Grift Sense (Tony Valentine Novels) Book + PRICE WATCH * Amazon pricing is not included in price watch

Grift Sense (Tony Valentine Novels) Book

Penzler Pick, July 2001: 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 PenzlerRead More

from£9.43 | RRP: £6.99
* Excludes Voucher Code Discount Also available Used from £8.02
  • Product Description

    Everybody cheated, at least everybody Tony Valentine had ever known. They cheated on their income taxes, on their spouses, on the phone and cable companies, and if they had the balls, in a Friday night poker game. But those that developed a taste for it -- they were the problems.

    And there were a lot of them...


    Meet Tony Valentine, an ex-cop with grift sense -- a knack for hustling a hustler and out-conning a con. Shadowing a beautiful dealer in a struggling Vegas casino, Valentine will need more than luck to survive an enemy's vendetta in a neon-drenched world of deadly deceptions.

    Grift Sense is a diamond-sharp debut of lightning wit and dazzling twists, brilliantly informed by an expert card handler.

  • 0743406230
  • 9780743406239
  • James Swain
  • 3 December 2002
  • Simon & Schuster Ltd
  • Paperback (Book)
  • 416
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. If you click through any of the links below and make a purchase we may earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you). Click here to learn more.

Would you like your name to appear with the review?

We will post your book review within a day or so as long as it meets our guidelines and terms and conditions. All reviews submitted become the licensed property of www.find-book.co.uk as written in our terms and conditions. None of your personal details will be passed on to any other third party.

All form fields are required.