Thursday, 13 May 2021



Synopsis/blurb ....

Philadelphia. City of Brotherly Love. Unless you have the Philly mob trying to kill you and the FBI wanting to sit you down for an interview about your connections to organized crime. Not to mention being wanted for your own illegal business ventures. Did you guess I was in trouble?

This is the third installment of about nine in author, Armand Rosamilia's Dirty Deeds series featuring James Gaffney.

It's another book which I kind of liked, but kind of didn't. Gaffney and his partners in crime from previous books, Marco, Chaz and the near retired FBI agent Keene butt heads with the Philly mob and rogue agents on their payroll. There are a lot of confrontations, near confrontations, escapes, close run things and a fair amount of charging around the city, holing up, meetings, more charging, more hiding etc etc.

Plus points, I do like some of the characters and the dynamics between them. There are some humorous moments and it's a book which doesn't take itself too seriously.

Negatives - the plot's a bit of a nonsense and it doesn't really go anywhere. Gaffney has some links with criminals, but more in regards to spiriting away their children when they have had enough of them, than day-to-day knowledge of their operations and personnel. He's piggy in the middle with testimony wanted by the authorities against the mob and them not wanting him to cooperate. He has his own reasons for not wanting law enforcement to know what he's been doing.

Again we have a closing chapter which obviously gets the ball rolling for the fourth outing. I'm not a fan of this unsubtle tactic from authors. That said I have books four and five in the Audible library, so I'll go that far with the author.

I was entertained while reading it and it wasn't the worst thing I've ever encountered.

3 from 5

I think this was my fifth outing with Armand Rosamilia. I prefer his books which feature the everyday and mundane of ordinary people to the Dirty Deeds series. Belford
and JandJ Fitness, as well as Dirty Deeds and Dirty Deeds 2 have been enjoyed before. 

Read - (listened to) April, 2021
Published - 2017
Page count - 190 (5 hrs 2 mins)
Source - Audible purchase
Format - Audible


  1. Congrats, looks a fab read. Thanks Col for this.

    1. Thanks for stopping by, Jane. If you try this series I hope you like it.

  2. I have a very soft spot for Philadelphia-based stories, Col - I consider it my home town. So it was nice see a book set there. It sounds like there are some funny moments, too, which is always good. I'm glad you found some things to enjoy, even if you weren't swept away.

    1. On balance probably more to like than not, but not rushing towards the 4th outing just yet, Margot