
Bad Action
Billy Cunningham, Book 2
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $25.00
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Nick Podehl
-
By:
-
James Swain
About this listen
Con artist Billy Cunningham is no stranger to the casinos of Las Vegas - he's ripped off every single one. But his latest scam - a year in the making - promises his crew their biggest payday yet. Billy has thought of everything down to the last detail...or so he thinks.
He hasn't counted on the father-son team of contract killers looking to cash in on Billy's head. Or his old flame, Maggie Flynn, out for payback for her broken heart. If Billy and his team can pass themselves off as high rollers for a week straight, living it up in Vegas's most exclusive suites and box seats, they'll get their chance to make their VIP status permanent. It's the biggest scam of their lives - if they live.
©2016 James Swain (P)2016 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Take Down
- Billy Cunningham, Book 1
- By: James Swain
- Narrated by: Nick Podehl
- Length: 11 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
There are hundreds of casinos in Las Vegas, and Billy Cunningham knows how to rip off every one. His scams are a thing of beauty - so perfectly orchestrated that onlookers believe he and his crew are winning fair and square. In a town where bosses will kill to protect their profits, Billy can't afford to make mistakes, but even the best-laid plans can go wrong...
-
-
Meaningless time-passer
- By Marc on 04-15-15
By: James Swain
-
Sucker Bet
- By: James Swain
- Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
- Length: 8 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tony Valentine is a retired Atlantic City cop and a master hunter of casino cheats, or "grifters." He has the talent to spot cheats over a casino's surveillance cameras from the moment they come off the street and begin to take a part in the action. Valentine IDs his prey and moves in for the kill.
-
-
Interesting and entertaining
- By James on 06-11-04
By: James Swain
-
Midnight Rambler
- By: James Swain
- Narrated by: Peter Jay Fernandez
- Length: 9 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Years ago, South Florida cop Jack Carpenter beat up a murder suspect named Simon Skell, a dangerous predator with a penchant for playing the Rolling Stones' "Midnight Rambler" as he tortured young women. When Jack lost his temper, he lost his job and marriage, too; so as Skell's early release from prison draws near, the tarnished hero, now a specialist in missing-child cases, sees an opportunity to make things right.
-
-
Not one of James Swain's best
- By Maryfrances on 12-04-07
By: James Swain
-
The Billy Beckett Box Set: Books 1-3
- By: Scott Pratt, Kelly Hodge
- Narrated by: Tim Campbell
- Length: 18 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jarvis Thompson, the most celebrated wide receiver in college football, vanishes along the Tennessee River in the middle of the night. The circumstances surrounding the receiver’s disappearance are ominous: drugs, cash, and his mentor’s brother lying in a pool of blood. It’s up to Jarvis’ mentor and soon-to-be agent Billy Beckett to investigate the mystery and find his beloved protégé before the clock runs out. Was it a brazen kidnapping? A setup? Or did Jarvis get in too deep and run?
-
-
Loved the box set
- By Kimberly M Hardin on 08-16-24
By: Scott Pratt, and others
-
Void Moon
- By: Michael Connelly
- Narrated by: L.J. Ganser
- Length: 10 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In L.A., Cassie Black is another beautiful woman in a Porsche: except Cassie just did six years in prison and still has "outlaw juice" flowing in her veins. Now Cassie is returning to her old profession, taking down a money man in Vegas. But the perfect heist goes very wrong, and suddenly Cassie is on the run - with a near-psychotic Vegas "fixer" killing everyone who knew about the job.
-
-
Connelly rules!
- By Snoodely on 09-26-09
By: Michael Connelly
-
The Lie Maker
- A Novel
- By: Linwood Barclay
- Narrated by: Johnathan McClain, Graham Halstead
- Length: 10 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Your dad’s not a good person. Your dad killed people, son. These are some of the last words Jack Givins’ father spoke to him before he was whisked away by witness protection, leaving Jack and his mother to pick up the shattered pieces of their lives as best they could. Years later, Jack is a grown man with problems of his own. He’s a talented but struggling author, barely scraping by on the royalties from his moderately successful first book. So when the U.S. Marshals approach him with a lucrative opportunity, he’s in no position to turn them down.
-
-
Wow!
- By Dee Norenberg on 05-17-23
By: Linwood Barclay
-
Take Down
- Billy Cunningham, Book 1
- By: James Swain
- Narrated by: Nick Podehl
- Length: 11 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
There are hundreds of casinos in Las Vegas, and Billy Cunningham knows how to rip off every one. His scams are a thing of beauty - so perfectly orchestrated that onlookers believe he and his crew are winning fair and square. In a town where bosses will kill to protect their profits, Billy can't afford to make mistakes, but even the best-laid plans can go wrong...
-
-
Meaningless time-passer
- By Marc on 04-15-15
By: James Swain
-
Sucker Bet
- By: James Swain
- Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
- Length: 8 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tony Valentine is a retired Atlantic City cop and a master hunter of casino cheats, or "grifters." He has the talent to spot cheats over a casino's surveillance cameras from the moment they come off the street and begin to take a part in the action. Valentine IDs his prey and moves in for the kill.
-
-
Interesting and entertaining
- By James on 06-11-04
By: James Swain
-
Midnight Rambler
- By: James Swain
- Narrated by: Peter Jay Fernandez
- Length: 9 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Years ago, South Florida cop Jack Carpenter beat up a murder suspect named Simon Skell, a dangerous predator with a penchant for playing the Rolling Stones' "Midnight Rambler" as he tortured young women. When Jack lost his temper, he lost his job and marriage, too; so as Skell's early release from prison draws near, the tarnished hero, now a specialist in missing-child cases, sees an opportunity to make things right.
-
-
Not one of James Swain's best
- By Maryfrances on 12-04-07
By: James Swain
-
The Billy Beckett Box Set: Books 1-3
- By: Scott Pratt, Kelly Hodge
- Narrated by: Tim Campbell
- Length: 18 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jarvis Thompson, the most celebrated wide receiver in college football, vanishes along the Tennessee River in the middle of the night. The circumstances surrounding the receiver’s disappearance are ominous: drugs, cash, and his mentor’s brother lying in a pool of blood. It’s up to Jarvis’ mentor and soon-to-be agent Billy Beckett to investigate the mystery and find his beloved protégé before the clock runs out. Was it a brazen kidnapping? A setup? Or did Jarvis get in too deep and run?
-
-
Loved the box set
- By Kimberly M Hardin on 08-16-24
By: Scott Pratt, and others
-
Void Moon
- By: Michael Connelly
- Narrated by: L.J. Ganser
- Length: 10 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In L.A., Cassie Black is another beautiful woman in a Porsche: except Cassie just did six years in prison and still has "outlaw juice" flowing in her veins. Now Cassie is returning to her old profession, taking down a money man in Vegas. But the perfect heist goes very wrong, and suddenly Cassie is on the run - with a near-psychotic Vegas "fixer" killing everyone who knew about the job.
-
-
Connelly rules!
- By Snoodely on 09-26-09
By: Michael Connelly
-
The Lie Maker
- A Novel
- By: Linwood Barclay
- Narrated by: Johnathan McClain, Graham Halstead
- Length: 10 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Your dad’s not a good person. Your dad killed people, son. These are some of the last words Jack Givins’ father spoke to him before he was whisked away by witness protection, leaving Jack and his mother to pick up the shattered pieces of their lives as best they could. Years later, Jack is a grown man with problems of his own. He’s a talented but struggling author, barely scraping by on the royalties from his moderately successful first book. So when the U.S. Marshals approach him with a lucrative opportunity, he’s in no position to turn them down.
-
-
Wow!
- By Dee Norenberg on 05-17-23
By: Linwood Barclay
-
The Southern Lawyer
- The Southern Lawyer Series, Book 1
- By: Peter O'Mahoney
- Narrated by: Bradford Hastings
- Length: 8 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After more than twenty years away from the law, Joe Hennessy is forced back into the courtroom. Trying to save his vineyard after years of drought, Hennessy returns to practice in Charleston, South Carolina–the city he walked away from after the murder of his ten-year-old son. When one of South Carolina's most powerful men is charged with possessing stolen artwork, Hennessy steps forward to defend him. But as Hennessy digs into the evidence, as he navigates the truth, he finds that the criminal charges are only the start of their problems…
-
-
Enjoyed it
- By Rick 73000 on 05-11-23
By: Peter O'Mahoney
-
Take Your Breath Away
- A Novel
- By: Linwood Barclay
- Narrated by: Joe Knezevich, George Newbern, Hillary Huber, and others
- Length: 10 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One weekend, while Andrew Mason was on a fishing trip, his wife, Brie, vanished without a trace. Most everyone assumed Andy had got away with murder—it’s always the husband, isn’t it?—but the police could never build a strong case against him. For a while, Andy hit rock bottom—he drank too much to numb the pain, was abandoned by all his friends save one, nearly lost his business, and became a pariah in the place he once called home.
-
-
Good solid novel from Linwood Barclay…
- By shelley on 05-26-22
By: Linwood Barclay
-
Orphan X
- Evan Smoak, Book 1
- By: Gregg Hurwitz
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 11 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Evan Smoak is a man with skills, resources, and a personal mission to help those with nowhere else to turn. He’s also a man with a dangerous past. Chosen as a child, he was raised and trained as an Orphan, an off-the-books black box program designed to create the perfect deniable intelligence asset: An assassin. Evan was Orphan X - until he broke with the program and used everything he learned to disappear. But now someone is on his tail.
-
-
An Excellent Distraction
- By A. Musser on 06-03-16
By: Gregg Hurwitz
-
The Black Echo: Special Edition
- Harry Bosch, Book 1
- By: Michael Connelly
- Narrated by: Titus Welliver
- Length: 14 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For maverick LAPD homicide detective Harry Bosch, the body in the drainpipe at Mulholland Dam is more than another anonymous statistic. This one is personal...because the murdered man was a fellow Vietnam "tunnel rat" who had fought side by side with him in a hellish underground war. Now Bosch is about to relive the horror of Nam. From a dangerous maze of blind alleys to a daring criminal heist beneath the city, his survival instincts will once again be tested to their limit.
-
-
Titus Welliver has really stepped in it!
- By George Moneo on 04-08-20
By: Michael Connelly
-
Win
- By: Harlan Coben
- Narrated by: Steven Weber
- Length: 10 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Over twenty years ago, the heiress Patricia Lockwood was abducted during a robbery of her family's estate, then locked inside an isolated cabin for months. Patricia escaped, but so did her captors - and the items stolen from her family were never recovered. Until now. On the Upper West Side, a recluse is found murdered in his penthouse apartment, alongside two objects of note: a stolen Vermeer painting and a leather suitcase bearing the initials WHL3. For the first time in years, the authorities have a lead - with the suitcase and painting both pointing them toward one man.
-
-
It’s a WINner!!!!
- By shelley on 03-16-21
By: Harlan Coben
-
Iron Lake
- Cork O'Connor, Book 1
- By: William Kent Krueger
- Narrated by: David Chandler
- Length: 11 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Anthony Award-winning author William Kent Krueger crafts this riveting tale about a small Minnesota town’s ex-sheriff who is having trouble retiring his badge. Cork O’Connor loses his job after being blamed for a tragedy on the local Anishinaabe Indian reservation. But he must set aside his personal demons when a young boy goes missing on the same day a judge commits suicide—and no one but O’Connor suspects foul play.
-
-
Great New Series
- By Lia on 06-01-18
-
American Assassin
- By: Vince Flynn
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 11 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Before he was considered a CIA superagent, before he was thought of as a terrorist's worst nightmare, and before he was both loathed and admired by the politicians on Capitol Hill, Mitch Rapp was a gifted college athlete without a care in the world...and then tragedy struck.
-
-
Flynn never disappoints
- By lesley on 10-12-10
By: Vince Flynn
-
Head Like a Hole
- By: Andrew Van Wey
- Narrated by: Tom Jordan
- Length: 10 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It’s the mid-'90s. Grunge and flannel are fading as the Spice Girls and Hot Topic conquer the malls. Cherry gloss glistens on the lips of the youth. Modems hiss as America comes online. And in a fog-drenched cove at the edge of New England, something terrible awakens when a fisherman reels in a gruesome catch: the remains of a young woman. Remains still pulsing with furious life.
-
-
Very Original Horror Story
- By Mistsofjade on 12-12-22
By: Andrew Van Wey
-
The Short Drop
- Gibson Vaughn
- By: Matthew FitzSimmons
- Narrated by: James Patrick Cronin
- Length: 11 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A decade ago, fourteen-year-old Suzanne Lombard, the daughter of Benjamin Lombard - then a senator, now a powerful vice president running for the presidency - disappeared in the most sensational missing-person case in the nation's history. Still unsolved, the mystery remains a national obsession. For legendary hacker and marine Gibson Vaughn, the case is personal - Suzanne Lombard had been like a sister to him.
-
-
Incredibly wonderful thriller! Magnificant!
- By Wayne on 03-15-16
-
The Crossing
- By: Michael Connelly
- Narrated by: Titus Welliver
- Length: 5 hrs and 59 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Detective Harry Bosch has retired from the LAPD, but his half-brother, defense attorney Mickey Haller, needs his help. The murder rap against his client seems ironclad, but Mickey is sure it's a setup. Though it goes against all his instincts, Bosch takes the case. With the secret help of his former LAPD partner Lucia Soto, he turns the investigation inside the police department. But as Bosch gets closer to discovering the truth, he makes himself a target.
-
-
I’d like my money back
- By don'tlistenivebeenhacked on 11-09-23
By: Michael Connelly
-
Witness to a Trial
- A Short Story Prequel to The Whistler
- By: John Grisham
- Narrated by: Mark Deakins
- Length: 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A judge’s first murder trial. A defense attorney in over his head. A prosecutor out for blood and glory. The accused, who is possibly innocent. And the killer, who may have just committed the perfect crime.
-
-
Mislead
- By Anne on 11-05-16
By: John Grisham
-
Lost Hills
- Eve Ronin, Book 1
- By: Lee Goldberg
- Narrated by: Nicol Zanzarella
- Length: 6 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A video of Deputy Eve Ronin’s off-duty arrest of an abusive movie star goes viral, turning her into a popular hero at a time when the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is plagued by scandal. The sheriff makes Eve the youngest female homicide detective in the department’s history. Now Eve, with a lot to learn and resented by her colleagues, has to justify her new badge. Her chance comes when she and her soon-to-retire partner are called to the blood-splattered home of a missing mother and her two kids. The horrific carnage screams multiple murder - but there are no corpses.
-
-
Do your R&D
- By Rockstar on 01-20-20
By: Lee Goldberg
What listeners say about Bad Action
Highly rated for:
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Jay T
- 09-10-18
Another winner in the Billy Cunningham series!
The storyline and pace was great and I love his crew, their trials and tribulations and triumphs. I feel for him with what he"s going through with Mags though.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- CMG
- 05-16-16
Very entertaining but...
I've now read Swain's two Cunningham novels and found them both entertaining and even enlightening. However, as an African American reader, my enjoyment is marred by the lack of multidimensional sympathetic black characters (in fact, all of the black characters are monstrous, which is disturbing). If this doesn't bother you then you'll probably find the novel a fun ride. However, this was my last Swain book.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- CP
- 07-24-16
Fun Book
Great performance. Love the plot. Can't wait for the next one as this one sets up another Billy Cunningham adventure.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Jan S.
- 03-01-20
good book. different. funny.
this was a good book. it's the second of 3. The first two were entertaining. I read his other series, and I like them all. it's not murder and mahem, but still fits into that category.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Wayne
- 05-11-16
Not great literature, but lots of fun!
Bad Action is Book 2 in the Las Vegas con man Billy Cunningham series. It's a fun listen as Cunningham and his team attempt to take a casino for millions of dollars. The con is clever. Some of the team members are unreliable. And a hit team follows Cunningham trying to kill him. The book is a fun diversion. Nick Podehl does a fine job of narration.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
8 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Craig
- 03-28-17
superb
Excellent story. Easy to follow along. Didn't want it to end. Recommend for any level of reader.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Nate_D
- 09-09-16
Even better than the first book!
Such a great book! The Billy Cunningham character is such a great one. I love books where the protagonist is not exactly the picture of moral perfection. Not sure what that says about me, haha, but it just makes things more interesting! The story in this book was original and so well thought out. Kept me guessing right up until the end. Nick Podehl is quickly becoming one of my favorite narrators, as well. Great book told supremely well. Will not disappoint!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Ms. Vee
- 02-01-20
Addictive
I interchangeably read and listened to story in parts several times as my bedtime story. Great plot, story line and action. Great full, colorful, and believable characters. Great book for a leisurely weekend morning or early afternoon!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 07-07-17
Another home run!
This is the second book in this series and I can't wait for book 3 to release. Great characters with a complex story. I really need to check out some of James Swain's other series soon.
Nick Podehl once again delivers a spectacular performance. He truly is one of the best in the business.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- TechJunkie
- 06-01-16
Worst and ONLY letdown ever with a James Swain boo
What did you like best about Bad Action? What did you like least?
little and 2 much of the character development
If you’ve listened to books by James Swain before, how does this one compare?
very weak book
Which scene was your favorite?
can't think of any
Could you see Bad Action being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?
No
Any additional comments?
The first Billy Cunningham book was excellent. This one was plodding and uninspired. Billy is supposed to be the head of a hip young gang of hustlers, but they are a bunch of whining complainers, unreliable, always being given a second chance, questioning his actions and moves even though many of them are not too bright. The dialog between the two bimbos and Billy is very tepid. In short, I finally stopped caring so much about the entire gang that I skipped about 8 chapters to get to the final 3-4 chapters and finish the damned thing. Bottom Line: I, like millions of readers, was crushed when the Tony Valentine franchise was ended, a business decision I learned about and accepted. With the first Billy Cunningham book I felt the torch had been passed to a worthy and considerably different protagonist with a very good first book. The second book makes it unlikely I'll want to read a third book.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful