Customer Reviews:
 A BOOK TRANSCENDANT by John W. Cassell August 13, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Remove the dustcover from this hardbound book (sorry...I can't abide snakes) and it is a medium blue....the same color as my Atlantic Ocean on those early autumn, sunny, crisp days when I'd stare at it from the windows of Atlantic City High School where I was busily flunking Spanish II [actually it was all the fault of Khrushchev and Castro, but that's another story].
The comparison is apt... because much of the story takes place in Atlantic City...in fact the protagonist, Julian Rothschild [not one of those Rothschilds], lives on the street in Margate City where I grew up...he lives about four blocks away. He attended the elementary school my mom taught at for sixteen years and the high school where I flunked Spanish II...and geometry and probably a few other subjects too [the others NOT the fault of Khrushchev and Castro, but that's another story still].
This, however, is not the basis for my breathless, enthusiastic, unequivocal five star recommendation of this book. In fact it was these references that almost made me put it down...you see I left home once upon a time and now am unable to get back... and I miss it terribly.It made me homesick.
No...I recommend this book because it is a moral, social, cultural, spiritual MASTERPIECE. Seldom have I seen such a multi-faceted masterwork, so truly and utterly compelling [you won't even think of putting it down...unless of course it makes you homesick]. Enticing action, fascinating characters... both sublime and every day....in short, those we all have met in the course of a full, unsheltered life, from the so-called "beautiful people" of Hollywood and the "comp'd" millionaire suites at the top of the casinos... to the hustlers on "Fun Corner" [what the locals called Kentucky and Arctic Avenues in my day...yes, the book goes there too]....to the homeless dying on the beach in the very shadow of millions of dollars. Love and lust, Good and Evil...action and adventure...faith and nihilism...this one has it all..
..And dialogue...yes DIALOGUE...that leaves writers of my ilk wondering what rock we were hiding under when such talent was handed out.
Of course we know where...in Jack Engelhard's case...the talent comes from...El Camino Duro [as my Spanish II teacher would say]...the Hard Road. Starting life fleeing in terror from the Gestapo...living an impoverished refugee in Montreal, Canada...knocking about in Greenwich Village [during the Golden Age of Dylan, Cosby, Lenny Bruce and Peter, Paul and Mary], also Cincinnati, Haifa, New York, Jerusalem and Philadelphia....a journalist...combat soldier...hustler...martial arts expert and lover of thoroughbred racing.
He has seen it all. Like his character Slim Sam Belmont in this book he is one of a kind and his passing, G-d forbid, will leave a gaping hole never to be filled again ...society is different now. But there are his writings, such as Deadly Deception, and with these writings we can SOAR... become something of what we were.
But Jack's experience isn't the reason this book is one of a kind...it's his ability to pass it on to his readers. In my own experience I've known Boardwalk hustlers, mobsters, too many corpses, a few champions and even some beautiful women...I can tell you this man writes with authenticity. These people are REAL. If you've been there you will see it right away and maybe feel a lot younger...maybe even vaguely threatened... while reading. If you haven't you'll learn something...as I did in this story about everything from the game of Craps to Hebrew Biblical mysticism to the history of the Sinai Desert.
I finished it in two sittings...and still am gulping for air.This book is MAGNIFICENT. Five stars...for everything.
John W. Cassell
John W. Cassell is a retired law enforcement officer and prosecutor. He has authored seven books on life during the American Cultural Revolution of the Late Sixties/Early Seventies, including Crossroads: 1969 and DeVilliers County Blues: 1972 , has published several guest opinion editorials in ISRAEL NATIONAL NEWS and is a frequent contributor to the Amazon-Connect Author Blog.
COMPELLING DRAMA July 19, 2008
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
I don't know what book the reviewer who appears on the product page was reading but it was not this one. This is a really good, solid glimpse into the lives of the characters.
Jack Engelhard has knocked around in his time...immersing himself in the casino world as well as many others. When this man writes you are right there with him.
I hope he arranges to have this book carried by amazon. though it is easy enough to get thru the Marketplace.
Bravo Jack!!
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