He selects an exotic olive-skinned beauty named Breeze and the two hit it off, so much so that he asks that she accompany him for a while longer than that first night so she can teach him what women desire in a man. Breeze asks a lot of probing questions about his finances and her story doesn't exactly line up; but of course, Arnold didn't use his real name anyway, so what's the big deal? "Toby Taylor" can't be traced back to his real life. Before long, he finds himself trying to impress this beautiful woman and he reveals a bit of what he does to make his money and naturally, Breeze wants to see him in action. His ego gets the better of him and he shows off and before he knows it, Breeze gets Arnold involved in something way bigger than he could have ever imagined and refusing to comply could cost him his freedom or even his very life.
I enjoyed Deadly Odds and found it to be a quick read. I was afraid that the book might be a bit too insulting to nerds or programmers, but other than propagating the myth that all nerds are unattractive and can't find a woman, it wasn't too bad in that department. While I found the situation Arnold ends up in a little ridiculous - after all, the man is brilliant, yet allows himself to become a pawn - I still enjoyed the story. I found Deadly Odds more believable and enjoyable than the previous Allen Wyler novel I read, Dead Wrong, only because the characters seemed more realistic. Deadly Odds is a fun book to bring on vacation, as long as you aren't going to Vegas and picking up exotic hookers. Then it might put a damper on things... Overall, a good book.
