From Booklist Lankester, the freewheeling daughter of a diplomat, thought it might be fun to work part-time for a California bookmaker (an illegal operation). She quickly impressed Ron Sacco, the bookmaker, and started climbing the ladder within his organization, winding up near the top. Soon she was the target of FBI investigators, who wanted to nail Sacco for illegal sports gambling, and eventually she wound up in the Dominican Republic, running a legal gambling operation for Sacco. This fascinating memoir approaches the story from two perspectives: there’s the behind-the-scenes angle, of course, as Lankester takes us deep inside Sacco’s sports-betting operation, but there’s also the personal angle: Lankester was a woman in a man’s world, the only female to hold a position of authority in a sports-betting organization. Her perspective is unique; you will find other books about sports betting, but it’s unlikely you’ll find one that tells the story as insightfully and from as fascinating a vantage point as this one. --David Pitt Read more Review "Marisa Lankester's unique chronicle of high crimes and low company is as wild a ride as any reader is likely to be taken on. She was the lone woman in the eye of a predatory hurricane that blew across continents and devastated countless lives. That she survived is testament to her brains and bravery. The old-timers who invented violence as a second language contended that nothing is deadlier than the female, to cross her was to buck dangerous odds, and this book tells you why." — Barry Gifford, Author of Wild at Heart, Winner Palme D'Or at Cannes Film Festival"Truth is always wilder than fiction. Hold on to your hats and enjoy this page turning look inside the world of sports betting from a good girl gone bad for love." — Laura Atchison"Racing is about being on the edge and that is what I experienced throughout the pages of Dangerous Odds. A must read!" — Juan Pablo Montoya, Formula 1, and NASCAR Race Car Driver"It's unlikely you'll find a book about sports betting that tells the story as insightfully and from as fascinating a vantage point as this one." — David Pitt, Booklist"This is a rollicking good thriller. Non-stop action. We rated it 5 hearts." — Bob Spears, Heartland Reviews"Marisa Lankester tells about the harrowing journey that saw her play a key role in the creation of the first offshore gambling empire." — Sherryl Connelly, New York Daily News"This thriller-like memoir describes bookmaking for an illegal international sports-betting operation. Canadian Lankester, who has been a bookmaker and a model, fell into bookmaking after arriving in Los Angeles to train for a long-distance driving competition. When the police shut down Lankester and her boyfriend/boss's bookmaking operation, the couple moved to his hometown to start over. They married and had a baby, but owing to continued trouble with the law, moved to the Dominican Republic to set up an offshore office and started taking bets anew. Lankester's experience on the island was tumultuous--she spent time in prison, was raped repeatedly by a corrupt official, evaded the FBI, divorced and reconciled, nursed her ex-husband after a near-fatal accident, and became a popular model.VERDICT: This memoir reads like a mystery and keeps readers on the edge of their seats--at one point Lankester must figure out who the mole is inside their organization--and will be popular with fans of true crime and adventure thrillers." — Karen Sandlin Silverman, Library Journal Read more See all Editorial Reviews
A**R
Unbelievable
Have you ever read non-fiction and wondered if it was really fiction? Well, I did as I enjoyed this very entertaining at times thrilier picturing the uncharted world that Marisa Lankester shares on her life's path into and out of the world's largest illegal bookie organization (by dollars per year) known to US authorities.Some of the foibles of the real world of justice, in the United States and then in the Dominican Republic, make one want to seek higher standards of performance for public officials at all levels. Yes, according to the law, this was an illegal enterprise. Yes, it appears to have been aligned with the Mafia, or other criminal elements, at various points in time, if not always,But part of the message is, just like the prohibition of alcohol during prohibition, the size of illegal betting is so stupendous isn't it an anachronism to consider the industry illegal, yet in most cases the betters are let off the hook? Why doesn't government see the opportunity to use this industry to regulate it, protect addicts from themselves, and generate revenue for all levels of goernment, especially in these times of low public resources?The answer to why government does not act has multiple parts, but the bottom line is that elected officials at all levels are living in a world of values that are clearly not held by a majority of the electorate. How refreshing it would be for folks running for office to call it like it is and focus on the public good.Marisa found her way to an apparently legitimate lifestyle and made a significant contribution to the public's understanding of what is consistantly inaccurately reported, especially about charaters like Ron Sacco, by writing this report.This is a very entertaining and worthwhile read.
E**T
Survival at its best
This book was a surprise gem for summer reading. It was a "page-turner" telling a real-life story that sometimes was hard to believe. Either the author was terribly naive, or she in some way enjoyed the ride through the jungle of gamblers and con men in the dark world of international book-making. She survives a number of scrapes with the law that left you wondering if they would ever nail her. Her loyalty to a doped- up boozer husband was a mystery. But he manged enough charm and cunning to keep her on the string, while managing a rather complex bookmaking operation- even after nearly killing himself in a motorcycle accident as a result of his drinking. All the twist and turns of her daily life in the Dominican Republic , including daily rape by a Dominican general surprisingly did not diminish her love for the island and its people.
J**E
Dangerous Odds
Expose of big time gambling in the Dominican Republic. Marisa Lankester tells all about her involvement in Bookmaking. She is open n telling her involvement, not glossing over the sordid details of the times in local prisons and thru it all her love of the Country. This was a realistic portrayal of crooked police, scheming gamblers and yet you have sympathetic feelings for her. She fell in love with a man who turned out to be a career criminal. Her story held my interest throughout. My hope s that she has found peace and happiness wherever life took her.
T**E
I loved this book
I loved this book. It is more of a memoir that a true crime thriller but is is a fascinating memoir. It is about a girl who marries the wrong guy and is pulled into a world that resolves around illegal betting. They have lots of problems with the law in the US and in the Dominican republic. While they do have short periods of tranquility and success,they inevitably face challenges and crises that keep the reader glued to the story.
J**O
A GREAT NON-FICTION READ
If you gamble on-line YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK. It is of interest to gamblers, in general, but for those who gamble on-line, this is an eye-opener into a world the average gambler knows very little about. A GREAT NON-FICTION READ!
M**S
To Choose a Dangerous Life and Survive!
Reading the book Dangerous Odds was much like actually being there. It opens your eyes to the choices each of us make throughout our lives and what can happen with one wrong decision that turns into other bad choices. Marisa Lankester is a strong willed-woman and kept herself barely above water, but continued into a better current. I'm happy she made it through and turned her life into something worth while.
W**S
but certainly better than I could have ever done
Interesting story, kept moving, kept me reading. Writing style was a bit rudimentary, but certainly better than I could have ever done! The content was good enough to get the point across cogently and the storyline moved along at a good pace. The author has lived an interesting life and her explanation of the gambling underground world was a great education.
Z**Y
Dangerous odds was dangerously mediocre
Easy read,not much substance to it. Overall a interesting story but lacked the fine detail and minutiae that makes a good book great. At times I fealt like the author was trying to hard.It was a page turner and others you knew what was going to happen next and parts were redundant. I think it will make a better movie than book. Not great, but not bad!
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