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Land Sharks - A Swindle in Sumatra
In Land Sharks, Lexi Winslow is a fraud investigator at a private Beverly Hillsbank. As a favor to her boss, she's sent to fetch home the daughter of the bank's biggest client. So Lexi's off to Sumatra where the wayward daughter and her latest boyfriend were last seen. She has the added complication of having to take the boss' inexperienced son along for training.
Once Lexi arrives at an isolated resort carved out of the remote Sumatran jungle, Lexi discovers there are more deadly dangers inside the hotel than the crocodiles and head hunters outside. It is a hotel where women check in, but most don't check out.
And of all the places in the world, Lexi runs into her ex-lover, who not only conned his way into her heart, but is always conning someone somewhere. Lexi is determined to find out what is going on and to get everyone out alive.
An Amazon/Kindle Scout Program Selection
Also available in ebook format from Kindle Press
Once Lexi arrives at an isolated resort carved out of the remote Sumatran jungle, Lexi discovers there are more deadly dangers inside the hotel than the crocodiles and head hunters outside. It is a hotel where women check in, but most don't check out.
And of all the places in the world, Lexi runs into her ex-lover, who not only conned his way into her heart, but is always conning someone somewhere. Lexi is determined to find out what is going on and to get everyone out alive.
An Amazon/Kindle Scout Program Selection
Also available in ebook format from Kindle Press
286 pages, Paperback
First published December 22, 2015
26 people are currently reading
649 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
December 18, 2015
With a voice that echoes hints of Agatha Christie and Peter Mayle, yet is distinctly her own, Nancy Raven Smith has delivered a prize of an action/adventure novel. Land Sharks should be of particular interest to readers who like their story lines free of explicit language and descriptive violence. This is a PG-rated good time.
December 21, 2015
A highly enjoyable, light and entertaining read that was gripping from the word 'go' and then glided along breathlessly to the word 'end'. Written with seemingly effortless ease Nancy Raven Smith has done a fantastic job of concealing the hard work that must have gone into this, one of the hardest literary feats to pull off succesfully, as far as this reviewer is concerned.
Chapeau!
Chapeau!
March 3, 2016
3.5/5.0
Ms. Smith has chosen a wonderful, lush tropical setting for her story.
Read full review in the 2016 March issue of InD'tale Magazine.
Ms. Smith has chosen a wonderful, lush tropical setting for her story.
Read full review in the 2016 March issue of InD'tale Magazine.
February 8, 2022
Orangutan means people of the jungle. That's about the most compelling thing I got from this book. Decided I wanted a light hearted interlude in my reading. More like light headed in this case. Lexi is our heroine. Likeable, but so very TV. Sumatra is a nice backdrop though. I'd sure like to go there. Onwards.
August 1, 2017
A fun book to read. It has a Pink Panther type of appeal. Plenty of description about Sumatra to give it a unique twist. The story moves along at a good pace, and the characters are ones you'll love or hate.
May 17, 2017
Great read
It only takes two words to describe this book when twenty words are required but not nessasary to adequately describe it.
It only takes two words to describe this book when twenty words are required but not nessasary to adequately describe it.
September 24, 2016
Almost a cozy, this is a romantic thriller about a woman who is the best fraud detective in the entire banking system. She also has a bikini body despite never exercising and eating a diet of junk.
She, and the young nephew of her boss, who has a crush on her (yes, it's that kind of book) are sent to the exotic island of Sumatra to find the daughter of a big depositor, who ran off with a wastrel.
That's just the tip of the iceberg. They get sucked into a big scheme, and the woman meets up with her lost love, a dashing art thief.
It all goes pretty much the way you expect. Not bad, but not exactly memorable.
She, and the young nephew of her boss, who has a crush on her (yes, it's that kind of book) are sent to the exotic island of Sumatra to find the daughter of a big depositor, who ran off with a wastrel.
That's just the tip of the iceberg. They get sucked into a big scheme, and the woman meets up with her lost love, a dashing art thief.
It all goes pretty much the way you expect. Not bad, but not exactly memorable.
June 30, 2016
If you want to see how to write a romance women like and drop it right in the middle of an adventure/mystery that men will still read, buy this book!
OK, full disclosure, I won this in a drawing. Doesn't matter, I'd have gladly paid my $14.99 + Tax for it.
Nancy does a great job in merging two genres that don't usually go together for male readers. Her heroine, Alexis (Lexi) Winslow is more than capable of getting herself in and out of a bad situation. She still has a heart for the bad boys (International Art Thief Andre in this case); alternately pining for and then wanting to punch him in his perfect face.
It doesn't slow down the book however, which is something that most authors can't lay claim to. Nancy quickly moves her characters through a shoot-out, jungle pursuit and finally into fisticuffs where the bad guys either get their ticket punched or hauled off by the cops.
Spoilers from this point on!
Regardless of how well the mystery was handled, my favorite part was the romantic farce moment when Andre finds himself in Lexi's bed with Grace. This could have easily been a moment taken from one of The Thin Man films. I laughed so much, my wife asked me about it. I then had to read her the 'mushy' parts and that's how I knew the romance side of the story was as well-written as the mystery.
The final chapter wrapped up everything with a nice bow and the postscript revealed that Andre is a leopard who may be a little tamer now, but hasn't changed a single spot.
I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.
Read it!
OK, full disclosure, I won this in a drawing. Doesn't matter, I'd have gladly paid my $14.99 + Tax for it.
Nancy does a great job in merging two genres that don't usually go together for male readers. Her heroine, Alexis (Lexi) Winslow is more than capable of getting herself in and out of a bad situation. She still has a heart for the bad boys (International Art Thief Andre in this case); alternately pining for and then wanting to punch him in his perfect face.
It doesn't slow down the book however, which is something that most authors can't lay claim to. Nancy quickly moves her characters through a shoot-out, jungle pursuit and finally into fisticuffs where the bad guys either get their ticket punched or hauled off by the cops.
Spoilers from this point on!
Regardless of how well the mystery was handled, my favorite part was the romantic farce moment when Andre finds himself in Lexi's bed with Grace. This could have easily been a moment taken from one of The Thin Man films. I laughed so much, my wife asked me about it. I then had to read her the 'mushy' parts and that's how I knew the romance side of the story was as well-written as the mystery.
The final chapter wrapped up everything with a nice bow and the postscript revealed that Andre is a leopard who may be a little tamer now, but hasn't changed a single spot.
I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.
Read it!
August 16, 2016
This book was read for my 2016 Reading Challenge Around the World in 80 Books
I think I’ll call this genre “mystery-lite”. It’s moving and mysterious, but not a deep & dense psychological thriller. If you want to enjoy an international caper while sipping margarita’s on a cruise ship, this a good book for that. Land Sharks - A Swindle in Sumatra, which is a weirdly hyphenated title, begins in glamorous Beverly Hills, Los Angeles where we meet our flawed heroine, Lexi. She’s clearly onto some guy who is up to know good. We learn that Lexi is a hard worker, good at what she does, and has a lot of baggage. Lexi’s an investigator for a bank, with some high profile clients, one of which is missing a daughter. So Lexi, and investigator in training Steve, hop a plane for the daughter’s last contact, Sumatra, Indonesia. As you may suspect, it’s not an open and shut case. Lexi & Steve navigate the dense jungles of Sumatra and the less dense plot points of this case.
Obviously, this was not a new favorite book for me, but it really wasn’t that bad. It’s a fast read and kept my interest the whole time. I may be a little biased living in Indonesia while reading this book, but I found it enjoyable. I had so many options for an Indonesian book, but right now I was looking for something on the lighter side, and I definitely found it in this book.
I think I’ll call this genre “mystery-lite”. It’s moving and mysterious, but not a deep & dense psychological thriller. If you want to enjoy an international caper while sipping margarita’s on a cruise ship, this a good book for that. Land Sharks - A Swindle in Sumatra, which is a weirdly hyphenated title, begins in glamorous Beverly Hills, Los Angeles where we meet our flawed heroine, Lexi. She’s clearly onto some guy who is up to know good. We learn that Lexi is a hard worker, good at what she does, and has a lot of baggage. Lexi’s an investigator for a bank, with some high profile clients, one of which is missing a daughter. So Lexi, and investigator in training Steve, hop a plane for the daughter’s last contact, Sumatra, Indonesia. As you may suspect, it’s not an open and shut case. Lexi & Steve navigate the dense jungles of Sumatra and the less dense plot points of this case.
Obviously, this was not a new favorite book for me, but it really wasn’t that bad. It’s a fast read and kept my interest the whole time. I may be a little biased living in Indonesia while reading this book, but I found it enjoyable. I had so many options for an Indonesian book, but right now I was looking for something on the lighter side, and I definitely found it in this book.
March 6, 2016
Lexi investigates white collar crimes for a bank. A missing daughter of one of the banks best clients goes off to Sumatra with a man the dad feels is unsuitable. An interesting mystery and a likable protag. Humorous too.
February 24, 2016
mystery with a little romance and fun thrown in for good measure -- good book!
May 23, 2016
A quick, easy to read, enjoyable mystery
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March 31, 2016I read this book for the Holt Medallion Contest. Of the four books I received, I liked this one the best. It was a very quick read and it was easy to follow the story and names.
April 3, 2017
This is a fun read
I enjoyed this book very much and I'm looking forward to reading the next book in this series. Witty, lots of action and adventure in a foreign country.
I enjoyed this book very much and I'm looking forward to reading the next book in this series. Witty, lots of action and adventure in a foreign country.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews