What do you think?
Rate this book
Cashed Out
One failed marriage. Two jobs lost. Three maxed out credit cards. "Schex" Schexnaydre was a failure as a lawyer. Until three weeks ago, he had no clients and no cash -- no clients except for infamous toxic waste entrepreneur G.G. Guidry, who's just been murdered, and no cash, except for the $4,452,737 Guidry had stashed with him for safekeeping.
When Schex's estranged ex-wife, Taylor, is accused of Guidry's murder, she pleads with Schex to defend her. He refuses, but the more he says no to Taylor, the deeper Schex gets dragged into the fall-out from Guidry's nefarious schemes, ending up as the target of all those vying to claim Guidry's millions for themselves.
When Schex's estranged ex-wife, Taylor, is accused of Guidry's murder, she pleads with Schex to defend her. He refuses, but the more he says no to Taylor, the deeper Schex gets dragged into the fall-out from Guidry's nefarious schemes, ending up as the target of all those vying to claim Guidry's millions for themselves.
292 pages, Paperback
Published August 15, 2017
16 people are currently reading
404 people want to read
About the author
Michael H. Rubin
4 books36 followersMichael H. Rubin has conquered many worlds. Professional jazz musician in the New Orleans French Quarter, radio and television announcer, nationally known speaker and humorist, and, with his wife, authoring award-winning thrillers, The Cottoncrest Curse, Cashed Out, and A White Hot Plan.
Awards
At the American Library Association's annual meeting in 2015 in San Francisco it was announced that The Cottoncrest Curse had won the IndieFab Book of the Year Gold Award as the top thriller and suspense novel published by a university or independent press in 2015.
What others are saying about The Cottoncrest Curse:
“Rubin’s gripping debut mystery depicts the bitter racial divides of post-Reconstruction South and its continuing legacy.”
Publishers Weekly
"“Michael Rubin proves himself to be an exceptional storyteller in his novel The Cottoncrest Curse.
This powerful epic is expertly composed. I highly recommend picking up this book.”
James Carville, Author, Speaker, Media Personality, Political Consultant
Rubin's novel offers not just a thrilling murder mystery,
but also a compelling look at life in south Louisiana during its most tumultuous decades.
225 Magazine
"Michael Rubin’s debut novel, The Cottoncrest Curse, introduces us to a fresh new voice
that weaves talented prose and tack-sharp detail into an intriguing story set in Louisiana’s bayou country.”
Alan Jacobson, National Bestselling Author of Spectrum
"Impeccably researched, deftly plotted and flawlessly executed.
Michael Rubin is a gifted and masterful storyteller. Highly recommended"
Sheldon Siegel, New York Times Best Selling Author of the Mike Daley/Rosie Fernandez novels
A “page turner likely to keep you up all night. * ‘The Cottoncrest Curse’ is skillfully and intricately plotted. * Through it all, the writing is sharp, vivid and compelling.”
LSBA Journal
“The story is gripping, the writing is masterful * Rubin has struck ‘gold’ in his debut novel.”
Chicago’s CBA Record
What others are saying about Cashed Out:
If you like John Grisham and Michael Connelly’s Lincoln Lawyer, you’re gonna love “Schex” Schexnaydre – a down-and-out-attorney who breaks all the rules looking for some kind of justice. Fast, funny, and filled with twists and edge-of-your-seat suspense. Michael H. Rubin really nails it!
R.G. Belsky, award winning thriller author of the Gil Malloy mystery series
Cash in on this thrilling read. Set in the sweltering heat of the Louisiana bayou, Cashed Out is enthralling. Fast-paced plot. Page turning. The whodunit aspect adds to the intensity.
Foreword Reviews
Rubin is a former professional jazz pianist and composer who has played in the New Orleans French Quarter and a former television and radio host. He is an accomplished lawyer who helps manage a law firm that has offices stretching from the West Coast to the Gulf Coast to the East Coast.
He served as an adjunct law professor at Louisiana State University Law Schoolfor more than 30 years, and is a nationally known speaker whose talks on topics such as legal ethics, negotiations, appellate advocacy, real estate, finance and trail tactics have been widely praised throughout the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.
Rubin's presentations combine an informal style with scholarship, thought-provoking comments and humor. A former professional musician, Rubin frequently closes his speeches by sitting down at the piano and signing humorous songs composed specifically for the occasion.
Awards
At the American Library Association's annual meeting in 2015 in San Francisco it was announced that The Cottoncrest Curse had won the IndieFab Book of the Year Gold Award as the top thriller and suspense novel published by a university or independent press in 2015.
What others are saying about The Cottoncrest Curse:
“Rubin’s gripping debut mystery depicts the bitter racial divides of post-Reconstruction South and its continuing legacy.”
Publishers Weekly
"“Michael Rubin proves himself to be an exceptional storyteller in his novel The Cottoncrest Curse.
This powerful epic is expertly composed. I highly recommend picking up this book.”
James Carville, Author, Speaker, Media Personality, Political Consultant
Rubin's novel offers not just a thrilling murder mystery,
but also a compelling look at life in south Louisiana during its most tumultuous decades.
225 Magazine
"Michael Rubin’s debut novel, The Cottoncrest Curse, introduces us to a fresh new voice
that weaves talented prose and tack-sharp detail into an intriguing story set in Louisiana’s bayou country.”
Alan Jacobson, National Bestselling Author of Spectrum
"Impeccably researched, deftly plotted and flawlessly executed.
Michael Rubin is a gifted and masterful storyteller. Highly recommended"
Sheldon Siegel, New York Times Best Selling Author of the Mike Daley/Rosie Fernandez novels
A “page turner likely to keep you up all night. * ‘The Cottoncrest Curse’ is skillfully and intricately plotted. * Through it all, the writing is sharp, vivid and compelling.”
LSBA Journal
“The story is gripping, the writing is masterful * Rubin has struck ‘gold’ in his debut novel.”
Chicago’s CBA Record
What others are saying about Cashed Out:
If you like John Grisham and Michael Connelly’s Lincoln Lawyer, you’re gonna love “Schex” Schexnaydre – a down-and-out-attorney who breaks all the rules looking for some kind of justice. Fast, funny, and filled with twists and edge-of-your-seat suspense. Michael H. Rubin really nails it!
R.G. Belsky, award winning thriller author of the Gil Malloy mystery series
Cash in on this thrilling read. Set in the sweltering heat of the Louisiana bayou, Cashed Out is enthralling. Fast-paced plot. Page turning. The whodunit aspect adds to the intensity.
Foreword Reviews
Rubin is a former professional jazz pianist and composer who has played in the New Orleans French Quarter and a former television and radio host. He is an accomplished lawyer who helps manage a law firm that has offices stretching from the West Coast to the Gulf Coast to the East Coast.
He served as an adjunct law professor at Louisiana State University Law Schoolfor more than 30 years, and is a nationally known speaker whose talks on topics such as legal ethics, negotiations, appellate advocacy, real estate, finance and trail tactics have been widely praised throughout the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.
Rubin's presentations combine an informal style with scholarship, thought-provoking comments and humor. A former professional musician, Rubin frequently closes his speeches by sitting down at the piano and signing humorous songs composed specifically for the occasion.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
May 25, 2018
BLOODY ETOUFFEE
The main difference between Mike Rubin and all the other lawyers-turned-authors out there writing legal thrillers is that this guy writes like a homesick angel and never lets the law get in the way of a terrific and well-told story.
In Cashed Out, Rubin is note perfect in serving up a down-and-out lawyer with a name you could only find in America’s Banana Republic state, Louisiana. With vivid prose and an effortless familiarity, Rubin also captures the baroque and grotesque essence of the state, from the stench of petro-chemical plants along the Cancer Corridor to the patois of murderous New Orleans greaseballs, the silent ka-ching of politicians on the take and the cultural and political corruption that seems as natural as swamp gas.
The book’s main character, Hypolite “Schex” Schexnaydre, is a fourth-generation Bayou State native living in a rundown house on the ragged side of Baton Rouge, a failed barrister with no clients and an empty bank account until fast-talking, porcine G.G. Guidry shows up at his door to put him on retainer to draw up a quintet of shell corporations that name his mistress as president.
Money is Guidry’s game and he’s made his as a toxic waste disposal hustler. He’s playing a hazardous game of three card monte with state regulators who are about to shut down his infamous plant, community activists tired of getting poisoned and his partners, who include the aforementioned mobsters and Schex’s ex-wife, a hard-driving blonde with the focus of a heat-seeking missile on the money she thinks Guidry owes her.
It’s enough to get a man killed and Guidry gets murdered just a day or so after he puts Schex on retainer. But not before he pays a midnight visit and leaves Schex holding a suitcase bulging with more than $4 million in cash.
That makes Schex an instant target of cops who think he had a hand in Guidry’s murder, a philosophical mob boss and his rebellious button men and the mistress and that conniving ex-wife who both think they have a rightful claim to the dead man’s dirty money. Above them all, pulling the strings, is a crooked patrician pol with his eyes on the loot and the seat of power where Huey Long once ruled.
Schex, the perfect patsy, is on the run, dodging the cops and the button men, relying on his wits to clear his name, keep from getting killed and somehow get his hands on that money to beat them all at their own game. Off-shore oil rigs, Garden District mansions and a gruesome discovery at a processing plant for alligator skin and meat are all whistle stops on this rollicking ride.
Schex is nobody’s angel. But you can’t help but root for this native son of Louisiana, playing the state’s favorite corrupt blood sport. You want him to win it all.
Jim Nesbitt is the author of two hard-boiled crime thrillers set in Texas and northern Mexico that feature battered but dogged Dallas PI Ed Earl Burch -- The Last Second Chance and The Right Wrong Number. Both are available on Amazon.
The main difference between Mike Rubin and all the other lawyers-turned-authors out there writing legal thrillers is that this guy writes like a homesick angel and never lets the law get in the way of a terrific and well-told story.
In Cashed Out, Rubin is note perfect in serving up a down-and-out lawyer with a name you could only find in America’s Banana Republic state, Louisiana. With vivid prose and an effortless familiarity, Rubin also captures the baroque and grotesque essence of the state, from the stench of petro-chemical plants along the Cancer Corridor to the patois of murderous New Orleans greaseballs, the silent ka-ching of politicians on the take and the cultural and political corruption that seems as natural as swamp gas.
The book’s main character, Hypolite “Schex” Schexnaydre, is a fourth-generation Bayou State native living in a rundown house on the ragged side of Baton Rouge, a failed barrister with no clients and an empty bank account until fast-talking, porcine G.G. Guidry shows up at his door to put him on retainer to draw up a quintet of shell corporations that name his mistress as president.
Money is Guidry’s game and he’s made his as a toxic waste disposal hustler. He’s playing a hazardous game of three card monte with state regulators who are about to shut down his infamous plant, community activists tired of getting poisoned and his partners, who include the aforementioned mobsters and Schex’s ex-wife, a hard-driving blonde with the focus of a heat-seeking missile on the money she thinks Guidry owes her.
It’s enough to get a man killed and Guidry gets murdered just a day or so after he puts Schex on retainer. But not before he pays a midnight visit and leaves Schex holding a suitcase bulging with more than $4 million in cash.
That makes Schex an instant target of cops who think he had a hand in Guidry’s murder, a philosophical mob boss and his rebellious button men and the mistress and that conniving ex-wife who both think they have a rightful claim to the dead man’s dirty money. Above them all, pulling the strings, is a crooked patrician pol with his eyes on the loot and the seat of power where Huey Long once ruled.
Schex, the perfect patsy, is on the run, dodging the cops and the button men, relying on his wits to clear his name, keep from getting killed and somehow get his hands on that money to beat them all at their own game. Off-shore oil rigs, Garden District mansions and a gruesome discovery at a processing plant for alligator skin and meat are all whistle stops on this rollicking ride.
Schex is nobody’s angel. But you can’t help but root for this native son of Louisiana, playing the state’s favorite corrupt blood sport. You want him to win it all.
Jim Nesbitt is the author of two hard-boiled crime thrillers set in Texas and northern Mexico that feature battered but dogged Dallas PI Ed Earl Burch -- The Last Second Chance and The Right Wrong Number. Both are available on Amazon.
February 25, 2018
Review by Michel Violante for Reader Views (2/18)
“Cashed Out” by Michael H. Rubin is a fast-paced legal thriller featuring an unsuccessful lawyer, his corrupt ex-wife, and a shady client involved in a large corporate cover-up. Set in a swampy bayou in Southern Louisiana, readers will find themselves right in the middle of the action that doesn’t stop until the very end.
Hypolite Schexnaydre, known as ‘Schex’ is a failed lawyer, with a failed marriage, failed credit, no cash and a broken business. When he is unexpectedly hired by G.G. Guidry, the owner of a toxic waste processing plant, Schex thinks his luck has changed. Guidry wants Schex to “paper up” his companies and has him register five different corporations under the name of Guidry’s girlfriend. Less than a week later Guidry shows up dead in his toxic waste processing plant. A couple of nights before his death Guidry stopped by Schex’s place and handed him a suitcase, requesting he hide it in a safe place without opening it. After Guidry’s death, Schex decides to open the suitcase, finding $4 million in cash. With his only client dead, and a suitcase filled with cash, what else can go wrong? Oh yeah, his ex-wife asks him to defend her, as she is the prime suspect in Guidry’s murder…
Michael H. Rubin presents readers with a well-written, fast paced legal action thriller. I enjoyed the narrator’s voice – so funny at times and sarcastic, definitely entertaining. The action is described so vividly that it was easy to picture in my mind, almost like watching a movie, and the descriptions of the bayou area transported me directly into the action. Filled with dialogue, the plot flows perfectly, as characters developed and unraveled through the dialogue. Schex is a character with genuine flaws, easily identifiable with readers. I honestly found it hard to put this book down, and finished it in a couple of sittings.
I am more than comfortable recommending “Cashed Out” by Michael H. Rubin as a five-star legal/action thriller to anyone looking for a fast-paced awesome read!
“Cashed Out” by Michael H. Rubin is a fast-paced legal thriller featuring an unsuccessful lawyer, his corrupt ex-wife, and a shady client involved in a large corporate cover-up. Set in a swampy bayou in Southern Louisiana, readers will find themselves right in the middle of the action that doesn’t stop until the very end.
Hypolite Schexnaydre, known as ‘Schex’ is a failed lawyer, with a failed marriage, failed credit, no cash and a broken business. When he is unexpectedly hired by G.G. Guidry, the owner of a toxic waste processing plant, Schex thinks his luck has changed. Guidry wants Schex to “paper up” his companies and has him register five different corporations under the name of Guidry’s girlfriend. Less than a week later Guidry shows up dead in his toxic waste processing plant. A couple of nights before his death Guidry stopped by Schex’s place and handed him a suitcase, requesting he hide it in a safe place without opening it. After Guidry’s death, Schex decides to open the suitcase, finding $4 million in cash. With his only client dead, and a suitcase filled with cash, what else can go wrong? Oh yeah, his ex-wife asks him to defend her, as she is the prime suspect in Guidry’s murder…
Michael H. Rubin presents readers with a well-written, fast paced legal action thriller. I enjoyed the narrator’s voice – so funny at times and sarcastic, definitely entertaining. The action is described so vividly that it was easy to picture in my mind, almost like watching a movie, and the descriptions of the bayou area transported me directly into the action. Filled with dialogue, the plot flows perfectly, as characters developed and unraveled through the dialogue. Schex is a character with genuine flaws, easily identifiable with readers. I honestly found it hard to put this book down, and finished it in a couple of sittings.
I am more than comfortable recommending “Cashed Out” by Michael H. Rubin as a five-star legal/action thriller to anyone looking for a fast-paced awesome read!
September 29, 2017
Cashed Out follows the story of a lawyer, Schex, who gets forced into several unconventional situations when he gets a case after a long time without any work. After his client gets murdered, Schex has to figure out what he is going to do with all the cash left in his care and what to do in his career.
Schex tries to play detective in order to figure out what to do with the $4.4 million and how much he can keep for himself. This later results in several people going after him, until the real killer is found.
When I was first approached about the book I thought it was going to be like a Cormoran Strike novel, but with a lawyer playing detective. I was correct, it was an action packed story that kept me trying to figure out who was the killer (I didn’t guess correctly…at all). Unfortunately, it took too long for me to get invested in the book, it was about page 110 when I finally invested in trying to figure out who was behind the murders, the money and the deals.
I think the problem was that it took me a while to like Schex’s character. I just couldn’t sympathize with his situation until he was being physically harmed. After that I began getting worried for his well being, and thinking “oh no is he going to die”? whenever Schex falls into a unfortunate situation. It is not his fault but he uses his law degree and experience to try to survive.
Cashed Out is a quick read for anyone who wants to read a mystery through the eyes of a non-detective character. I’d recommend it to anyone who is new to murder mysteries, this is a good book to get you into the genre.
Schex tries to play detective in order to figure out what to do with the $4.4 million and how much he can keep for himself. This later results in several people going after him, until the real killer is found.
When I was first approached about the book I thought it was going to be like a Cormoran Strike novel, but with a lawyer playing detective. I was correct, it was an action packed story that kept me trying to figure out who was the killer (I didn’t guess correctly…at all). Unfortunately, it took too long for me to get invested in the book, it was about page 110 when I finally invested in trying to figure out who was behind the murders, the money and the deals.
I think the problem was that it took me a while to like Schex’s character. I just couldn’t sympathize with his situation until he was being physically harmed. After that I began getting worried for his well being, and thinking “oh no is he going to die”? whenever Schex falls into a unfortunate situation. It is not his fault but he uses his law degree and experience to try to survive.
Cashed Out is a quick read for anyone who wants to read a mystery through the eyes of a non-detective character. I’d recommend it to anyone who is new to murder mysteries, this is a good book to get you into the genre.
February 12, 2018
Loved the very short chapters that could be read in quick minutes while waiting in line or a doctor's office. Very surprising, I could not predict what would happen next, and believe me, a lot happened! I found myself admiring the skill the author would have needed to develop the outline for the book; fleshing out the characters would have been fairly easy after that. As expected, I found myself cheering for the protagonist, Attorney Hypolite Schexnaydre. Any wonder why he went by the moniker Schex? Anyway, right from the get-go, you find yourself in the middle of a mystery. Loose language, mostly vague references to sex, and a how lot of KA-POW! Obviously I found myself rooting for Schex and more often wondering how he would escape from one mess only to find himself plopped down in the middle of another. Fast-paced mystery that grabs you immediately and doesn't let you go until the very end. Loved it!
September 13, 2023
Cashed Out by lawyer turned first-rate mystery writer Michael Rubin is absorbing, entertaining, and full of characters that roam our communities. The protagonist, Schex Schexnaydre, is down on his heels, an attorney with no money, no clients, no prospects, and the aging house he uses as his office.
A wealthy and arrogant businessman hires Schex to form five distinct corporations, paying a large retainer. Later, the client returns with a suitcase, requesting Schex take custody of it. Curiosity gets the better of
Schex and this is when Cashed Out picks up speed and never slows. Gangsters, crooked businessmen, and come-hither women all want what is in the box and will do anything to get it. What ensues is a galloping whale of a crime caper that will surely leave readers wanting another mystery by this gifted and amusing author.
A wealthy and arrogant businessman hires Schex to form five distinct corporations, paying a large retainer. Later, the client returns with a suitcase, requesting Schex take custody of it. Curiosity gets the better of
Schex and this is when Cashed Out picks up speed and never slows. Gangsters, crooked businessmen, and come-hither women all want what is in the box and will do anything to get it. What ensues is a galloping whale of a crime caper that will surely leave readers wanting another mystery by this gifted and amusing author.
October 16, 2017
Cashed Out provided just enough crime and drama to keep a reader hooked, while not swamping them down in too many twists they lose track of the mystery and thrill. I enjoyed that it touched on color and racial disparity while addressing corporate greed and the effects on low-income neighborhoods and inequalities present.
For the full review, please visit: https://fortheloveofthepageblog.wordp...
For the full review, please visit: https://fortheloveofthepageblog.wordp...
November 19, 2017
So basically, I liked the book just a bit more than a 2 star "ok." There was too much going on and I would have loved the author to have pared down the points he wanted to make and had focused more on them. He could have used that saved time to focus on developing characters that were more than one dimensional. The book had aspirations of being a great John Grisham book but lacked the clarity of plot line and deep engaging characters to make it one.
April 22, 2019
I really didn’t understand this book. Certainly the last few chapters that were possibly there to explain a few things left me dumbfounded. It was one of those books that each night when I started reading I had to go back and reread previous chapters as each chapter was so unmemorable. If I had to explain what the book was all about I could not.
July 23, 2018
A good Bayou mystery romp though not an exceptional mystery. Everyone is hiding something... Who's secrets are grander than them all? Too many culprits and not enough clues. Still, a fun story and an easy read.
February 14, 2018
Great read. Another page-turner from Rubin. Nothing is predictable and the setting is authentic. Entertaining to the end (and a surprise ending at that).
September 10, 2017
Great legal thriller! Love the down and out lawyer, Schex, who reminded me of Saul, the lawyer from Breaking Bad.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews