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Title: Grift Sense by James Swain ISBN: 0-345-46383-8 Publisher: Ballantine Books Pub. Date: 01 April, 2003 Format: Mass Market Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.18 (38 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: On The Money!
Comment: This is the author's first novel and he's off to an auspicious beginning. It's rare that a fresh idea appears in the mystery genre, but Tony Valentine is a unique character. He's an ex-cop with an ability (Grift Sense) to spot grifters and con men who try to fleece casionos, and acts as a consultant to a Las Vegas casino in this series opener.
Swain knows Vegas, and the little touches like having to use a handkerchief on a car door handle to keep from getting scalded, brings back memories of those blistering hot days I spent on the strip.
A great story, too, pitting Valentine against master grifter Sonny Fontana, with a suprise ending and a nice sub-plot about Tony's relationship with his bookie son, Gerry.
Alas, the author could have done some research into polygraph, and how tests are administered. In this area he was completely wrong and it slowed the story down a bit, as he made an attempt to sound like he knew what he was talking about. Next time he should call a real PI and get the straight skinny on how to conduct a polygraph test, which are utilized often by the Vegas police in cheating cases.
A minor quibble, however. This is a fast-paced story with great characters and a terrific sense of place. I had to turn up the airconditioner halfway through the book.
Rating: 4
Summary: I Bet You'll Like It
Comment: In his debut novel, James Swain introduces us to Tony Valentine, a retired cop in his sixties living in Florida. Valentine is an expert in spotting a hustler and his talents are in great demand by casinos all over the country.
A particularly perplexing case sees Valentine leave the comforts of home to head for Las Vegas, not Tony's favourite city. The casino security staff knows that a man is cheating at blackjack, but they don't know how and it's for this reason that he's been called in to take a look. Things start going wrong the moment he hits town. He receives a death threat, a dealer from the casino (and suspect in his case) goes missing, and low-lifes from his past begin showing up.
Swain has managed to hit upon the winning combination of an interesting subject and a likable protagonist making it a very enjoyable book to read. I found that reading about the intricacies of gambling cheats and how to spot them was fascinating and was very nicely woven into the plot making me want to read more.
We are gradually familiarised with the past of Tony Valentine and, in so doing, learn what makes him tick and what ideals are important to him. It becomes very easy to like him and empathise with his character.
This is a very worthwhile mystery with a few twists to keep you on your toes. The pace is fast, the characters are likeable and the ending is satisfying. I'm looking forward to reading the next Tony Valentine mystery.
Rating: 4
Summary: Fast paced and engaging.
Comment: This is the first novel in James Swain's Tony Valentine series. I had already read the sequel, Funny Money, and quite frankly, had found that book to be rather mediocre. Grift Sense, I'm pleased to say, is much, much better.
This very entertaining book grabs your interest on page one and holds it to the very end. Most of the action takes place in Las Vegas and Swain has succeeded in conveying the unique feel of that intriguing place.
Perhaps the most amazing aspect of Swain's writing is its remarkable readability. Both the dialogue and the narrative portions flow so smoothly, the reader can't help but keep turning pages. Where this novel differs from the weaker Funny Money is in the critically important areas of character developement and plot construction. Grift Sense has several well defined characters, each with a number of interesting and many times colorful attributes. And the plot unfolds in a way that really engages the reader's imagination.
My only gripe about this otherwise appealing novel concerns the way in which the crooks manage to rack up big winnings at the blackjack table. If this method worked in the real world, it would be used all the time and the game of blackjack would rapidly become unprofitable to casinos.
Grift Sense is a lot of fun to read. I'm looking forward to seeing how the third Tony Valentine adventure, Sucker Bet, stacks up against the first two.
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Title: Funny Money by James Swain ISBN: 0345463447 Publisher: Ballantine Books Pub. Date: 01 April, 2003 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: Sucker Bet by James Swain ISBN: 0345461754 Publisher: Ballantine Books Pub. Date: 01 April, 2003 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: Loaded Dice by JAMES SWAIN ISBN: 0345463269 Publisher: Ballantine Books Pub. Date: 01 June, 2004 List Price(USD): $22.95 |
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Title: Without Fail by Lee Child ISBN: 0515135283 Publisher: Jove Pubns Pub. Date: 25 March, 2003 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: Mr. Paradise : A Novel by Elmore Leonard ISBN: 0060083956 Publisher: William Morrow Pub. Date: 13 January, 2004 List Price(USD): $25.95 |
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