3 stars!
I honestly haven't read many mystery/thriller books but I do love the genre. I enjoyed the action scenes but I wish I would have been able to bond more with the characters. I typically enjoy books with a stronger sense of character development, or at least a better sense of their background. It was a fast-paced read and I did enjoy the sprinkle of comedy. I did think that the plot was rather interesting, in the sense that it was kind of unhinged. I was also a bit confused at parts but overall, i enjoyed the book!

Matt has been released from prison and his ex-girlfriend, one he hasn’t seen in years, has picked him up. He thinks it is because she has finally decided she can’t live without him. But, this is not the case. She has a money laundering project and she needs his help. So much for going straight and clean. Matt immediately jumps back into the fire.

This is more of a 3 and 1/2 stars…you round up right! So that’s what I did. This book is a slow burn and I am not a big fan of that type of book. It did get intense and it sure did get physical, it was just a bit late in the story. The plot of the counterfeit scheme and the stolen art is very unique, in my opinion. I enjoyed all the intricate planning surrounding this undercover operation. It definitely takes some smarts to pull this off…too bad the bad guys didn’t actually pull it off without a hitch!

Now, I am not going to lie, but Matt with that sword…that would be something I would like to see on the big screen. You will have to read this to find out!

Need a good cops and robbers novel…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

Published by Mysterious Press on December 6, 2022

Counterfeiting, art theft, swordplay, and a train robbery. What more do you need to make a thriller? Or, for that matter, a love story?

Matt Kubelsky was sentenced to prison after being convicted of murder while he was serving in the Army. After his lawyer obtained a sentence reduction, Matt was transferred from Leavenworth to a federal prison in New York and released after five years. He is surprised when his former girlfriend, Kelly Haggerty, offers to pick him up when he's released. He might be even more surprised when she offers him a job.

Kelly is a counterfeiter. She has concocted a scheme to use fake money to pay thieves to steal Klimt sketches using information she purchased from an insurance guy (using fake money) about the security plans to transport the sketches. She intends to sell the sketches to an art collector in Qatar. She needs Matt to (1) hire the art thieves, figuring that Matt probably made the right connections in prison, and (2) act as her bodyguard when she gets paid for the stolen art.

There are a couple of salient facts that Kelly doesn’t tell Matt. To avoid spoilers, I won’t reveal them. Suffice it to say that the scheme is more complex than Matt imagines and that Kelly, while greedy, is motivated by more than greed.

Matt readily accepts the gig because he needs money and because his only other plans involve (1) covering up the swastika tattoo on his neck that kept him from getting murdered in prison and (2) getting even with the people he blamed for his imprisonment. The first plan is easy to execute but the second takes a little more time. He also needs to protect himself from the white supremacists who feel betrayed when they realize they have been paid for art theft with counterfeit currency. Fortunately, the art collector in Qatar likes Matt and gives him a sword that helps him with vengeance and self-defense.

Kelly is a resourceful criminal with a pleasant personality. Matt has a flexible moral standard (he doesn’t object to murdering those who deserve it) but, like Kelly, he isn’t all that bad if you ignore his willingness to commit crimes. Josh Haven makes it easy for readers to hope that Matt and Kelly will survive the threats they face and perhaps even prosper.

Fake Money, Blue Smoke is a light crime novel, notwithstanding the occasional beheading. The art theft involves a classic train robbery. It’s difficult for a crime fiction fan not to welcome a train robbery. Matt and Kelly seem to reignite the passion they felt before Matt went to prison. Whether their emotions are genuine or whether they are using each other (or both) is a question the reader will ponder until the novel’s end. And while the culmination of the criminal scheme involves a twist that isn’t surprising, the ending suits the beach read nature of the story.

RECOMMENDED

A gritty down and dirty crime heist novel. A top ten novel of the year for me. Fast paced, very very gritty and some great revenge scenes. Add this author to your favorite lists. .

Delighted to include this debut in the December edition of Novel Encounters, my regular column highlighting the month’s most anticipated fiction, for the Books section of Zoomer magazine. (see column and mini-review at link)

I would rate this book 3.75 stars out of 5.

Within the first few pages of this story the action takes off and last right up to the end of the book.
Matt Kubelsky was or is a fifteen-year military veteran who got caught in a sham conviction in the military that results in him doing eight years in prison. The conviction is a sham, but it results in two benefits, one a shorten prison sentence and two being able to serve time in a federal prison. Imagine his surprise when he is contacted by a high school flame who he has not seen in twenty years and after a few letters when he was first sent to prison has lost touch with. Kelly offers to pick him up and give a place to crash and a few other things. But you know how the story goes nothing is ever free and so goes the case with Kelly she has a job offer for Matt. Kelly is not the same old innocent high school girl and she has ulterior motives. Unfortunately to reveal those motives would be giving some of the story away. You will have to trust me when I say this is a quick adventure some read and give it a look.

Took a little while to get into the writing style, the action is often interrupted by informational tidbits and pop culture references or historical background. Interesting heist idea that definitely leans into the morally grey area, with a lot of violence involved. The fast pace keeps you engaged and wanting to see if they pull it off even if you're not exactly rooting for any of the characters.

Fake Money, Blue Smoke by Josh Havens will be released on December 6, 2022. Mysterious Press, an imprint of Penzler Publishers, provided an early galley for review.

It took me a little bit to get into the flow of this book. First, I had to get a feel for Havens' dialogue rhythms; I early on I found that Matt and Kelly were flip-flopping between discussion threads. The narration (third person omniscient) follows a few viewpoints which usually turns me off, but here it works as the story moves along at a decent clip (shorter chapters) and kept the narrative focus in one place for several chapters. Hayes certainly knows his stuff as the action is clear, concise and confident. Also, it gets fairly violent.

The story is very much about morally gray folks doing morally gray things, often in order to survive. That seems to be something I've been encountering a lot of late. Readers will need to be comfortable with that to enjoy this one.

This was an interesting read although the pacing was a little uneven and a surprising amount of the story was told with a flatter affect than I would have expected given what was going on. Still, the concept was an interesting one and things moved along quickly enough to make it a fast and entertaining read.

An absolutely dynamite mystery/thriller. Wonderfully well written, a narrative that draws you in, and characters you get to know and like.

It's a book with a traditional feel, but it's entirely modern and completely original, too. You'll know what I mean when you read it. I'm willing to bet you've never read anything like it.

I loved every page. Josh Haven is wonderful discovery.

Josh Haven may be my new new favorite writer. This lean , mean , sexy, funny, literate, violent , suspenseful and original crime novel is fantastic. It has a retro vibe that also is modern—hard to describe - but you’ll know it when you read it. I guess the best I can say is that it reads like a modern gold medal paperback frame the fifties. Not too long, fast paced and intelligent. It involves an anti-hero a femme fatale, nazis, the dea and counterfeiting -what more can you ask for. To top it all off Haven writes historical fiction ala Patrick O’ Brian(but more accessible) and has written two such novels under the name of J.H. Gerlenter(sp.?). Those are also fantastic. So he reminds me of Loren Estleman who writes detective novels featuring Amos Walker and historical fiction primarily set in the west. Haven, like Estelman , is a double threat. Read this book now and get in on the start of a great writing career.