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Jonah Gibson
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A Cup of Pending: Revenge - South Beach Style Kindle Edition

by Jonah Gibson (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 out of 5 stars 32
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A delicious tale of revenge gone so wrong it just feels right!

This raucous tale of mayhem begins with a couple of vagrants trying to score some free coffee in Miami and winds its way through the Tropics in an ever widening spiral of danger featuring a quirky cast of miscreants, dupes, and victims.


Cliff Trask stands at the center. He just wants a little justice … and maybe to resurrect a bit of the life he used to enjoy before falling on hard times. He succeeds beyond his wildest expectations, and that's the start of a whole new raft of problems. He is soon embroiled with crooked cops, smarmy lawyers, a gaggle of divorcees, and a cartel assassin with unusual reading habits. As if that weren't enough, the whole thing plays out on a Miami based reality TV show where Cliff manages to become the star of this unfolding disaster.


Will Cliff wind up dead at the hands of the determined forces arrayed against him, or will he and his friends marshal their collective street savvy to escape an awful fate at the last possible instant?


This second novel from Jonah Gibson probes the ironies of The Book of Job with uproarious consequences. Full of thrills, humor, and suspense - with a dash of romance – A Cup of Pending reads like Carl Hiaasen, Elmore Leonard, and Donald Westlake rolled up into an impious look at modern social sensibilities with enough surprises to keep you turning pages until the very end.

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  1. Print length
    330 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publication date
    June 27, 2016
  5. File size
    3451 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
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Editorial Reviews

Review

With the series of coincidences going off like a string of firecrackers, this well-written thriller is amusing and entertaining by turns, guaranteed to keep you turning pages.Book Blog review at byriteofword.com

From the Author

As with my first novel, Speedster, bits of this story are based on things that really happened. I'll leave it to you, the reader, to figure out which, but if you get stumped you can visit my author site and find some clues. Or you can just contact me and ask. You'll have to convince me that you tried though. Tell me your best guess, and I'll let you know whether or not you're off the mark.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01GPD22S8
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Jonah Gibson - Aimless Arts; 1st edition (June 27, 2016)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 27, 2016
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3451 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 330 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 out of 5 stars 32

About the author

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Jonah Gibson

Jonah Gibson

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Jonah Gibson grew up in a one-stoplight town in Western Ohio. Nestled among soy bean fields and overrun with turkey flocks, it had six churches, six taverns, and six gas stations. Jonah got his moral sensibilities in one of the churches, and developed his quirky lens for social observation in the taverns—all six of 'em. Then he gassed up and left town. He still looks back fondly.

Jonah currently resides in Lakeland, Florida with his wife and a retired racing greyhound named Bean. He writes funny books, posts funny blog entries, and tries generally to escape the 'slings and arrows of outrageous fortune' with as many naps as Bean will allow.

You can see details and samples of Jonah's books and writing, view his artwork, and engage yourself reading his ruminations on sundry stuff at:

http://www.jonahgibsonarts.com/

or follow @aimlessjonah on Twitter

or https://www.facebook.com/AimlessJonah/ on his Facebook page.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
32 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Jon J Dougherty
5.0 out of 5 stars this is the best novel in this genre that I have read in ...
Reviewed in the United States on January 25, 2018
Verified Purchase
In all honesty, this is the best novel in this genre that I have read in many years. Mr. Gibson's writing is concise and easily readable with nothing to deflect one's attention form the flow of the story. Technical info concerning the crimes involved is presented in lay terms which will be effortlessly absorbed by most readers and the plot unfolds and moves without jumps or seams. His characters are quite believable; easygoing, likable protagonists who possess high moral standards but are decidedly more interested in justice than the exact letter of the law, and the bad guys range from the kind of greedy and self-serving types that you probably encounter in your daily life, up through the spectrum to outright thugs and killers. Humor is understated, intelligent, and well woven through the story. Mr. Gibson's first novel, Speedster, was quite good. This one is outstanding. His next is eagerly awaited.
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jeanniell
4.0 out of 5 stars Great set-pieces
Reviewed in the United States on December 4, 2016
A butterfly flaps its wings in Tokyo-or, in this case, a rich jerk called Oliver deliberately trips up a homeless guy in South Beach Florida- and off we go on a chaotic ride through the world of high-finance, high-tech and hi-jinks gangster-style.
The book opens with a quotation from the book of Job, setting the tone for this morality tale where we are cheering on the little guys and rubbing our hands in glee as the big villains get their comeuppance. But ‘A Cup of Pending’ is not just a morality tale, it’s a mad caper, a social commentary and a romance.
The plot is complex, involving numerous characters who are thrown together through a combination of serendipity and the Fickle Finger of Karma. On the side of the Good are two homeless men, Tommy and Cliff, who get their revenge on Number 1 Baddie, loan shark Oliver Crews, by stealing all the money out of his bank accounts and transferring the ill-gotten gains into a charity for the Homeless. (Please don’t ask how–this was way above my head, but it all sounded very persuasive.) Spinning off from this is a subplot involving Oliver’s wife, Heather, and his mistress, Grace, stars of a hit reality TV show produced by Maggie, daughter of Blanche and John who have somehow ended up administering Tommy and Cliff’s newly-established charity. Following so far? Good. Now throw in nasty Oliver’s even nastier clients, a gang of South American drug lords, and dirty cop Captain Rutledge, running a double scam by pretending to catch the drug lords while siphoning off lots of their money for himself.
In spite of the large and varied cast, Jonah Gibson does an excellent job of making each character memorable often through pithy and apposite descriptions that nail their different personalities. The writing in general is admirably smooth and polished, but what is particularly appealing is Gibson’s comic flair for capturing the flavour of a particular scene. Here’s mistress Grace nibbling on Oliver’s ear-‘the one without the Bluetooth earpiece’, or malodorous, homeless Cliff finding himself the subject of opprobrium in a church, and getting rescued by the saintly Grace who raises her eyes heavenwards and ‘so fervent was her gaze Cliff almost believed God must be on the other side of the tiles, hiding in the conduit and duct work, just waiting for the chance to bless a petitioner.’ There are several of these brilliantly evoked set-pieces. The world of reality TV (‘in Maggie’s experience, shallow women tended to judge one another based on their beverage choices as much as on their moral failings’), the scenes with the drug lords (‘running a drug cartel is not all champagne and naked girls like they make it look in the movies. It can be very stressful at times…he might have to sell a submarine…’) and their terrifying hitman the Fang, a closet romance-novel junkie.
Apart from being an absorbing and funny read (there were echoes of Hiaasen and Elmore Leonard), another thing I liked was the character development. This was particularly noticeable in the case of the two main protagonists, Cliff and Heather, who both learn from their experiences and grow into different people.
Highly recommended for those who like their crime thrillers thoroughly shaken and stirred with a twist of crazy and a generous dash of fun.
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Lainey Bird
5.0 out of 5 stars You will love this Cup!
Reviewed in the United States on July 6, 2016
Verified Purchase
A Cup of Pending is vastly different from my normal "cup of tea" in reading material. Memoirs and historical fiction are genres that I normally indulge in, so I didn’t expect to enjoy this action-packed adventure. Once I started reading, however, I was hooked by the tightly-woven plot in this light-hearted romp with wealthy socialites, bimbo reality- TV stars, down-trodden former accountants, and drug lords. The author interjected hilarious introspection and political barbs at just the right time to ease the suspense, and I couldn’t put it down! It’s a page-turner and a fun read, with brilliant dialogue to sweeten the cup!
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Marsha Dahleeng
3.0 out of 5 stars Nice writing style, author is a good communicator.
Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2016
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The author has a great writing style, pleasant and easy to follow. The story itself took unexpected turns, and that was good - but the subject matter and characters were not such that I could relate to them/it, thus it was not able to hold my attention.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Recommend!
Reviewed in the United States on November 19, 2016
Verified Purchase
I enjoyed reading this book! I'm a delayed gratification reader, so I took my time. I enjoyed going back to reading each time to find the characters behaving in unexpected ways. The characters were developed so well. That's very important for me, to hold my interest, and the author didn't disappoint. The stories within the story, which all came together to make such a unique adventure made this one of my favorites. I always enjoy a Florida setting and much of it felt as if it could be current news from the Florida elete wannabe's.
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Robert
5.0 out of 5 stars I really loved this book
Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2016
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I really loved this book! And as others said, don't start reading at bedtime, because you won't want to quit! The characters were hysterical, but also real, and you couldn't help but empathize with them. I think one of my favorites was Alejandro, of the Columbian cartel! I kept trying to guess how it could possibly end, and was completely blown away when it finally came! This is my favorite so far by this wonderful author, and I can't wait for his next book to get here!
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Top reviews from other countries

Wolf DeVoon
3.0 out of 5 stars Has potential as a movie
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 14, 2017
Verified Purchase
I found myself shaking my head at nonstop exposition, especially tedious explication of money laundering, shady business loans, credit card terminal leases, and page after page of lead-footed narration. Dialogue is not this author's forte.

The first act has a fairly small cast of named characters -- about a dozen -- and it revolves around revenge for a social slight, a reality TV show, a corrupt cop, and a theological conundrum. Some of this is explained away by the TV producer: “Sorry about Daddy,” Maggie offered. “He's had a stick up his ass ever since Obama got elected.” Ayn Rand gets a punch in the nose, explaining greed and cruelty.

Good guy Cliff is homeless, smells bad, a cancer victim and former stock analyst who went broke and lost a wife who didn't like the idea of hardship. He cleans up in borrowed clothes, navigates the Great and Good like a 007 chick magnet and -- to avenge a social slight against an equally broke vagrant pal -- electronically pilfers $45 million in dope interdiction graft. Go ahead, pull the other one.

“The address on this license is no longer current," the guy said. "You understand you are required to notify DMV of any change in address?”
“I understand that, officer,” Cliff said, “but I'm homeless so I don't actually have an address.”
“You're homeless, but you're driving around South Beach in a hundred thousand dollar car? You care to explain that so it makes enough sense I don't have to run you in?”

Not to worry. Here come the Columbian drug lords to make everything worse. But Cliff is ready for them, in a metaphor that spans an amazing paragraph: "At rare intervals in his existence, life would serve up a fat pitch to Cliff, high and away, right where he liked it, right where he knew he could get a lot of wood on it. Time would slow down in these moments. He would see everything with clarity and certainty. He wouldn't be presented with a lot of options that only confused his purpose. There would only be the ball, coming at him so slowly that he could count the stitches and read the label as it came. The bat in his hands would resonate, an extension of his soul, only with a lot more substance." We previously heard Cliff confess to throwing walnuts at a neighbor's window, to explain why he bedded a hot cheerleader.

Hmph. It seems to me that the proper rating for this novel is at least 3 stars for its potential as a movie, chock full of sympathetic characters and ludicrous story beats that would fill two hours on the big screen with sexy women, preposterous villains, goofy complications, homeless vs privilege, and an aww-gee humble ending.
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