DIRTY Money has taught me never to judge a book by only its cover, but also by the hype surrounding its author.

DIRTY Money has taught me never to judge a book by only its cover, but also by the hype surrounding its author.

The blurb contains glowing reviews which sparked my interest in the crime caper.

Richard Stark is a celebrated crime writer, with many books under his name and other pseudonyms.

The story line is simple enough - focusing on the aftermath of a bank robbery gone wrong.

It follows the main character, Parker, the only person in the book without a last name, and his gang of robbers.

The gang robs a bank of millions of dollars, which they are forced to stash after one of their members kills a police officer.

They hide the money in an abandoned church amid boxes of hymn books.

With the police hot on their heels, Parker and his gang are forced to come up with an elaborate plan to get the money back and trade it overseas where it cannot be traced.

The money trail attracts other dodgy characters also interested in the loot, and whom Parker has to swiftly eliminate.

The pace of the book fluctuates, with the storyline jumping backwards and forwards. This, however, does little to take the story forward. Instead, it leaves the reader frustrated at having to go back a few pages and eventually indifferent.

Dirty Money fails to deliver on the "bullet-speed velocity" promised on the blurb.