This was a free book from Amazon, just published, which I decided to download although I knew nothing about it or its author. It begins with the retirement of Holocaust survivor and wealthy industrialist Stanley Peke, who is moving from the East Coast, to Santa Barbara and the good life. The movers arrive, a day early for some unknown reason, so the Peke's think nothing of it, even helping with the move. The next day, however, another group of movers arrive, find an empty house, with Stanley and his wife, and only then does Stanley realize he's been taken in by a crook. The story then jumps to the thief, a Greek named Nick, with a hardscrabble background. He's driving the truck to Montana, where he stores the goods then fences them through various dealers.
Even thought he can afford the lost, Stanley cannot let it go...it's not in his blood, his DNA to let someone take advantage of him. He realizes the thief has a key to his bank box and will probably try to get that as well. So he puts an electronic GPS device in his expensive watch, puts it in the box, hoping the thief will take the box and wear the watch. It works perfectly and Stanley finds the thief lives in a small town in Montana. He drives there with his wife, takes a look at the buildings, waits for the thieves to go on their next heist, calls his son who sends a truck, uploads all of Stanley's furnishings in the truck, and takes them to Santa Barbara.
But things don't end there as Nick is just as bloody stubborn as Stanley; he refuses to let this old man 'one up him' and he drives to Santa Barbara, kidnaps Stanley, and tells his wife she better let him have the goods back or Stanley will die. And she is not to tell anyone. She eventually tells her son who finds out where in Montana Nick hides out, hires five professionals, and they go to Montana, wrestle Stanley from the crooks. Stanley, however, has single handedly, beaten up the three skin heads guarding him, obviously Nazi haters, even before his son rescues him. Nick escapes, only to be caught by Stanley, then shot by one of the professionals who came to free Stanley. The book ends with Stanley back in Santa Barbara, enjoying the rest of his life. A good part of the book allows us into the mind of Stanley, as relives much of early life fleeing from the Nazis after having been abandoned by his parents to save his life. From then on, he lives by his wits, until the war ends and he immigrates to the US. But hard as he tries, he never escapes his past, as his tussle with Nick and his group of thieves proves. A decent read, not my favorite but I was interested enough to finish it.
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