High Stakes

by John F Dobbyn

Overview

History, myth, music, and murder—and Michael Knight is in the middle

An authentic Stradivarius violin turns up in Romania. A Stradivarius is rare enough, but this one is even more special. It is thought to hold the code disclosing the location of a treasure hidden in the fifteenth century. The violin is steeped in haunting mystique: it is believed to have been hidden by Vlad Dracula, whose historic tyranny led to the fabrication of the myth of vampirism. Russian, Chinese, and Romanian gangs centered in Boston want the code and all of them are hot on the trail. Violence is their language—brutality, their technique.

And who is hired to see that the treasure lands in the rightful place? None other than Michael Knight with a little help from his senior law partner Lex Devlin and his crony, Billy Coyne, Boston's deputy district attorney.

Michael uses the thin leverage of his knowledge about the violin to keep each of the three gang leaders at bay, while he follows the chain of historic clues from a violin shop in the Carpathian Mountains to a gangster-infested nightclub in Bucharest, to a university in Istanbul, and back to the gang headquarters of the three competing criminal organizations. Secrets from the past and present collide along the perilous shuttle between Boston and Romania. In the end, what is the righteous solution?

Perfect for fans of Daniel Silva and Steve Berry

While all of the novels in the Knight and Devlin Thriller Series stand on their own and can be read in any order, the publication sequence is:

Neon Dragon
Frame-Up
Black Diamond
Deadly Diamonds
Fatal Odds
High Stakes

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781608093564
Publisher:	Oceanview Publishing
Publication date:	10/01/2019
Series:	A Knight and Devlin Thriller , #6
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	320
File size:	933 KB

About the Author

Best-selling author John F. Dobbyn, a graduate of Harvard College, Boston College Law School, and Harvard Law School, is a former professor of law at Villanova Law School where he taught criminal, constitutional, and corporate law. Prior to his teaching career, Dobbyn practiced criminal and civil trial work. He is a frequent contributor to Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine and Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, and he is the author of five award-winning legal thrillers featuring Michael Knight and Lex Devlin. High Stakes is his sixth book in the series. Dobbyn is a Boston native and now resides in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, with his wife, Lois.

Editorial Reviews

08/05/2019

Dobbyn’s pedestrian sixth Knight and Devlin novel (after 2016’s Fatal Odds) takes lawyer Michael Knight from Boston to Romania. When Knight wins a car theft case defending Danny Liu, the young man’s father, the head of the Chinese Merchants’ Association, invites Knight to dinner and offers him an all-expenses-paid vacation at a spa in the Carpathian Mountains. All he has to do in return is bring back a priceless Stradivarius violin, to be found at a violin shop near the resort, for the Boston Symphony concert master. Despite some misgivings, Knight agrees. Once in Romania, he becomes the target of Russian gangs, the Chinese Tong, and dodgy Romanians. What he wasn’t told by the grateful Mr. Liu is that the violin may hold the key to the whereabouts of a fabulous treasure amassed by Vlad the Impaler. Knight’s senior law partner, Lex Devlin, and Boston deputy district attorney Billy Coyne lend a hand. Dobbyn offers no surprises, no wit, and no profound depth of feeling. This is for those who like action-packed escapist fiction, spiced with a dash of Dracula lore. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

"This rapid pace adventure [High Stakes] delivers equal quantities of action, history, secrets, and conspiracies. Definitely an entertaining romp.” —Steve Berry, New York Times best-selling author

“John Dobbyn knows how to write a thriller, with intriguing characters, well-timed wit, and suspense that doesn't quit.” —Lisa Scottoline, New York Times best-selling author

“Once again, John F. Dobbyn grounds thrilling action in a fascinating subject—in this case, a possible lost cultural treasure linked to the historical Dracula. Attorney Michael Knight relies on quick wits, strong friendships, and deep personal integrity in globe-hopping engagements with Russian and Chinese gangs. High Stakes is spellbinding from page one to the end.” —Linda Landrigan, Editor in chief of Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine

“John F. Dobbyn is a master storyteller. There’s plenty of hard-driving action in a Michael Knight and Lex Devlin book, but when it’s all over, it’s the personal journeys of the characters that reverberate in readers’ minds.” —Janet Hutchings, Editor-in-Chief, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine

“John F. Dobbyn’s thriller Fatal Odds does everything right: a nail-biting plot to keep you turning pages, characters that shine brighter with every twist and turn, and a ripped-from-the-headlines authenticity that will leave you shocked. Here is a novel that expertly mixes thrills and smarts and will have you clamoring for more from this author. I know I want more.” —James Rollins, New York Times best-selling author

“Knight has a sharp wit and a gift of gab that he uses to exploit the enmity between and within the rival gangs . . . it’s difficult to believe that anything terrible could happen to a clever lad flashing so much good old Irish blarney.” —Publishers Weekly

“Readers of early John Grisham and Jeremiah Healy will enjoy Dobbyn's debut [Neon Dragon] for his insider knowledge of the legal system and the defense strategy his protagonists use in court.” —Library Journal

From the Publisher