Sucker Bet

Name: Sucker Bet
Brand: Penguin Random House
Availability: InStock
Author: James Swain
ISBN: 9780739303726

Author: James Swain

Series: Tony Valentine #3

Narrator: Tony Roberts

Abridged: 5 hr 20 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Random House Audio

Published: 04/01/2003

Categories: Fiction, Suspense & Thriller, Mystery & Detective, Police Procedural

Synopsis

A hardened ex-cop, Tony Valentine now nabs hustlers who rob casinos, and the Micanopy Indian Reservation Casino in South Florida desperately needs his expertise. A blackjack dealer has rigged a game, dealt a player eighty-four winning hands in a row, and then disappeared.

But the missing dealer is part of an even bigger, far deadlier scheme. Valentine’s trail leads him to Rico Blanco, a ruthless gangster who once worked for John Gotti; his shady, elusive partner-in-crime, Victor Marks; and a bombshell named Candy Hart, a hooker with dreams of love—a combination tailor-made to double-cross. It appears they have a con going down involving a cocky, filthy-rich Brit and his millions of dollars. Valentine’s challenge: to figure out how all the pieces of the seamy puzzle fit together . . . before his luck runs out and his life goes bust.

About The Author

James Swain, a gambling expert, is the author of Grift Sense and Funny Money. Swain is considered one of the best card handlers in the world. He lives in Odessa, Florida, where he is currently working on his fourth mystery featuring Tony Valentine. Visit his Web site at www.jimswain.com.

Reviews

Goodreads review by James

Tony Valentine is a former cop who now chases after people who cheat casinos. When a player wins eighty-four hands in a row at a blackjack table in a casino on Florida’s Micanopy Indian Reservation, it seems clear that something is badly out of whack and Tony is called in to consult. It’s obvious to......more

Goodreads review by Metodi

Трета книга от серията за Тони Валънтайн - пенсионирано ченге и ловец на измамници. Джеймс Суейн добре познава света на казината, пороците и хазарта, както и хората около тях. Книгите му са подробни и забавни, криминалната интрига е умело вплетена в разказа и е на ниво. А и винаги има нещо ново за на......more

Goodreads review by Phil

Sucker Bet is a bit like Carl Hiaasen lite, mixed in with some major grifting. Our lead, Tony Valentine, is an ex-cop who used to work in Atlantic Beach, helping the casinos find cheating scams of all sorts. Now, Tony runs a consulting business, doing the same thing but working freelance. Swain defi......more

Goodreads review by David

If you want to learn about how people cheat casinos then this book is for you. Right in the middle of a gaggle of gangsters, carny owners, Indian casinos, and the swamplands of Florida we find Tony Valentine, ex-cop turned Casino consultant. I can't wait to delve into more of this series. Valentine w......more

Goodreads review by Paul

This was in my TBR pile for 10+ years. I have read two other books by this author from 2 other series, and they have all been great entertaining books. This one is about a plan to rip off a sports book outfit, and a casino, and a lot of backstabbing and double crossing, throw in a few psychos, and a......more

Quotes

“Ingenious entertainment.”
—The New York Times Book Review

“IMPOSSIBLE TO PUT DOWN . . . ENDLESS FUN . . .
SUCKER BET IS ITS OWN BEST PAYOUT.”
—St. Petersburg Times

“[Swain is] an entertaining writer whose breezy style and flair for wise-guy dialogue make the story zoom by.”
—The Boston Globe

“HITS THE JACKPOT . . . SUCKER BET IS A SURE THING.”
—Chicago Tribune

“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.”
—MICHAEL CONNELLY

“Realistic, crisp dialogue spoken by three-dimensional characters . . . Swain moves Sucker Bet from the condos and hotels of Miami Beach to the suburbs of West Broward and the Everglades with a keen eye to the area.”
—Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel

“Sucker Bet is sheer magic. Fast and full or surprises, and rich with fascinating insider knowledge of casinos and gambling and world-class con men and bad guys of every denomination. James Swain is the real thing, a writer of pure, athletic prose, capable of bringing alive characters as original and three-dimensional as our best novelists. . . . Sign me up as a charter member of the Swain fan club.”—JAMES W. HALL
Author of Blackwater Sound

“Swain has come up with a doozy. . . . The gambling details are a treat [and] the banter is worthy of a place at Elmore Leonard’s table. . . . Swain’s ship just JUNE have come in.”
—Booklist