Odd Jobs

Written by Ben Lieberman

Narrated by Will Damron

Since his father’s murder, Kevin Davenport has worked every odd job known to man to support himself and his widowed mother. But when he signs on to haul beef at Kosher World Meat Factory, what he thought was just another lousy part-time gig turns out to be the opportunity of a lifetime.

Kevin discovers that the meatpacking business is a front for a treacherous criminal syndicate. While working at the corrupt meat factory he finds out who killed his father and now all bets are off. Kevin has the chance to settle the score and he’ll tackle any job—club fighting, bookmaking, even drug dealing—to earn his revenge. But can he do it all without sacrificing his soul…or, God forbid, flunking out of school?

Praised by bestselling author James Patterson as “a tightly-wound, well-written mystery that I read in one sitting,” Odd Jobs introduces a bold and edgy new voice to the ranks of American crime fiction.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Dec 10, 2013
• ISBN: 9781480558250

Ben Lieberman

Ben Lieberman earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Maryland. While his background is scattered with some bizarre odd jobs in his youth, he did manage a more conventional livelihood as an adult. For over twenty years, Lieberman worked in institutional sales and trading for some of the most prestigious and well-known banks in the world. Ben worked at JPMorgan, Merrill Lynch, Union Bank of Switzerland, and he was at Lehman Brothers at the very end during the financial meltdown of 2008. Odd Jobs is not about finance, but the ruthless, competitive, and urgent environment of the trading floor is applied to create an exciting, darkly-humorous, and award-winning debut crime thriller. During his time working in finance Lieberman followed his passion to write novels by taking classes at Columbia University, NYU and various writer workshops. Ben currently resides in Chappaqua, New York.

Reviews for Odd Jobs

[Angela Hicks · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book was a pleasure to listen to. I want to find more books like this.

[krushkelsey · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

When i started this book i was wary and disappointed. it was very ametureish and the character seemed to change by mood of the writer and wouldn't stay consistant. i know you can ignore that when it's in first person but it still bugged me. HOWEVER, by the end i couldn't put it down and in the middle was very intrigued. i really liked the story and the plot was quite well done. it is set up for a sequel which i hope there is one. it was the kind of start alot of books allude to. the super killer with the sad past kicks but in 12 books and sometimes they do a prequel but they tend to be a bit sparse. this is the prequel they're looking for. but since it's done first it has more feeling and it stands on its own.definently worth a read.

[ajwseven · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A strong first book by Lieberman and a unique, yet relatable, character in Kevin Davenport. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[rob80ert · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I thought this book jumped around a bit but I'm also glad I stuck it out. I like how the character developed. I think I need to read one more by Lieberman with Kevin to see if I'll continue with the series, if any. I see more coming with this character. I wouldn't recommend having Donald Trump endorse anymore of your books though.

[dbower_21 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

While I had trouble getting into the book i was happy that I stuck with it. The ending was worth the struggle in the beginning. Generally this book does not fit within my preferred genre (mystery and police/private investigator). This is a college student becomes drug dealer/bookie meets the mob thriller with a twist. Kevin Davenport lost his father (who was district attorney) in a drive by shooting/mob hit when he was young. This turns his life upside down and despite his family not having much money he goes on to college where he gets in with the wealthy crowd. Over the summer he goes to work for a meat packing plant and everything goes crazy. He learns who killed his father and he plots his revenge. In some ways it is a modern version of the movie "The Sting". While I wish the writing style was more consistent I am glad I had the opportunity to read this book.

[jrmall4books · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

So this was one of those books that I am truly surprised that I actually finished. It was very slow going in the beginning and I was having a hard time really getting into when the actual plot of the book was going to creep up. I believe it was just around the middle of the book, when the real story began. Now I am aware that sometimes in a book it requires some explanation leading up to the real plot in order for the reader to understand certain aspects that the author needs to describe characters. However, in this book, I am still having a hard time placing what all the stuff in the beginning has to do with the real reason for the book. I finished the book with a ton of unanswered questions. There were so many things going in this book, that I had a hard time keeping up with where the author was going, or for that matter where he had just been. It just seemed as though there was a lot of jumping around with the characters in this book, that you could get lost very easily. Not terrible writing, but I was very lost in the end.

[draak_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

To be honest the book started off with a whole lot of promise buts gets really slow in the middle to where it finally just lost my interest. I have put the book aside to read something else and maybe I will get back to it. If it feels like pulling teeth just to pick up the book, then it's time to step back.

[command3r · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Odd Jobs is a briskly paced mob thriller that reads very quickly. Ben Leiberman's writing style is a very easy read. Where the book does suffer is in keeping a consistent tone. Each of the three acts has its own distinct tone. We go from the gritty world of the mob controlled meat packing plant to a much lighter tale of a college student running illicit operations with his friends, to a special forces style take down at the end. Overall, the brisk pace keeps the story moving and makes for a fun summer read.

[bumpersmom · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

If this is the first book in a new series, it has a lot of promise and I would be willing to read more. The author has written this book with a smooth flow to the story, and ties up the loose ends nicely. The title doesn't necessarily make sense to the story, it seems to detract a bit, since it's not "odd jobs" but a character with multiple money making schemes to meet his needs while pursuing his ultimate goal of finding who is responsible for the murder of his father and sister. The book actually ends with a beginning.....the offer of a new career opportunity that could start a series for this character.

[dekan-6 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

When i started this book i was wary and disappointed. it was very ametureish and the character seemed to change by mood of the writer and wouldn't stay consistant. i know you can ignore that when it's in first person but it still bugged me. HOWEVER, by the end i couldn't put it down and in the middle was very intrigued. i really liked the story and the plot was quite well done. it is set up for a sequel which i hope there is one. it was the kind of start alot of books allude to. the super killer with the sad past kicks but in 12 books and sometimes they do a prequel but they tend to be a bit sparse. this is the prequel they're looking for. but since it's done first it has more feeling and it stands on its own.definently worth a read.

[iddrazin · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This first book by Ben Lieberman received well deserved praise from many sources. James Patterson, for example, called the novel “a tightly-wound, well written mystery.” Readers will find themselves being drawn more and more into the mystery as they read it, making it difficult to put it down. Patterson wrote that he read it in a single sitting.The book is about Kevin Davenport, a 21 year old, whose father, a Deputy DA, died in an apparent hit and run accident. His mother was unable to face the calamity and sank into passive depression, leaving Kevin, then aged 11, to care for the two of them. They were soon quite poor.But coincidences happen to Kevin that he uses for his advantage. Someone sees him playing basketball and gets him a scholarship to a prep school. While there he helps the son of a very influential man who promises to assist him later in life. He hurts his leg and is unable to get a scholarship to college, but he uses the opportunity to learn how to box. The man whose son he helped gets him a job at Kosher World, a meat processing business. He is mistreated at Kosher World, and given the worst jobs. He discovers an ex-CIA man working at the firm, who is hiding from the CIA. He finds out that the Kosher World employees are looking for a man to fight an illegal fist fights and volunteers. He discovers that crimes are being committed at Kosher World and a man is brutally murdered, his head is chopped off. He becomes mixed up in the crimes, and finds that they extend beyond the meat processing firm.Kevin begins to realize that he has a conscience and is able to think. He decides that he will help stop the crimes even though he is placing himself in danger by doing so.

[gatorhater · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is an intriguing story about revenge, when 10 year old, Kevin Davenport witnesses a hit and run accident that kills his dad, a D.A. for New York and his 5 year old sister, Katie. It contains clandestine meetings with friends, co-workers and some retired individuals from our military elite forces, involving murder, blackmail, theft, treason and extortion.

[bookdivasreads · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Kevin Davenport seems to be your typical college student, willing to take odd jobs to get money for college. But Kevin is anything but typical. During a summer job at a meat processing plant he learns that his "boss" was behind his father and younger sister's deaths many years ago. So Kevin does what any self-respecting person seeking revenge does, he goes back to college, becomes a drug-dealer and bookie with the intention of bringing down the mafia boss responsible for his father and sister's deaths, Jimmy Balducci.Odd Jobs is not a typical mystery, suspense thriller novel. That may be appealing to many readers. I enjoy different and quirky reads but this simply wasn't one of those reads for me. There were parts of the story that were enjoyable to read and others that seemed far-fetched, such as the elaborate plot to bring down Jimmy Balducci. The characters are interesting enough but all seem to be willing to overlook illegal actions simply because they are for the greater good, including beating up a teenage sibling to a college basketball player to get a "fixed" game "unfixed" so they don't lose money. I'm not quite sure why I didn't enjoy this book, perhaps my sense of right-and-wrong interfered in any possibility of enjoying this book. Although this didn't appeal to my reading tastes if you enjoy reading an atypical suspense thriller then Odd Jobs may be just the book for you.