A Gambling Man (Archer #2) [B0736]

2021 PB. Aloysius Archer, the straight-talking World War II veteran fresh out of prison, returns in this riveting new thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author David Baldacci. The 1950s are on the horizon, and Archer is in dire need of a fresh start after a nearly fatal detour in Poca City. So Archer hops on a bus and begins the long journey out west to California, where rumor has it there is money to be made if you're hard-working, lucky, criminal--or all three. Along the way, Archer stops in Reno, where a stroke of fortune delivers him a wad of cash and an eye-popping blood-red 1939 Delahaye convertible--plus a companion for the final leg of the journey, an aspiring actress named Liberty Callahan who is planning to try her luck in Hollywood. But when the two arrive in Bay Town, California, Archer quickly discovers that the hordes of people who flocked there seeking fame and fortune landed in a false paradise that instead caters to their worst addictions and fears. Archer's first stop is a P.I. office where he is hoping to apprentice with a legendary private eye and former FBI agent named Willie Dash. He lands the job, and immediately finds himself in the thick of a potential scandal: a blackmail case involving a wealthy well-connected politician running for mayor that soon spins into something even more sinister. As bodies begin falling, Archer and Dash must infiltrate the world of brothels, gambling dens, drug operations, and long-hidden secrets, descending into the rotten bones of a corrupt town that is selling itself as the promised land--but might actually be the road to perdition, and Archer's final resting place.

From recent Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "I really liked this book. This is my second novel in the Aloysius Archer series and I loved the late-40's time setting and the whole gumshoe who-done-it storyline. It was like watching a Sam Spade movie. You gotta love Archer: earnest, believable and guts galore. I couldn't help but cheer for him. If you appreciate this genre you'll love Gambling Man."; "This is a good whodunit, not in small part owed to the old-time style used to portray new 1950s private investigator Aloysius Archer. The ever-evolving and slowly-building story is good in itself with lots of gee-what-next moments, but the B&W-movie feel of the place, time, and dialog is fun and evocative. It's not "just another Baldacci mystery"; it's a step up."