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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2585 KP) rated Big F@!king Deal in Books

Apr 13, 2026 (Updated Apr 13, 2026)  
Big F@!king Deal
Big F@!king Deal
Lawrence Allan | 2023 | Mystery
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
A Kidnapping is Always a Big Deal
This book picks up exactly where the previous one ended. Jimmy has just made headlines for the right reason - successfully solving a case. The headlines bring someone from his past back into his life - his father, who just vanished over a decade ago. But Jimmy has no time to worry about what his father wants since one of the wealthiest families in LA has hired him to find their college age son who has been kidnapped. The kidnappers have given them until Friday to put the ransom together. Can Jimmy find the young man before time runs out?

I loved the first book in the series, and I enjoyed this one, too. The plot wasn’t quite as strong, but it kept me turning the pages the entire way through. The cast is good, but Jimmy really shines. I loved the humor, especially Jimmy’s observations in the first-person narration. As the title implies, this isn’t a cozy, but the language and violence are used well and aren’t excessive. I’m hoping to get to the third soon.
  
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David McK (3816 KP) rated Ransom (1996) in Movies

Nov 7, 2021  
Ransom (1996)
Ransom (1996)
1996 | Action, Drama, Mystery
6
7.3 (13 Ratings)
Movie Rating Watch
Mid-90s thriller, starring Mel Gibson (back when he was still at the height of his career, before going completely loco IRL and getting himself into all sorts of trouble) as a wealthy airline owner whose son is kidnapped, and who must pay a ransom in order to get the kid back.

However, for 'reasons', and following a botched attempt to do so which the FBI crash, he decides instead to offer the ransom as a bounty on the kidnappers instead - kidnappers which the film has no qualms whatsoever about revealing from pretty much the get go.

That would have been a great twist (offering the ransom as a bounty, I mean) had the marketing for the movie not relied so heavily on it.

There's also surprisingly little made of it in the movie proper, save for one or two throwaway lines by interviewed citizens on the street.

As such, the film really relies on the 'star power' of Gibson himself and his co-star Rene Russo, alongside a strong turn by FBI agent Delroy Lindo and Gary Sinise.

The result is one of Gibson's more forgettable mid-90s thrillers, I feel.