Mr. Lucky: A Novel of High Stakes

Ricky Smith had a hot hand. After escaping a major hotel fire in Vegas Ricky crosses the street and proceeds to break the casino playing jackpot, never losing a hand. His luck at roulette and craps is equally good, and Ricky even manages to win $50,000 in a scratch-off lottery game. Tony Valentine, ex-Atlantic City cop turned casino fraud investigator gets on the case and for once he is stumped. He moves temporarily to Slippery Rock NC (note to Jim Swain-It's Sliding Rock that's outside Brevard) and uncovers a town awash in greed but precious little evidence. Swain's book are usually filled with failed gambling scams but this work is a veritable reference book on how to beat the odds on cheating, at least till Tony gets on your case. It is a wonderful read although real cops and prosecutors would not have had the trouble Swain suggests in prosecuting the large group of conspirators. It is a minor flaw in the middle of major entertainment.

In series novels there comes a time when the writer either makes or breaks. This novel is IT and if you have been following the Tony Valentine series and are considering this book - BUY IT. This is fast paced, action, wit, and just enough of the "Gizmo" (dishonest gambling) to keep you reading all night. The dual plot (Tony and Jerry) is well developed and could be a little more interrelated, but Jerry finally becomes more than a cardboard cut out. In this novel he is in contact with his father learning the family casino detective trade by way of trial and error and with some long distance help from dad while Tony is concerned with the main plot. Enough is said in other reviews concerning the role of "Mr. Lucky" and it is a shame to tell much, but the implications of big cheating is big money and bigger schemes and Swain plays this well. The added attraction in this novel is the consideration, not in any preaching fashion, but reflectively of the moral and ethical implications of actions: is it proper to simply cut an addicted gambler loose, what is the role of the community in developing a gambling culture, what harm comes to innocents? And in a modern society, how does all this lead to violence? Swain does not preach, but like Tony he knows cause and effect. Come to think of it, logical analysis is very much in the center of his writing.

"Mr. Lucky," Jim Swain's fifth Tony Valentine novel serves up an insider's peek into the world of gambling's scams, grifts and cheats...both the casinos and the gamblers schemes and techniques. All the cons and rip-offs in his books have actually been pulled off. Casino cheating is a multi-billion dollar industry. Tony Valentine is a retired Atlantic City cop who now consults casinos who are being cheated from his Florida home. In the main plot, Tony investigates Ricky Smith, a seemingly ill fated average schmoo who cannot lose...wins $ 1 million from the casino, beats a World Series of Poker winner at his own game, hits a hometown lottery, a charity raffle and wins big at the off-track betting parlor. The casino is suspicious...they cannot tell how he did it...so they put Tony on the case and withhold the winnings until the investigation is concluded. Tony takes his investigation to Ricky's home town...the small town of Slippery Rock...and sends his son (and business partner) to question the losing poker player, Tex "All-in" Snyder in Gulfport. The hunt to decipher the methods of cheating is complicated by a myriad of dead ends, Dixie Mafia types and Ricky's own sly cleverness. The novel is packed with superb characters that inhabit the periphery connecting what is legal and what is not...the connection between good guys and bad guys (often affable) helps drive the plot. Tony Valentine is a fully-conceived, complex character who is easy to root for. "Mr. Lucky" is a big winner. At a book signing Jim said he has already completed his next two books in the Tony Valentine series..."there are so many cons and cheating schemes out there, that I have an absolutely endless supply of material for many novels to come."

This was my first experience with Mr. Swain's writing and his central character, Tony Valentine. It won't be my last. In fact I have already ordered all of his previous novels and if that isn't an indication of how talented this writer is as a story teller, than I don't know what is. Mr. Lucky is a book you read just for it's sheer entertainment value. Ricky Smith, a loser all of his life, has just won $20,000 gambling in Las Vegas. He has brought a georgeous babe up to his room to celebrate. She has her own ideas of celebration and tries to slip him a Mickey which he catches her at. In the midst of throwing her out of his room, he discovers the hotel on the Vegas strip is on fire. There is no escape for Ricky except to jump from his balcony. His luck continues and he survives the fall and then goes on one of the most remarkable gambling streaks that has ever been seen in Las Vegas. It is almost too good to be true, which is exactly what the casino owners in Vegas believe and his million or so dollars in winnings are held up pending an investigation. Enter Tony Valentine, owner of Grift Sense, a gambling consulting company and one of the most knowledgeable men on the face of the earth concerning scams that people try to perpetrate on casinos. Tony sets out to try and explain how such a streak of luck is a con and while he is doing it, Ricky continues his streak winning a lottery drawing and picking three winners in a horse race to show his luck is still holding. Checking Ricky out takes Tony to Slippery Rock, NC, Ricky's sleepy home town and it takes his son on a trip to Mississippi where Ricky has bested one of the top poker players in the world in a game of Texas Hold 'Em. Their investigations follow their own courses as they probe deeper into how one man can be so lucky and that is all you really need to know right now, except to say that you will get an education concerning the darker side of the gambling industry and be totally engrossed in the story and it's many characters until at last the truth is discovered. I bought this book on a hunch that I would like it based on the revews I had seen. That was a lucky on my part and you can get it on it too. It's a winner!!

"Mr. Lucky" is the nick-name given to North Carolina small-town loser Ricky Smith, who has just won a million dollars from the Mint casino in Las Vegas. Ricky won the cool million on an amazing string of wins; first at the blackjack table, then at craps, and finally at the roulette wheel. But his streak of luck was too perfect, and the management at The Mint is stalling in paying off his winnings. In the mean time, they've sent their security video tapes to ex-copy Tony Valentine, owner of the "Grift Sense" detective agency and expert on casino cheating. Initially, Tony is stumped by the tapes and can't see a scam, so he decides to pay a visit to Mr. Smith in his home town of Slippery Rock, North Carolina. Once Tony arrives in North Carolina, he begins to suspect that the winning streak was not legitimate, and he uncovers a host of other funny bets in town. The action is non-stop, and the detecting is great fun. In this fifth Tony Valentine novel, Tony even gets his neighbor Mabel involved in the sleuthing. Also, Tony is trying to give his troubled son Gerry a chance to help him in his business. Gerry finds himself in Gulfportm Mississippi, sent to interview a legendary poker player who was also fleeced by Ricky. In Gulfport, Gerry gets mixed up with some very bad characters in the Dixie Mafia. THe climax of the story is great! As author Swain continues to write this series, the character of Tony's son Gerry develops a lot. In "Mr. Lucky", Gerry struggles with his conscience and makes some good choices. This series keeps getting better and better! Veteran readers will enjoy this book, but newcomers to the series can enjoy this ride too.