The Long Night of Winchell Dear (ISBN 0307353087)

Not a good title for the book:
This book reads like a classic. The literary quality flows. It's unfortunate that a lot of people might not read the book because of the title. I'm a librarian so I get a chance to look beyond titles and summaries before I choose to read a book. I give books a chance to interest me. I'm very glad I did with this one. However, still I say, Winchell with the last name of Dear would of kept me off balance while reading the book because the last name (one word!) unknowingly sends a mixed message regarding the content. Everytime I read the word "Dear" my mind kept wanting to revert to light romance reads. There is a meaningful story inside this book and well worth the time it takes to read it. I hope the book doesn't become a "albatross" for the author.

A great new book by Robert James Waller:
I love anything by Robert James Waller.......this was another great book, building up to a surprising end.

The Long Night of Winchell Dear:
I've read several of Waller's books, beginning with Bridges several years ago. The Long Night of Winchell Dear was a good, fast-paced read - except when it got bogged down with too much detail & time spent about poker-playing strategy & techniques. I enjoyed Marty & the Driver characters - they reminded me somewhat of Steinbeck's George & Lenny. They provided suspense, tension and a touch of humor, and I enjoyed their dialogue.

A long night, indeed...:
The review by Charles was pretty accurate, however, I'd like to add my two cents. The plot was good, but I didn't like the way it was put together. I had a hard time with the setting; the story had a feel of the old west, but there were items mentioned that told you it took place in the here and now. There was a lot of attention paid to Dear's education in gambling. In fact, most of the book was about it. There were complete paragraphs and sections of pages I just skipped through because there was just too much detail. I thought the story was a bit slow. And what are the odds, even in a piece of fiction, that half of the players who came together (finally) in the end, not only had run into each other previously, but one was actually related? And what's the deal with 'the driver'? Why didn't he have a name? And was all the cursing really necessary? Something every once in a while when something went wrong I could handle, but every other word? So, if you like to gamble and know something about it and the terminology, and you like stories about drug runners and dumb thugs, this is the book for you.

Another excellent Amazon experience!:
This was another excellent Amazon experience. Excellent product and delivered in a timely manner.