Mad Dog House: Mad Dog Trilogy – Book 1

Mad Dog House (Mad Dog Trilogy – Book 1) by Mark Rubinstein

329 Pages

Publisher: Thunder Lake Press

Release Date: October 21, 2012

Fiction (Adult), Racketeering, Money Laundering, Brooklyn

Roddy “Mad Dog” and his childhood friend, Danny Burns are asked to invest as silent partners in a restaurant by another friend, Kenny. At first the restaurant appears to be doing well, but Danny, an accountant, starts to see irregularities in the numbers. Danny and Roddy, now a prominent surgeon, approach Kenny but he tells him most restaurants fluctuate during the first six months in business. Then they meet the Mafia made man. He threatens them and their families if the men do not pay him $500,000. That is not something they want to do so they must come up with another plan.

The story takes place in a short time frame, but it feels slow. There are a lot of repetition of Roddy’s thoughts. The characters are somewhat developed, and it is written in the third person point of view. Roddy spends a lot of time reflecting on his childhood and his time with the Army Rangers. I found it hard to believe that his demeanor could change at the drop of a head. I liked the concept of the story but felt it could have been delivered better.