Dice Angel
by Brian Rouff
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Book Reviews of Dice Angel
Book Review: Dice Angel
Summary: 4 Stars
Highly entertaining! A must for anyone who has been to Las Vegas.Book Review: Great writing, characters--Las Vegas comes alive
Summary: 5 Stars
James Delaney, Jr. better known as Jimmy D, owns a successful bar in Las Vegas, has a great relationship with his young daughter, and thinks he has his drinking and gambling problems under control. But when a break-in at the bar turns into something more serious, everything begins to unravel. The bar has been looted, the IRS is after Jimmy for more than he can possibly afford, and the IRS lien on the business means he can't even borrow against it. Drinking starts to look more atractive. But gambling isn't an option--Jimmy has learned one thing for sure, he has no luck on the gambling tables of Las Vegas. Even when a homeless friend gives him the battered business card of Amaris, the 'Dice Angel,' Jimmy has learned how to say know. Gambling nearly ruined his life and cost him his marriage. But what other options can he pursue? Author Brian Rouff delivers a truly fine read in DICE ANGEL. Jimmy comes off as real and human, battling his problems, the IRS bureaucracy, and himself as he gets more and more deeply into trouble. Rouff does a good job letting Jimmy get close to a solution, only to see it twist away before he can grasp it. Jimmy's relationships with his daughter, his employees, and eventually with Amaris too are human and enjoyable.
Rouff has a good feel for Las Vegas and the people who make it their home. For them, and for those of us reading DICE ANGEL, Las Vegas comes alive in a very real way.
I enjoyed DICE ANGEL a lot and recommend it without hesitation.
Book Review: A Spectacular First Novel
Summary: 5 Stars
Brian Rouff has hit a home run in his first time at bat with "Dice Angel," a tight tale of a Las Vegas saloon keeper whose luck turns in a couple of cleverly constructed twists. This book is a real page-turner, informed by the author's 20 years in Las Vegas. I've been there and everything about the characters and settings rings true. If the major publishers are even half bright, they'll beat a path to Rouff's door and duke it out for his next effort. Honestly, folks, Las Vegas isn't on my Favorite Places list and I started this book with a chip on my shoulder. I ended it with a smile and a desire to see what Rouff gives us next.Book Review: Delightful!
Summary: 5 Stars
Some writers labor over their work and the results are not always the best. Author Rouff may or may not have labored over Dice Angel but the end result is seamless, smooth and wonderfully good-natured. It's laugh-out-loud funny in spots and an altogether entertaining book with likeable, well-wrought characters, and no excess flab. Some writers take to the medium naturally and their work has a flow to it that effortlessly carries the reader along. Rouff is a natural and this is one of the more enjoyable books I've read lately. Noteworthy is the superior editing with only a couple of typos. I can only hope that this is the beginning either of a series featuring Jimmy Delaney or a long, productive career for Brian Rouff.Highly recommended.
Book Review: Characters are quick and witty
Summary: 3 Stars
Dice Angel, by Brian Rouff is everything it promises to be. An easy to follow plot makes this an easy read, to the point of becoming predicable. A guy, Jimmy Delaney, living in Las Vegas, is down on his luck. He owns a bar that gets burglarized within the first couple of pages. He's bouncing checks, he leaves all of his accounting to his brother-in-law who disappears with all the bar's money. He owes back taxes and if he doesn't come up with $50,000 in a ridiculously short time he will loose his business. What's a guy living in Las Vegas going to do in such a situation? Hmmm. Let's see here. Gamble, perhaps? Out of desperation Delaney hires the "Dice Angel" on the suggestion of a homeless man who comes into his bar for handouts. This ''Dice Angel'' promises to ''bring you luck at craps''. Rouff's book is a good read. The dialog between the characters is quick and witty. I found, however, that there was a lack of surprises or twists, or rather that the twists that were inserted were a bit forced. Nonetheless, I'm sure that the locals in Vegas will get a kick out of a local author portraying their city in such a bittersweet, off-the-cuff way.