Loaded Dice: A Tony Valentine Novel

A great mystery or thriller is really about something else. Here Swain explores the mysteries of fatherhood from cradle to adulthood within the context of another primer on casino crime and the War against Terror. Jerry, Tony's son, has gone to Vegas to learn how to count cards at a shadowy school for cheats. Nick surmises that Tony's purpose was not only to help teach Jerry how to catch cheaters but to see how well he was able to resist the temptations of cheating. By all objective standards Jerry can't, falling in with a couple of Middle-Eastern card counters with more than larceny on their minds. Tony arrives in Vegas to teach three casino operators about a new Palm Pocket-like device called a Deadlock that can dramatically change the odds in the bettor's favor. Once there he becomes wrapped up in a new love interest as well as failing fortunes of Nick, whose Acropolis casino is rapidly heading for the dustbin of history. When Jerry's companions attract the attention of the FBI, the usually fast paced Swain slips into hyper drive. Then the tale rockets along to a thrilling climax in the desert suburbs. This series may well be the most important new arrival since Michael Connelly and Harry Bosch made their debut. It's pure pleasure from start to finish.

The twists and turns just keep on coming. I did not think that Tony Valentines Character could grow any further and Jim Swain was able to take him to the next level. Who would think you could take a major event such as 9/11 and tie it into a casino racket in Las Vegas!!!! Wow!! Mr. Swain was able to put me on the edge of my seat or in some cases the edge of my bed based on the curves and changes he throws at us!! Finally, I still don't know how he can take an awful person as Gerry and make him even worse but by the end you still feel bad for him and want to give him another chance.Let me sum it up by saying HOME RUN!!! and can't wait for future novels.

I believe that the hallmark of a good book --- of a good writer --- is the ability to attract, and hold, a reader who has little or no interest in the core subject matter. James Swain, by this definition, is an excellent writer. I have little interest in or understanding of gambling, yet Swain's Tony Valentine novels, set against the backdrop of the gambling industry, are on my must-read list. Swain's knowledge of not only the nuts and bolts of the gaming industry but also of its history would be enough to hold one's interest, whether one is familiar with the relative value of poker chips or not. Swain's ability to weave this knowledge into a plausible situation while presenting his story in a compelling narrative makes his work irresistible.Tony Valentine is a gaming consultant who is retained by casinos to identify grifters and the methods that they employ. LOADED DICE finds Valentine returning to Las Vegas for a twofold purpose. One is to demonstrate Deadlock, a computerized device that card cheats are using to rake in illegitimate blackjack pots. The other is Valentine's son, Gerry. Gerry, who has had a number of ups and downs, is in Las Vegas and attending a gambling school in order to learn the science of card counting so that he can assist Valentine in his consulting business.Gerry, however, has gone AWOL, and Valentine fears that he is on an illegal frolic of his own. Indeed, Gerry has fallen in with two of his fellow students, brothers whose intentions are far more nefarious than cheating at gambling. While trying to ascertain Gerry's whereabouts, Valentine uncovers an ingenious plot by the owners of a string of casinos to bankrupt another house. Valentine finds himself racing along twin tracks, trying to save a casino while extricating his son from a situation that is on the brink of creating havoc on the city of Las Vegas and its residents.Swain does an excellent job of explaining the ins and outs not only of casino gambling but also of casino management. What is especially impressive about Swain is that his narrative never lurches to a grinding halt while a particular aspect of his subject matter is explained. Swain seamlessly incorporates his explanation, frequently with the use of anecdotes, into the narrative. As a result the reader learns the meaning of the term "past-posting," finds out what a "sawdust joint" is, and discovers that "four-walling" is a tough way to earn a living. Swain also pulls off the neat trick of bringing a noir feel and atmosphere to Las Vegas, that most brightly illuminated of American cities.Yet LOADED DICE is not your typical thriller. Valentine is in his sixties, but he has aged well, to say the least. For those of us who are closer to that chronological benchmark than we like to admit, it's gratifying to read a series that presents a senior citizen who is able to show the younger set how the job gets done. LOADED DICE is also, perhaps most importantly, a story of forgiveness and redemption, of second an

Swain doesn't disappoint as this book has more play and subplots than his prior Valentine yarns...love the return to a Las Vegas setting, as well as the return of Frank Fontaine and Nick Nicocropolis, not to mention the addition of couple of al Qaeda terrorists...amazingly close to reality and the truths that have yet to be revealed. Swain's on a role and I can't wait for the next Tony Valentine novel to come our way.

Tony Valentine is in Las Vegas to check up on his son, a reformed bookie who's joined his father's casino consulting business (his father catches cheaters). To say much more about this book would be ruining half the fun -- the breathless action, depictions of the seemy side of Las Vegas, amazing casino scams, and the extraordinary cast of characters -- make this a terrific read, with an ending as good as any I've read in the genre.This is the 4th book in the Grift Sense series, and the author should be given credit for coming up with a unique protagonist in Valentine, and his one genre of crime writing. After reading this book, you will not be able to gamble in a casino, and feel the same way again.