Penzler Pick, The first four pages of this casino-themed debut are smashing--literally. Then James Swain, himself a gambling expert and professional magician, gets to the real story, and at that point, the plot starts churning out more twists than a corkscrew factory on overtime. Soon the characters are so enmeshed in their own self-serving lies, scams, and schemes that the only thing for a reader to do is just take a deep breath and let the steady barrage of surprises wash over him.
There's no point in saying "take a deep breath and enjoy the scenery," because in Swain's Las Vegas, what one gazes upon is most likely to be a casino's gambling floor as viewed from security monitors. "Watching surveillance videos," he explains, "is a unique experience. The cameras filtered twice as much light as the human eye, and as a result hairpieces looked like rugs, cheap suits took on zebra stripes, and women wearing red dresses became naked. It was like entering the Twilight Zone."
All too familiar with this eerie, totally paranoid, 24/7 universe is one-time Atlantic City cop Tony Valentine, who now runs a one-man consulting business he calls Grift Sense. To say of someone that he has that particular form of larcenous intuition, the author tells us, is "the highest compliment" one hustler can pay another. Grift sense means "that you not only knew how to do the moves, you also knew when to do them."
And even if Valentine is 62 and settled in Florida, away from the action, he's never lost his ability to "feel when a hustle's going down, even if (he doesn't) know exactly what it is." That's why the Acropolis Resort & Casino is determined to lure him West to check out what looks like funny business going on between blond blackjack dealer Nola Briggs and a player named Frank Fontaine, who happens to be winning a little too steadily. Swain's easy expertise with the world of gaming and gamblers makes Grift Sense into a fascinating guidebook, as well as a vivid debut in a series that so far has a flavor all its own. --Otto Penzler
From Publishers Weekly
Billed as one of the best card-handlers in the world, Swain packs this first novel with enough tidbits on the art to back up the claim. Combine that insider's knowledge with clean writing and a reasonable con, and the result is a fun read … la Elmore Leonard. A grifter named Frank Fontaine strolls into a faded Las Vegas joint, the Acropolis Resort & Casino, and cleans up at a blackjack table. Though the dealer at the table, Nola Briggs, has a spotless record, it seems impossible that Fontaine could have pulled it off alone. The club's owner, Nick Nicocropolis, calls in consultant Tony Valentine, a retired cop from Atlantic City who's an expert on casino scams. Tony is puzzled by this one: he watches the surveillance tape repeatedly, but he can't figure out how Fontaine is doing it. Even more mysterious to Tony is that Fontaine obviously enjoys the attention he attracts. Good hustlers like to rake in their chips as inconspicuously as possible; it's the only way they can continue to work. Tony heads for Vegas, where he meets up with a group of near-stereotypes who are saved from that fate by some nice details. The plot unfolds, and our hero is properly modest and clever. Quirkiness is occasionally forced and names are singularly unimaginative. The domestic scenes in the book, with Tony's neighbor Mabel or his son Gerry, are a little stilted and unconvincing, but the heart of the book lies in the dubious charms of a second-rate Las Vegas casino, and there the author does a terrific job. Agent, Jennifer Hengen at Sterling Lord. (June 12)Forecast: As Ricky Jay and David Mamet (in House of Games) have shown, this kind of authentic picture of con men and card tricks has wide appeal. Targeted hand-selling could reach beyond the mystery market.
Description:
Amazon.com Review
Penzler Pick, The first four pages of this casino-themed debut are smashing--literally. Then James Swain, himself a gambling expert and professional magician, gets to the real story, and at that point, the plot starts churning out more twists than a corkscrew factory on overtime. Soon the characters are so enmeshed in their own self-serving lies, scams, and schemes that the only thing for a reader to do is just take a deep breath and let the steady barrage of surprises wash over him.
There's no point in saying "take a deep breath and enjoy the scenery," because in Swain's Las Vegas, what one gazes upon is most likely to be a casino's gambling floor as viewed from security monitors. "Watching surveillance videos," he explains, "is a unique experience. The cameras filtered twice as much light as the human eye, and as a result hairpieces looked like rugs, cheap suits took on zebra stripes, and women wearing red dresses became naked. It was like entering the Twilight Zone."
All too familiar with this eerie, totally paranoid, 24/7 universe is one-time Atlantic City cop Tony Valentine, who now runs a one-man consulting business he calls Grift Sense. To say of someone that he has that particular form of larcenous intuition, the author tells us, is "the highest compliment" one hustler can pay another. Grift sense means "that you not only knew how to do the moves, you also knew when to do them."
And even if Valentine is 62 and settled in Florida, away from the action, he's never lost his ability to "feel when a hustle's going down, even if (he doesn't) know exactly what it is." That's why the Acropolis Resort & Casino is determined to lure him West to check out what looks like funny business going on between blond blackjack dealer Nola Briggs and a player named Frank Fontaine, who happens to be winning a little too steadily. Swain's easy expertise with the world of gaming and gamblers makes Grift Sense into a fascinating guidebook, as well as a vivid debut in a series that so far has a flavor all its own. --Otto Penzler
From Publishers Weekly
Billed as one of the best card-handlers in the world, Swain packs this first novel with enough tidbits on the art to back up the claim. Combine that insider's knowledge with clean writing and a reasonable con, and the result is a fun read … la Elmore Leonard. A grifter named Frank Fontaine strolls into a faded Las Vegas joint, the Acropolis Resort & Casino, and cleans up at a blackjack table. Though the dealer at the table, Nola Briggs, has a spotless record, it seems impossible that Fontaine could have pulled it off alone. The club's owner, Nick Nicocropolis, calls in consultant Tony Valentine, a retired cop from Atlantic City who's an expert on casino scams. Tony is puzzled by this one: he watches the surveillance tape repeatedly, but he can't figure out how Fontaine is doing it. Even more mysterious to Tony is that Fontaine obviously enjoys the attention he attracts. Good hustlers like to rake in their chips as inconspicuously as possible; it's the only way they can continue to work. Tony heads for Vegas, where he meets up with a group of near-stereotypes who are saved from that fate by some nice details. The plot unfolds, and our hero is properly modest and clever. Quirkiness is occasionally forced and names are singularly unimaginative. The domestic scenes in the book, with Tony's neighbor Mabel or his son Gerry, are a little stilted and unconvincing, but the heart of the book lies in the dubious charms of a second-rate Las Vegas casino, and there the author does a terrific job. Agent, Jennifer Hengen at Sterling Lord. (June 12)Forecast: As Ricky Jay and David Mamet (in House of Games) have shown, this kind of authentic picture of con men and card tricks has wide appeal. Targeted hand-selling could reach beyond the mystery market.
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