Review: Money For Nothing

Once upon a time, Joshua Redmont was young, struggling and terribly broke. So when a check for one thousand dollars arrived in his mailbox one day, he didn't have to think too hard before figuring out what to do with it--he cashed it. It went through. Then another one arrived the following month, and another. On and on, for years, as Josh's life changed. He became successful as an advertising copywriter. He married, had a young child. He didn't really need the extra thousand bucks each month. But what the hell. He'd made a halfhearted attempt to figure out where the money came from--calling a phone number where nobody picked up, writing letters no one responded to--but eventually, he gave up. Maybe some things in life truly were no strings attached.

Seven years later, and Josh now splits his time commuting between Manhattan and a rentshare out on Fire Island. While out at the island with his wife and kid, a shadowy man comes up to him and utters the following words: "You have been activated." For, it seems, Josh's money was from a secret department of the US Government that kept him on some sort of retainer. Now they want him to pay up, do a little covert work for them.Turns out the strings are attached a lot more tightly than Josh ever would have imagined....

As this is a novel under the Westlake name, this isn't so much of a spy thriller as a cockeyed take on it. Luckily, Josh isn't a dumb hero--he figures out what the score is fairly early on as he's caught between the shadowy Levrin and the even more elusive Nimrin, each feeding him different lines. He tries to keep his family out of it but doesn't succeed too well--luckily, she's an understanding sort. He meets up with an odd cast of characters, including an actor running a derelict theater company, a sexy spy who crashes in Josh's apartment, lamenting that there's no pay TV, and a dotty grandmother type living out in Long Island. All this, while his life's in danger and the world as we know it will be affected severely. Or something.

What can I say--this book's a hell of a lot of fun. The dialogue sparkles and the situations are downright nutty. I liked the fact that Josh was actually semi-intelligent, figuring things out piece by piece and trying to stay a step ahead of the bad guys. I wouldn't say it's a masterpiece, but it's great to see a master of the genre such as Westlake still trying something different with each book, not completely phoning it in. Recommended for a fast read on a rainy day. Although I hope the next Dortmunder arrives sooner than later. I miss the gang.

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Sarah - RAM

Book Review: Money For Nothing