Grift Sense

I just finished reading this book and I have to say I really enjoyed it.The story introduces us to Tony Valentine an ex New Jersey cop who now owns the consulting firm Grift Sense. Tony is 62, his wife has passed away, his relationship with his son is strained and he's a little confused about his life.I'm writing this review because I don't understand why other reviewers gave the book one star, it's worthy of much more than that.The story is absorbing and the characters are great. I'm going out tonight to buy the next book in the series.

There's an old adage that you should write about what you know. While I don't necessarily agree with this and think "write about what you understand" would be better advice, in the case of James Swain and Grift Sense, writing what you know hits the big payoff. Given the author's background as a gambling expert and magician, his hero Tony Valentine knows not only the score (in terms of gambling scams and scam artists) he's also a retired cop; it's a perfect winning hand. The book has great humor and great heart, more plot twists than a well-planned maze, and a load of Damon Runyonesque characters. The writing is lean, without excess padding. The heat of Las Vegas, the noise of the slots, and the portraits of desperate and conniving gamblers, all ring very true. A terrific debut, highly recommended.

This is an incredible mystery page turner. Tony Valentine, acting out his retirement by hiring out as safety consultant to gambling casinos, is asked to figure out an abnormal winning streak in a dilapidated old Las Vegas casino. What he sees does not make sense - he is stumped. But he finds a piece of information here, and another one there. Slowly he puts the puzzle together and, using his intelligence and experience, gets close to the conclusion. But then he has to catch the perpetrators, and that is not so easy, either.The author gives us interesting characters, described in full detail. The action - and the red herrings along the way - never flag. Mr. Swain, a magician working with cards, knows the background and describes it with full gusto.

Since my favorite authors don't write fast enough for my consumption, I occasionally have to try new ones -- a very difficult decision when books are over [money]! I'm really glad I happened upon this book ... it's interesting, well-written, and has great characters. The only drawback is that since this is the author's first book, I can't go back and read his whole catalog. The inside info on casino hustlers was fascinating -- that hooked me even before I got into the story. I hope we'll be seeing more from this author!

In 1998, Acropolis Resort and Casino pit boss Wily hires former cop Tony Valentine to review the tape of a man winning $50,000 at black jack. Wily is positive the man cheated perhaps with the help of his dealer Nola Briggs. While watching the tape, Tony calculates that Frank wins 65-70% of the time regardless of what is dealt. Using the Blackjack Master Program to find trends, Tony learns that a high amount of the winnings defy the odds which are typically less than twenty-five percent with the hands Fran consistently wins with. Though Tony sees Nola enjoys Frank's flirting, he cannot figure out how he or they are cheating.Frank seemingly vanishes, but hotel security boss Sammy had Nola arrested for cheating with a player. Since the Gaming Control Board believes the casino has no case, Wily pleads with Tony to come to Vegas to help them convict Nola. Selecting the lesser of two evils, Tony agrees to come to Vegas in August when he learns his estrange son is flying from New York to reconcile with him in his home in Palm Harbor, Florida. However, once on site investigating the case, Tony will learn that even his slimy son would have been a better choice.GRIFT SENSE is an exciting, very entertaining, and quite unique mystery. The story line is fun as a different side of Las Vegas surfaces. Tony is a great sleuth and the support cast namely his neighbor and those at the casino augment the tale with depth. The odds are very heavy that those readers who enjoy a different type of mystery will want to read James Swain's interesting novel.Harriet Klausner