Odds On Paperback – November 19, 2013

Great story line.

In the early times of his extensive writing career, Michael writes a twisted story of Burgery, sex and intrigue. Captivating as it is outlandish. A fun read.

The Reina is an super-luxury hotel on the Spanish Riviera, making up for its isolated location with an array of five-star services: not just swimming pools and a bar but restaurants, salons, stores. As one character points out, it’s like an opulent cruise liner on land; it caters to the wealthiest tourists, and is slated to be the blueprint for numerous competitors. It’s located in the heart of Franco’s authoritarian Spain, an oppressive police-state. And three men plan on robbing it blind.Miguel is a Latino-American smuggler, street-smart and able to acquire any object for a price. Bryan is a Brit working the gray side of the underworld, undertaking contract hits, thefts, and snatches for the government. And Jencks is the mastermind gambler; logical and precise, he’s come up with a daring plan to nab not just the payroll of the Reina, but the jewels and cash of its guests as well.What they weren’t expecting was a bevy of beautiful women; Allan Brady, a notorious con-man with his own agenda; the mysterious Miss Shaw, the French-Algerian heavy fronting as her chauffeur, and the cargo of Moroccan drugs in her Lincoln Continental; or the dysfunctional couple Peter and Jenny, a college boy slavering after a girl who’ll sleep with anyone but him…Odds On is a fascinating look at the start of Michael Crichton’s career; I see a bit more of the author he would become in this novel than I did in others he wrote using the "John Lange" name -- for example, Jancks' checking the validity of the heist via computer, then seeing this technological failsafe utterly foiled by random chance. The bottom line is that this is a very rough, very fast early novel by Crichton, with a few gaping plot holes and enough sex scenes to qualify as softcore porn. Odds On is a good beach read, great entertainment that’s just a bit air-headed and more than a little sex-starved. Readers shouldn't go into it expecting some lost Crichton masterpiece, but a decent 1960s heist thriller. While I enjoyed it, Odds On felt thin and padded at times; take away some of the pointless meandering and the sex bits and you’d have a very short book indeed.

Item was received as advertised and in a timely manner

Michael Crichton's earliest book. Published at while in College under the name John Lange. Not as well-rounded or polished as his famous later works like Jurassic Park, but all-in-all a good read. His signature themes of cutting-edge technology mixed in so everyone can understand is apparent, but not as a developed as his later books. Pick it up for a quick heist novel about 3 career-criminals trying to steal millions from a Hotel, but keep in mind the time period in which it was written, and the age (24) and experience of the author at the time.

Totally surprised me how this book ended. A great plan that went totally wrong and no one got hurt. Great book to read.

I enjoyed Odds On but found it nothing like the intricate technologically laced books Crichton is known for. Good to pass time with but was a bit disappointed.

I really enjoyed this one! I definitely expected the outcome of this caper, BUT the execution was very entertaining. The sexual nature of this story was a bit heavy handed for my taste. I enjoyed the plot tremendously. The writing was fantastic. The performance by Lane was absolutely incredible! All in all, I would recommend this to a friend.

A few plot twists that were well concealed. Well developed characters

Soy fan de Michael Crichton desde que era un "mico" (enano, crió) y siempre he buscado tener la colección completa de todas las obras que ha sacado este autor a lo largo de su vida, por desgracia las publicadas bajo seudónimos no han sido traducidas al castellano, por lo que nos toca leer en ingles, pero todo perfecto, libros en perfecto estado y todo dispuesto para desempolvar nuestro inglés

Great story ... typical of Michael Crichton

If you are a writer, this is a master class. It's pure story and will have you turning the pages. Seriously, isn't that what everyone wants?

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