Painless

By Bill Poje

Book Overview

Painless follows the story of Augustus "Aug" Valentine, an undeniably attractive tall and slender man with hazel green eyes and a mischievous yet gorgeous smile. Aug is the President of the Trove... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1436370485
• ISBN13: 9781436370486
• Release Date: September 2008
• Publisher: Xlibris
• Length: 372 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Will keep readers eagerly turning the pages

Our story begins with Augustus "Aug" Valentine, the President of Trove Import-Export. Aug is mugged. The culprits make off with the precious jewels he smuggled into the country. The event draws Aug deep into organized crime. Basically they want to do him in. Painless is not a quick read. The plot is complex. There are many subplots and characters all taking place at once. Bill Poje is a master at multitasking. He successfully brings the plots and characters together to create a mystery that will keep readers on the edge of their seat. Poje refers to his book as modern noir genre. This is the perfect description of Painless for Aug finds himself embroiled in what seems to be a hopeless situation. He has to overcome the force threatening to take him down. I know a good book when I read one and this book is not good it is great. Aug is an exquisite character. He is handsome, a slick ladies man. He thinks fast on his feet. Poje has included a sexy bombshell named, Jocelyn. The intimate scenes are steamy. Ah, but he doesn't stop there, Poje includes a hurricane. This book is fast paced and will keep readers eagerly turning the pages. This book contains a lot of sex, violence and adult language.

Painless

Augustus Valentine is no stranger to tragedy. As a teenager, at a time when he should have been dreaming about his future, Aug was told by his mother that she was pregnant, his father wasn't the baby's father, and they were leaving town immediately to live with Aug's uncle Mark. Aug moved in with his uncle but his parents were both murdered before the rest of the plan could be put into action. Uncle Mark was good to Aug. He gave him an education and took him under his wing. He even brought him in on some of his most important business projects. Unfortunately, things aren't always as they seem. A suicide that wasn't really a suicide. A robbery where the criminals knew too much. Friends who turn out to be enemies. Under such circumstances, figuring out who is trustworthy is the real mystery. Painless is a novel about the inner workings of several interconnected groups of criminals. Aug isn't an angel himself. In fact, he's right in the thick of things and has no problem dishing out a little retribution. Still, there's a slightly softer hidden side of him too. Action, mystery, and a little romance, nicely combined.

A fun adventure of the underworld written in a noir style, recommended

Sometimes, the rich don't get rich by following the law to the letter. "Painless" follows tycoon Augustus Valentine as his latest shady venture goes sour. The smuggling operation goes wrong as a his cargo is heisted, and very powerful people are displeased with him. Specifically, they are 'take his life' displeased with him. "Painless" is a fun adventure of the underworld written in a noir style, recommended.

A fast-paced potrayal of a twisted world

Reviewed by Sandie Kirkland for RebeccasReads (4/09) Augustus Valentine has a huge problem. Involved in a smuggling ring through his import-export business, he has agreed to smuggle in jewels and precious metals. But before they can be delivered to his client, Augustus is attacked at the business and all the smuggled merchandise is stolen. That's bad for Augustus, and not with the insurance company or even the police. No, Aug's problem is with the Mob and the various men he has dealt with for years and that he believed were his partners. Now everyone is after Aug and expects him to deliver the goods. If he can't, death is a real possibility. Fast-paced, Bill Poje's Painless follows Aug in the days after the robbery as he delves into the intricate relationships between the various partners. Everyone is out for themselves, and betrayal and double-crossing is the name of the game. As Valentine moves from gangster to gangster, uses of flashbacks reveal that this crime has its genesis in events that happened decades ago. Valentine must figure out the past and the way it affects the present before he can hope to work his way out of the problems he faces. He learns that he can't trust anyone, even those he considered his closest friends. This book is recommended for fans of furious action and a look at crime and criminals from the inside. The reader is swept along on waves of action and violence. As one might expect in this setting, there is a lot of sex, violence and adult language. The plot twists like a sidewinder and the flashbacks help the reader piece together the puzzle of the various relationships. Bill Poje has created a realistic view of a world most readers will never experience.

Painless

In Bill Poje's novel, Painless, there actually exists quite a bit of pain. Beginning with a robbery and multiple deaths as a result, the book is a constantly moving train of activity with a full cast of characters carting loads of emotional baggage. When Augustus Valentine, president of Trove Import-Export in South Florida, is attacked and robbed, he thinks the only booty the thieves made off with was a stash of precious jewels he has smuggled into the United States with a legitimate shipment. This is the jump start of Augustus' entry deep into the world of organized crime in which his uncle, Mark Kledas, is a significant player. As Augustus learns about all of the items stolen in the heist, he embarks on a search of the goods, discovers who the thieves are, and works towards getting himself a bigger piece of the deal. Painless is rife with violence and back story. Initially, the author's approach to presenting the history of his characters is confusing. Poje drops the reader in the middle of a past event that is already in progress. This technique demands that the reader quickly catch-up. Fortunately, the author is able to tie the history and current events together, all while moving the action along at a 100 mph. Augustus is driven by the tragic deaths of his parents and his adored wife. As he chases after the bad guys, old scars are peeled away and he is enlightened about parts of his past that he never knew existed. Poje has a knack for handling multiple characters and plots. His habit of excessive detail often threatens the pace of the story, but he manages to retain a firm grasp of the readers' attention. Painless is a super-charged crime novel that action addicts will love.