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When I first heard about The Kings of Vegas by Karen Mack and Jennifer Kaufman, I was excited. This Vegas-set novel promised mob bosses, FBI agents, and intrigue.
Unfortunately, it didn’t quite hit the mark. It wasn’t quite as thrilling as I would expect going into it, and I think some of that was spending so much time on memories.
What I Liked About The Kings of Vegas
It’s not all bad. After all, I didn’t exactly DNF The Kings of Vegas*! I just didn’t thoroughly enjoy the read.
Something that I enjoyed was seeing how Josie and Sam’s relationship blossomed throughout. We started off with some strain between the two of them, both angry at the way their dad’s will had been written out. It’s clear that they hadn’t really spoken much over the years that Josie was gone, but there was still love between them.
That grew the more Josie figured out something was going on at the casino. As she realized that there was something happening with Frank’s Chief of Security, she knew that she needed to turn to someone. Having that be Sam was perfect.
He likely felt adrift with all of his poor decisions, but everything he did always only affected him. He kept pointing out that Frank’s bad decisions affected the whole family, and that was why he was working with Josie to get to the bottom of it.
You could feel the disappointment from Sam, but you could also feel the love that he held for his family, especially for Josie. The two had a bond from their childhood years, and it was beautiful to watch it mend over the course of the story. There was even hope at the end of it, showing that they are still close after everything that happened.
I also enjoyed seeing how Josie handled her ex-husband, how she tried her best with Billie, and how she was able to think a couple of steps ahead most of the time. Sure, she made some stupid mistakes, but she had been out of the casino game for some time. I can let her off for that, as it made her human. She also knew when she was out of her depth and called in reinforcements.
Not Quite Enough of a Thrill When Mobs Are Involved
The whole reason I got excited about The Kings of Vegas was the promise of mobsters. After all, it’s a story set in Las Vegas, in the casino scene. Of course, that would lead to organized crime!
Sadly, the organized crime didn’t quite work out. While there was some tension that slowly built up, it ended up being anticlimactic.
First of all, there felt to be only one real threat against Josie when her daughter was taken. Even that didn’t last too long, and then after that, she quickly found a way to take down the man in charge. Elements were a little too convenient, and as she was attacked in her own home, even that didn’t last. Within a page, the situation had been resolved.
I did hope for the New York crime family that was constantly talked about to show up and threaten Josie after that, but there was no time. Instead, it was wrapped up with words off the page, and then we just got told everything that had happened. I felt it in the way I did at the end of Twilight, as we just witnessed it all from Bella’s point of view and never got to see the vision that Alice showed Aro.
I wanted just a little more tension; just a little more intensity. It’s a story that involves the mob!
So, in the end, it’s a 3-star read. It wasn’t terrible, and the story that we did get was well-written and detailed. It just didn’t live up to the expectations that I had.
The Kings of Vegas* is now available to purchase.
