Bait and Switch

by Larry Brooks

Overview

A lighter thriller, in the vein of Nelson Demille, unfolding in the world of Silicon Valley billionaires and the women who seek and use them for their money.

The man: Wolfgang Schmitt: former model, newly single, habitual wiseass. It’s a profile only his ailing mother could love—but it makes him perfect for one thing . . .

The bait: Billionaire Nelson Scott wants Schmitt to seduce his wife—setting off a prenuptial clause that will keep her hands off his money. The job pays a million bucks just for trying. Another four if Schmitt pulls it off. All he has to do is say yes . . .

The switch: Next thing he knows, he’s dealing with a lot more than he bargained for. Like Scott’s gorgeous, stiletto-sharp lawyer. A couple of shady suits who may or may not be Feds. And a few more dead bodies than he’s used to. But in the big leagues of money and power, Schmitt happens.
 
 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781630262785
Publisher:	Turner Publishing Company
Publication date:	11/05/2013
Pages:	400
Product dimensions:	5.60(w) x 8.60(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Larry Brooks is the author of six critically-praised novels, including USA Today bestseller Darkness Bound, and three bestselling writing books, including the #1 bestseller Story Engineering: Mastering the Six Core Competencies of Successful Writing. Brooks teaches writers & conferences throughout the nation and is the creator of Storyfix.com, named six years running to the Writers Digest "101 Best Websites for Writers list." He lives in Arizona.

Read an Excerpt

All things considered, it was a great night to die.  The requisite literary elements were in place – horizontal rain in the headlight beams, a deserted and utterly dark winding road, an impossibly late hour for a business meeting.  And of course, motive.  Without motive there would be no story.  Without motive, all you had was an accident.

Funny, how four billion dollars splashes a dollop of paranoia onto the lens of one’s worldview.  Which was why, like a fly repeatedly slamming against the window of his otherwise quiet accountant’s existence, his boss’s words buzzed in his mind as he drove through the storm to meet with the man.

Willing to bet the farm here, son?  Your entire career?  Mine?  

Four days, and the words still echoed.  The more he listened to them, the harder he thought about it, the more he suspected the fly was him.

Here’s the four billion dollar question – other than you and me, who knows about this?

On any other night on any other road he would be surfing his collection of MP3s on one of his Apply toys, a menagerie which ranged from alt rock to rap metal.  His new girlfriend abhorred both - she preferred light jazz with a glass of chardonnay - but tonight his mind was filled with weightier issues, such as the end of life as he knew it.  

Don’t show this to anyone, don’t mention it, don’t even hint at it.  Code your files, shred any copies.  A leak could kill us, not to mention our client.  You tell me which is worse.

Editorial Reviews

In a sexy tale laced with plenty of surprise twists, Brooks (Pressure Points, etc.) examines the underbelly of high society and paints an ugly portrait of greed in America. Wolfgang Schmitt, a newly single former model looking for an excuse to leave the advertising industry, finds his opening when billionaire Nelson Scott offers him a million dollars to seduce his wife. Schmitt's involvement with Kelly Scott would trigger a prenuptial clause, ensuring Kelly can't get her hands on her husband's fortune-or so Schmitt is led to believe. After wrestling with his conscience, Schmitt accepts the assignment and immediately gets swept up in a complicated plot involving betrayal and murder. This intoxicating and intelligent tale of corporate corruption feels as authentic as a true crime chronicle, but Schmitt's first-person narration ensures that it is much more entertaining. Brooks balances Schmitt's wry, wisecracking nature with a rare moral fortitude, resulting in a likeable protagonist whose cynicism never fails to entertain (Entry #201 in Schmitt's work in progress, Bullshit in America: "The price of movie popcorn-the time for rebellion is now. Take a big purse and stop at your local convenience store on the way. Then leave the candy wrappers on the floor so they'll know. It's what Rosa Parks would have done"). In a savvy move, Brooks concludes this book with a question mark, leaving it wide open for a sequel. Readers will welcome the prospect. Agent, Mary Alice Kier at Cine/Lit Representation. (July) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

A funny, sexy, scary ride through a minefield of betrayals. Strap yourself in and enjoy!” —New York Times bestselling author Michael Prescott

In a sexy tale laced with plenty of surprise twists, Brooks (Pressure Points) examines the underbelly of high society and paints an ugly portrait of greed in America. Wolfgang Schmitt, a newly single former model looking for an excuse to leave the advertising industry, finds his opening when billionaire Nelson Scott offers him a million dollars to seduce his wife. Schmitt's involvement with Kelly Scott would trigger a prenuptial clause, ensuring Kelly can't get her hands on her husband's fortune—or so Schmitt is led to believe. After wrestling with his conscience, Schmitt accepts the assignment and immediately gets swept up in a complicated plot involving betrayal and murder. This intoxicating and intelligent tale of corporate corruption feels as authentic as a true crime chronicle, but Schmitt's first-person narration ensures that it is much more entertaining. Brooks balances Schmitt's wry, wisecracking nature with a rare moral fortitude, resulting in a likeable protagonist whose cynicism never fails to entertain (Entry #201 in Schmitt's work in progress, Bullshit in America: "The price of movie popcorn—the time for rebellion is now. Take a big purse and stop at your local convenience store on the way. Then leave the candy wrappers on the floor so they'll know. It's what Rosa Parks would have done"). In a savvy move, Brooks concludes this book with a question mark, leaving it wide open for a sequel. Readers will welcome the prospect. Publishers Weekly lead Editor’s Choice, July 2004

"An absolute must read, Deadly Faux is guaranteed entertainment. In Wolfgang Schmitt, Larry Brooks has created a wise-cracking protagonist who is witty, resourceful, intelligent, and, most surprisingly, vulnerable. Brooks plunges Wolf into a seemingly unwinnable caldron involving Las Vegas casinos, the mob, and femme fatales, then turns the heat up high. I finished Deadly Faux in one sitting, couldn’t put it down, and can’t wait to read the next book. Step aside Nelson DeMille and Stuart Woods—Schmitt happens!" —Robert Dugoni, New York Times bestselling author of The Jury Master, for Deadly Faux

“Crime novelist Raymond Chandler was widely acknowledged in his day as the Poet Laureate of The Dark Side (he looked about as inconspicuous as a tarantula on a slice of angel food cake). He died in 1959 and ever since there have been many pretenders to his throne. Among the best are James M. Cain, Elmore Leonard, Robert B. Parker, James Lee Burke—all masters of the craft, all wordsmiths of the first order, but none of them had Chandler’s gifts. After half a century of being on the lookout for a crime fiction writer with a voice that rivals Chandler’s, one has finally appeared, quietly chugging his way up the bestseller lists with Darkness Bound, Whisper of the Seventh Thunder, Serpent’s Dance, and Bait and Switch. His name is Larry Brooks. The guy has a slick tone and a crackling, cynical wit with lots of vivid descriptions (of both interior and exterior landscapes), and the sparkling figures of speech dance off the page and explode in your inner ear. Though as modern as an iPad 5S, he is truly and remarkably Chandleresque. He’s dazzling. Check out his new one, Deadly Faux—it’s sexy, complex, intelligent; a truly delightful novel with more plot twists than a plate of linguine swimming in olive oil.” —James N. Frey, author of How to Write a Damn Good Novel, for Deadly Faux

From the Publisher