Brad Mengel

Burn Notice: The Bad Beat (2011) Tod Goldberg

Sunday, December 25, 2011 4:43:34 AM

It appears that I have been somewhat remiss in reviewing Tod Goldberg’s five Burn Notice novels. All five are excellent and capture the tone and feel of the series and the three lead characters perfectly.
All five exploits would be excellent episodes of the TV series that spawned them. The series features Michael Westen as a spy who had his official privileges revoked (a burn notice) and now works helping people as he tries to find the people who burnt him and get back his official sanction. Michael is helped by an ex SEAL Sam Axe and former girlfriend and IRA member Fiona Glenane.

The Bad Beat sees Michael dragged into helping Sam in a seemingly simple case of trying to chase off some loan sharks. When these sharks blow up the office of their client, Michael realises that this is much bigger and uncovers a web of NSA backed bookies, former KGB smugglers, a gambling addict Notory Public and a teenaged genius. Michael, Sam and Fi must play all sides against each other in an elaborate con to help their client.

Sadly The Bad Beat is Goldberg’s last Burn Notice novel and he will be working on other projects. (although according to his blog a few people didn’t get this memo and thought that his new electronic short story collection “Where You Live” should have been chock full of Burn Notice goodness)

If you like Burn Notice I would recommend all five of the novels The Fix, The End Game, The Giveaway, The Reformed and The Bad Beat.

The Myth Hunter by Percival Constantine (2011) Pulpwork Press (ebook)The Death Merchant Returns in 2012

Comments

FreeLiveFree # Tuesday, December 27, 2011 7:44:37 PM

I remember from Crossovers that the first Burn Notice had a reference to Miami Vice. Are they any crossovers or references in this one?

Brad MengelAggressorBrad1 # Wednesday, December 28, 2011 7:44:30 AM

From memory there were no references or crossovers in this book or the other books except the first.

FreeLiveFree # Wednesday, December 28, 2011 7:39:21 PM

Rats

Brad MengelAggressorBrad1 # Wednesday, December 28, 2011 8:28:17 PM

I did however catch a very subtle reference to Mission Impossible in the second last episode of season 4.

FreeLiveFree # Wednesday, December 28, 2011 9:30:15 PM

It must have been very subtle since I missed it completely. What was it?

Brad MengelAggressorBrad1 # Wednesday, December 28, 2011 9:43:07 PM

In the episode Michael hacks into the federal employee database, the name he gets works for the IMF. Since the International Monetary Fund isn't an agency of the United States it can't be that, therefore it must be Impossible Missions Force.

There's a small part of me that likes to think that Michael's actions brought about the events of Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol.

FreeLiveFree # Thursday, December 29, 2011 12:59:45 AM

Now you've made me feel stupid. I remember watching that scene and thinking it's a reference to Mission Impossible then I thought it was International Monetary Fund.

The international part should have given me a clue.

Brad MengelAggressorBrad1 # Thursday, December 29, 2011 7:17:35 AM

I admit I did a wikipedia check to see if there were any other possible IMF as well. I recall Win has a connection in the Mel Gibson movie Conspiracy Theory where Mel character goes off about the agencies out to get him and he says IMF twice.

todgoldberg # Thursday, December 29, 2011 7:44:59 AM

Thanks for the nice words, Brad. Actually, there's always a crossover or two in every one of the Burn Notice books as just a little way to pay homage to the great spies and detectives I loved as a kid. Some of them are more apparent than others (like Michael and Sam signing in for a meeting in The Reformed as Napoleon Solo and Illy Kuryakin) but you'll always find an Easter egg or two if you're looking.

Brad MengelAggressorBrad1 # Sunday, January 1, 2012 9:24:17 AM

Thanks Tod, I remember seeing the Reformed reference now and I spotted a MacGyver in The Bad Beat.

FreeLiveFree # Sunday, January 15, 2012 5:00:24 AM

There is apparently another reference to the IMF in an episode, but it's not clear if it's the Impossible Mission Force or International Monetary Fund.

http://toobworld.blogspot.com/2011/01/imf-fidelity.html