Deadman's Poker: A Novel
by James Swain
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Book Reviews of Deadman's Poker: A Novel
Book Review: SWAIN ANTES UP
Summary: 5 Stars
Tony Valentine is back in Vegas where he belongs. This time Tony is out to get to the bottom of a championship poker game that everyone knows is rigged, but it's a con that's so perfect, it will take two books to solve. That's right - Deadman's Poker is the set-up to Deadman's Bluff.
Fortunately, Deadman's Bluff is out in paperback already, so fans can read one and pass it on to a friend while they read the second. This is a better beach read than the DaVinci Code, and the scam Swain has worked up is far more difficult to crack.
Altough the two books are linked, Deadman's Poker stands on its own. Tony falls for a beautiful reporter, Gerry gets in trouble - several times (I lost count), and Mabel holds down the fort in Florida.
Rufus Steele, an aging poker player whose growing physical frailities Tony identifies with, has tapped out of the big poker game and has gone on TV to accuse the legally blind novice who is beating everyone a cheat. Rufus has to buy his way back into the pot, and does, with a couple of parlor tricks that will have you scratching your head.
Meanwhile, the secret of the chicanery seems to be in a mobster's bagful of insulin.
Or is it...?
This was a great read by Swain. I just bought Deadman's Bluff and will read it as soon as I can pry it out of my wife's hands.
Book Review: Mr. "Black and White" is Back in Another Winning Thriller
Summary: 5 Stars
Retired Atlantic City policeman Tony Valentine returns in his quest to bust casino cheaters in the sixth novel in this excellent series. Tony is called to Las Vegas on a twin mission of investigating cheating at the World Poker Showdown, and a second quest to recover a stolen cheating strategy that led to the murder of his son Gerry's best friend. Tony's son Gerry, a reformed bookie, still has lots of friends that run just a bit on the wrong side of the law. When his childhood best friend is murdered during the theft of a new poker scam method, Gerry wants to find his friend's killer. At first Tony goes along with the official police line that the death was a suicide, but when Tony receives a threatening phone call to stop looking into the hustler's death, naturally he starts to investigate it.
"Dead Man's Poker" was a real page-turner. Between the poker scams, and the outrageous rigged bets offered by Rufus Steele, an old Texas gambler, the action and suspense is non-stop. The reader also gets more insight into Tony's ethics and his very "Mr. Black and White" view of his life.
Only part of the mystery is resolved in this novel, and the reader is left waiting for the next book to learn the rest of the story.
Read this book, I'll bet you two-to-one odds you won't be disappointed!
Book Review: Swain's world.
Summary: 5 Stars
Deadman's Poker is the 6th installment in James Swain's Tony Valentine series. Most of the action takes place in Las Vegas where the high stakes World Poker Showdown has captured the country's attention. Skip DeMarco, a relative newcomer, is cheating his way to victory and Tony Valentine has been summoned to Vegas by the Nevada Gaming Board to expose DeMarco's scam. There are two interesting wrinkles to this scenario. Skip DeMarco is legally blind and the scam he is using was in all likelihood devised by a now deceased boyhood friend of Gerry, Tony's son and junior partner.
There's plenty of interesting action as Tony and Gerry find themselves up against some ruthless mobsters who have a vested interest in DeMarco not being exposed. Deadman's Poker, like all the Tony Valentine books, is highly readable and brimming with interesting anecdotes.
Be forewarned that at the end of the book, a number of questions remain unanswered. The story is to be continued in the 7th Tony Valentine novel, Deadman's Bluff. Fortunately, the entertainment quotient for this series is so high, most readers were probably planning to enjoy Deadman's Bluff anyway. This just provides increased motivation to do so sooner rather than later.
Book Review: I have no interest in gambling yet found this a fascinating read
Summary: 5 Stars
I understand that Swain has tried something new with this installment of the Tony Valentine series: publishing it directly in paperback as a two parter, with the next installment coming end of May, according to Amazon. I'll be first in line to grab that one. I think the bottom line is that, out of 6 novels in this series, 5 have been reviewed by The New York Times, all
favorably, including this novel, which is highly unusual for a direct to paperback. Here's the latest NY Times review:
Crime
Review by MARILYN STASIO
Published: May 7, 2006
Before the current poker craze cashes in its chips, there's still time to pick up some tips from a couple of master players who have new mysteries out, each with its own perspective on gambling for your life. DEADMAN'S POKER (Ballantine, paper, $6.99) is the latest entry in James Swain's hugely enjoyable series featuring Tony Valentine, who makes a living exposing unorthodox play at casino gaming tables. Tony's in Las Vegas here, tangling with mobsters and trying to save the World Poker Showdown from being
hijacked by a blind card shark. To even up the odds for readers, Swain provides a helpful glossary of cheating tricks.
Book Review: Great Books (Keep this series coming!)
Summary: 5 Stars
"I have been a fan of James Swain's books since Grift Sense, and think this may be his best book yet. The action is terrific, and the character of Rufus Steele is one of Swain's best. Yes, he does leave you hanging at the end, but the sequel is out (DEADMAN'S BLUFF) and it's a great read as well. It's a pity that several reviewers have posted one-star reviews because of this. Swain's publisher has given readers a real bargain - a terrific 700 page mystery that only costs $14.00. Perhaps these folks would have been happier if his publisher had put out a $30.00 hardcover!
Swain also provides an incredible amount of insider information about poker cheating in both books, including Poker Protection Tips at the end of each volume. As someone well-versed in the world of cheating, I must go on record as saying that Swain knows what he's talking about, and is as knowledgeable about this subject as anyone out there. These books contain the "real work" about cheating. Along with being great reads, they are also incredibly informative."
Bill Malone