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It's early days in 1960, and the Rat Pack is filming Ocean's 11 in Las Vegas. They are staying at The Sands, a casino run by Jack Entratter, who is the front man (if I have the terminology correct) for Frank Costello. No Mob connections here, right? Eddie Gianelli used to be an accountant in Brooklyn, and is now a pit boss at the Sands. He knows all kinds of people in and around the Strip. Eddie is a little surprised when Joey Bishop asks him to meet Frank Sinatra. Why would Frank want to see him? Eddie is also a trifle reluctant, seeing as Frank may or may not have connections Eddie isn't all that interested in getting to know. Jack persuades Eddie that doing a favor for Frank wouldn't be a bad idea. All Frank wants is for Eddie to check around, see if he can find out who has been sending threatening letters to Dean Martin. Not such an onerous task, all things considered, and probably well within Eddie's comfort zone. Eddie's zone doesn't stay comfortable long. Two thugs beat him up, doing no major damage, and warn him to stop asking questions. Eddie is a guy who does what he says he'll do, and he keeps checking around. Getting beaten up is bad enough, and then he stumbles on a dead showgirl. The police talk to him, and come back again when they find another dead showgirl, the roommate of the first one. What's the connection? Eddie doesn't know, and believes that it's just a coincidence. Eddie doesn’t get mad until somebody blows up his 1952 Cadillac, with him almost in it. What upsets him is how close that explosion came to killing a woman very friendly with Frank Sinatra. Now Eddie is determined to figure out what is going on. And he does. EVERYBODY KILLS SOMEBODY SOMETIME is a solid entry into that outre sub-genre of the mystery field: mysteries that are blatantly fiction featuring real people. Randisi walks that thin line between caricature and cardboard, giving us just enough of the public persona to make the story believable. While it would certainly have been a good mystery without using the Rat Pack, they give a certain aura that a novel about the Mob in Las Vegas wouldn't have. Eddie is slightly awestruck by Frank and Sammy and Dean, fervently aspires to meet Angie Dickinson, and is all too aware of the powers behind these stars. That brings a certain ambience to the book that wouldn't be as easy to get any other way. EVERYBODY KILLS SOMEBODY SOMETIME is being billed as "the start of an exciting new series" and one can only hope that the quality continues. Eddie is a character with lots of potential. Randisi has a good track record, so be on the alert for the next Rat Pack mystery.
Reviewed by P.J. Coldren, August 2006
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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