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Title: Sucker Bet by JAMES SWAIN ISBN: 0-345-46323-4 Publisher: Fawcett Pub. Date: 01 June, 2004 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.72 (25 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Don't try these tricks at your neighborhood casino
Comment: Don't try these tricks at your neighborhood casino
Mr. Swain has done it again. The third book featuring Tony Valentine is just as funny and really interesting as the first two. Here again is our hero, assisted ably by Mabel. This time he helps the Micanopy Tribe of Southern Florida, whose casino is being ripped off by a whole bunch of black jack dealers. Thus we meet Jack Lightfoot, a dealer, Smooth Stone, who is in charge of security, and Chief Running Bear, whose specialty is wrestling alligators. Bill Higgins, head of the Nevada Gaming Commission, is an old acquaintance. New is Rico Blanco, the connected gangster of the Gotti Family, Nigel Moon, the super rich musician from England, with his hooker girlfriend Candy. A very special addition to the cast is Mr. Beauregard, an ape who acts and thinks like a human.
It is difficult to say what is funnier - the various tricks or the criminal action. And don't forget that Mr. Beauregard also plays the ukulele, carefully choosing the songs to fit the mood.
Altogether a book that will lighten up your weekend.
Rating: 5
Summary: Swain's 3rd novel hits the jackpot again
Comment: I have to admit that I set out wanting to like this book, as the previous two in the Tony Valentine series, Grift Sense and Funny Money, were both winners. But Swain has really hit his stride with his 3rd outing. I think the best review I could give would be a direct quote from the book's cover, and it comes from none other than Michael Connelly: "Wow, what a discovery! James Swain is the best new writer I have come across in a long, long time. Sucker Bet is wonderful. It snaps with the gritty feel of the truth. Swain has carefully added all of the ingredients: tragedy, humor, action and, most of all, a cast of characters that would make Elmore Leonard's mouth water." Grab this one, you won't be disappointed.
Rating: 4
Summary: Lots of action, plenty of laughs.
Comment: First of all, let me report some detective work of my own. At the end of chapter 25, Tony Valentine cites an anecdote which fans of the late Dashiell Hammett will undoubtedly recognize. It's a close variation of the famous "Flitcraft story" told by Sam Spade in the Maltese Falcon (the book, not the movie).
The rest of Sucker Bet is, however, quite original. In this the third installment of the Tony Valentine series, author James Swain takes us on a hilariously over the top joyride through South Florida.
The story is a gutsy one. Complex and full of surprises but at the same time not overly convoluted. The plot starts off with Tony Valentine investigating a dishonest blackjack dealer at a low rent Indian casino in the Everglades. But that's only the beginning. Before long, Tony finds he's become involved in a gangster's scheme to make millions from the outcome of a college basketball game.
A lot happens along the way. Tony is attacked by alligators. He exposes a clever way of cheating at blackjack. His beloved neighbor Mabel is taken hostage. And his ne'er do well son, Gerry, cuts short his honeymoon to help his Dad out.
Swain introduces us to a number of really interesting and colorful characters. Candy Hart, the redheaded hooker who falls for her client. Splinters, the Cuban limo driver who doubles as a hitman. Bobby Jewel, the 400 lb bookie and many many more. But perhaps the most unforgettable supporting character is Mr. Beauregard, the ukulele strumming chimpanzee who is smarter and more insightful than most human beings.
Sucker Bet, like Funny Money and Grift Sense before it, is remarkable for its "readability". Page after page and chapter after chapter just flies by.
James Swain is obviously a talented writer. It'll be fun to see what else he has in store.
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Title: Funny Money by James Swain ISBN: 0345463447 Publisher: Ballantine Books Pub. Date: 01 April, 2003 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: Grift Sense by JAMES SWAIN ISBN: 0345463838 Publisher: Ballantine Books Pub. Date: 01 April, 2003 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: Loaded Dice (SWAIN, JAMES) by JAMES SWAIN ISBN: 0345463269 Publisher: Ballantine Books Pub. Date: 01 June, 2004 List Price(USD): $22.95 |
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Title: Tampa Burn (WHITE, RANDY WAYNE) by Randy Wayne White ISBN: 0399151818 Publisher: Putnam Publishing Group Pub. Date: 24 May, 2004 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: Last Car to Elysian Fields: A Novel by James Lee Burke ISBN: 0743245423 Publisher: Simon & Schuster Pub. Date: 30 September, 2003 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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