Double Barrel Bluff: A Novel

(Paperback)

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Edgar Award-nominated and USA Today-bestselling crime writer Lou Berney returns to his critically acclaimed thriller series starring former mob wheelman Shake Bouchon, who finds himself reluctantly involved in a high-stakes hostage rescue, among the mighty temples and shadowy underground of Cambodia.

During his years as a wheelman for the Armenian mob in Las Vegas, Shake Bouchon didnt think of himself as the settling-down type. But now hes happily married to Gina, the love of his lifeand former adversaryin Indiana, of all places.

The great thing about Bloomington, for two people with exceptionally checkered pasts, is that everyone is nice and no one knows them. Until the day a brutal Armenian thug who has always hated Shake shows up in his backyard. He demands that Shake help him find the missing mob boss, the pakhanthe dangerous and beautiful Alexandra Lexy Ilandryan, who also happens to be Shakes ex-girlfriend.

Shakes got a lot of history with Lexy, so he reluctantly agrees to travel to Siem Reap, Cambodia, where she was last seen. Once there, he finds himself in a predatory underworld of Cambodian gangsters, mob politics, and opportunistic expats, where the stakes arent clear and everyone is looking to gain. With only the help of a clairvoyant hippie and the Armenian thug, Shake becomes involved in a high-stakes negotiation for Lexy that might cost him his own life. But perhaps most threatening of all is Ginas wrath when she arrives in Cambodia intent on saving Shake from himselfand from all the people trying to kill him.

With Lou Berneys trademark wit, flawless plotting, vibrant locale, and memorable characters, Double Barrel Bluff is another unputdownable, globetrotting adventure.

Reviews

Dark Rideis a remarkable book written by Lou Berney, a storyteller I admire as a writer and cherish as a reader.Dark Rideeffortlessly grabs you and does not let you go until the final page. I didnt want this book to end and it stayed with me long after I finished reading it. Lou Berney is a magnificent writer with talent to burn. Don Winslow When people say they want to read a really good novel, the kind you just cant put down, this is the kind of book they mean. Exceptional. Stephen King From its first frenetic pages to its wrenching final ones, Lou Berney takes us on the ride of a lifetime as two people collide, dangerously, with history in 1963 America. Its a crime story, a love story, a deeply American story. With November Road, Berney proves beyond doubt that hes one of the most talented crime novelists working today. Megan Abbott Berneys emotional, empathic writing keeps the dynamic between these two lost souls intriguing, and it resonates on a larger scale, placed as it is against such a vivid backdrop. In the tradition of great historical fiction, Berney finds within an exhaustively covered setting his own nooks and crannies. Do we need a conspiracy plot to keep this very human story humming Probably not. But Berneys a skilled dramatist too, and theres no complaint from this reader on his keeping the pages turning. Entertainment Weekly, Required Reading, onNovember Road Virtually every character is memorable, and the chemistry between Shake and Gina is brilliant. The plot turns are constant, and the dialogue is sharp. The bad guys are wonderfully scary, and the locales are vividly drawn. Elmore Leonard might be very pleased to call Gutshot Straight his own. Booklist (starred review) "Remarkable and unforgettable...Berneys artistryas a writer hits you in the heart and tugs hard at your soul.This tense and riveting thriller unfolds in the shadow of the assassination of JFK and is a deeply movinglove storyabout people caught in moral dilemmas for which there are no easy answers and whotogether find hope against all odds. Itwill stay with you long after you read the final page. You will recommend itto friends. You will read it again.Berneyis a writer to be read and admired...A staggeringlybrilliant book anda flat-out terrific read. Don Winslow A great book, full of nifty characters, with a story that builds the suspense until were unable to stop reading. Booklist Shake remains a lovable, wise-cracking hero, and Berney does him justice with a cast of memorable supporting characters and a gorgeously rendered Southeast Asian locale. This sterling neo-noir series continues to deliver. Publisher's Weekly (starred) "Berneys third Shake Bouchon novel (afterWhiplash River) is as much fun as the others. Enthusiastically recommended for all crime fiction fans." Library Journal

Author Bio

Lou Berney is the author of two previous novelsWhiplash River, nominated for an Edgar Award, and Gutshot Straight, nominated for a Barry Award-as well as the collection The Road to Bobby Joe and Other Stories. A television and film screenwriter, he also teaches writing at the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma City University.