[.ca] Sucker Bet (ISBN 0345463234)

You dont Know Great Books If You Haven't read Sucker Bet:
For all of you who found this book on a shelf one day and have never heard of James Swain, or Tony Valentine then you lucked out. Tht's exactly how i found this book. I was was browsing, read the back and the next thing i know I cant put it down. What other book has, prostitues, basketball games, alligators, native americans, casinos, blackjack, neighbors named Mabel, and a guy with a name like Tony Valentine. Yet, not only are the themes and ideas great the style is great. Ounce you get through a page your hooked and in suspense. ONE PAGE!!! The fun does'nt stop there though, the whole book is full of wonderful twist and turns so you can never put it down. The good thing is that if you like this book (which I know you will) then you got two more great books coming your way; Grift Sense, and Funny Money, two more wonderful stories about Tony Valentine.

Lots of action, plenty of laughs.:
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.

Grifters, Con Artists and others: The Third Installment:
Having read and enjoyed the first two books of this series ("Grift Sense" and "Funny Money") I was really looking forward to reading this one. James Swain has done it again in that he has created another every enjoyable work as well as tying up several loose ends from the first novel. To appreciate this one, you simply have to read the first two so that you get a sense of the story arc that moves throughout all three novels. Using a secondary theme from the previous novel "Funny Money" to great effect, James Swain brings Tony Valentine back. He also brings back his son Gerry, the neighbor Mabel and others while adding a host of eccentric characters that would make Elmore Leonard proud. Once again he relies on his heavy knowledge of gambling and card manipulation to tell another intriguing story with plenty of action and depth. Harry Smooth Stone, head of security for the Micanopy Indian Reservation has a major problem. One of his dealers, Jack Lightfoot, dealt a player 84 winning hands at a Blackjack table. The player was Nigel Moon and the only possible way it could have happened was if the dealer, Jack Lightfoot, was in on it. Sooth Stone wants Valentine not to figure out why the dealer is suddenly missing but how he did it. Valentine begins to work the case and soon figures out that the actions of Jack Lightfoot are the proverbial tip of the iceberg. Valentine follows an increasing violent and convoluted trail to Rico Blanco who once worked for Crime boss John Gotti involved, as well a numerous other characters who are also working their own illegal deals. With millions in an ongoing scam and college basketball at stake, Valentine is soon marked for death as more as more things go wrong and the bad guys start dying. This third novel in the series continues to flesh out the Tony Valentine character as well as further explore the complicated backgrounds of others in his life. It features the tight writing, plotting, occasional humor and eccentric characters found in his first two novels but in considerably more abundance. Much like Robert Ludlum did with his wheels within wheels espionage novels, James Swain novels feature cons within cons at so many levels it becomes a very enjoyable reading experience.

Damn Funny:
This book is one of the funniest I've read in long time. The story takes place in South Florida, and the characters and settings feel real. Especially enjoyable is the relationship between the protagonist, Tony Valentine, and his misfit son, Gerry. The laughs are never forced, or punch-lines to tired jokes. The author knows a lot about crooked gambling and scams. He is also adept at fleshing out why criminals commit these crimes, and how greed permeates the gambling business. Opening the pages to this book is like stepping into a different world.

A "Soft Hand" not a "Hard Hand":
In Blackjack terminology this novel is a "soft hand" not a "hard hand" and that's good.. Sucker Bet is not the best mystery novel ever written but it certainly is one of the most refreshing mysteries I've read in a long time. Tony Valentine, a gaming consultant who uncovers casino crime, exposes us to a parade of characters, sub-plots and gambling realities. The joy of this read is not in the details of plot but in the development and mix of characters.