WAGER EASY
In November, 2018, with legalization of sports betting on the horizon, WagerEasy, a British sports betting conglomerate, has set up shop in the Chicago market looking for shortcuts. Eddie’s old friend, an employee of WagerEasy, has been murdered. The sports gambling market is on a knife’s edge: the illegal black market bookies backed by the mob against the well-funded foreign invader. Eddie and his uncle, retired police detective Mike O’Connell with the right contacts, sets up a meeting with a Chicago gambling boss suspected of ordering the murder. The Chicago gambling boss claims he’s being framed by WagerEasy, the new threat in town.
Eddie decides to go undercover and secures a job at WagerEasy. With the assistance of industry insider Tara Reilly, Eddie discovers that ruthless factions within the mob are fighting to overthrow the old guard and upend WagerEasy’s move into Chicago. Eddie finds enemies coming at him from all angles and must risk everything to get justice.
“.. Farrell also beautifully realizes the setting of Chicago in winter, which helps to enhance the procedural elements of the story. He skillfully unfolds the complicated tale as Eddie delves deeper into the underworld and finds out how it intersects with the impending legalization of sports betting in Illinois. The novel presents a bleak landscape of rival gangs always looking to double-cross one another as well as a memorably startling characterization of the Chicago police and court system. Eddie is the just the right kind of noble but flawed hero to travel between the two realms, and Farrell crafts an array of familiar and unfamiliar genre elements into a genuinely gripping read. A smart and fast-paced crime drama that will leave readers wanting more from this author.“
–Kirkus Reviews (starred review)