Mainly because he’s also protecting Mr. S’s interests but after awhile, Jerry’s also watches Eddie G.’s back because he and the two men become friends. Luck Be A Lady, Don’t Die explores the theme of friendships and loyalties, whether Randisi meant to or not.
The dame who stood up Ol’ Blue Eyes checked in at the Nugget so as not to draw too much attention to Frankie’s oh-so-public affair with Juliet Prowse and his torch for Ava Gardner. But, by the time Eddie G., Jerry, and Eddie G.’s PI buddy Danny Bardini get there, she’s long gone, leaving her unpacked bags in her hotel room and a little present in the bathtub. Eddie G. unravels the case of the missing dame, which is a lot more complex than not wanting to date the charming Mr. S.
Like Everybody Kills Somebody Sometime, Luck Be A Lady, Don’t Die is a, to quote myself, “wonderful take-me-to-the-pool read that sure to bring smiles to those old enough to remember the Pack’s antics and a history of those hard partying days and nights.”
Armchair Interviews agrees.
From our armchair to yours...
