As a novice and amateur when it comes to writing book reviews, I expect I am going to make some mistakes. Case in point: While reading Deadman’s Bluff, James Swain’s continuation of the story begun in Deadman’s Poker, I got so caught up in the story that I did not stop periodically and take notes about what I liked or didn’t like about the story.

Quick read? Oh yeah.

So, going back to re-visit the story is not THAT big of a deal.

The basic plot remains the same: the fictional World Poker Showdown is in the process of being won by cheaters, and Tony Valentine is on the case. The Vegas story arc picks up in the latter stages of the tournament with the blind nephew of an Atlantic City mob boss cheating to build a massive lead going into the final days. The method used to cheat begins to become more apparent, and Gerry goes to Atlantic City to trace the leads back to a friend, murdered in the earlier book. While there, Gerry gets involved in busting a blackjack-cheating ring run by the same mob boss. Tony continues to apply pressure to the tournament cheater, and between the two of them the action brings the story to a very satisfying conclusion.

Along the way, Swain continues to entertain and inform us through comic-relief Rufus Steele, an old-time hustler modeled after Amarillo Slim. Rufus continues to build a massive bankroll through a series of scams and hustles and gets paid off every time despite angle-shooting that pushes the ethical edge. These sequences are great training for inventive bar bets.

You will have to read Deadman’s Poker before you read Deadman’s Bluff; the two books cannot be read separately or out of order. But both books represent a great continuation in the Tony Valentine series.

Just finished reading Deadman’s Poker by James Swain. I’ve written reviews of Mr. Swain’s other books previously for a poker-related website, and will re-post them here in the coming days and weeks.

Swain’s main character is Tony Valentine, a retired police officer with a casino consulting business that specializes in catching cheaters. The series is built around Valentine, who lives in Palm Harbor, near Swain’s own home in Odessa, FL and the books move between Florida, Las Vegas, and Atlantic City

I have to say that I enjoyed the book quite a lot. I enjoy poker and gambling narratives, and have an appreciation for authors that are able to build a series of books around a central character, and then mature that character and his supporting cast as they move through time. There is nothing worse than a main character who never progresses emotionally, morally, or physically, a sure sign of laziness in a writer. Fortunately, Swain keeps developing his characters further in each successive novel, making it infinitely more interesting to read.

The plot in Deadman’s Poker involves the fixing of the World Poker Showdown, a fictionalized version of the WSOP, utilizing an unrevealed (in this book) cheating scam. A character reminiscent of Amarillo Slim makes the cheating accusation after busting out on Day 1 of the tournament, and Tony Valentine is called in to investigate. Along the way we’re treated to a number of prop bet scams, the workings of which are revealed in due time during the story – great stuff for the degenerate gamblers among us, fascinating for those of us that enjoy figuring out how magicians and conmen do their tricks.

Valentine’s son is along for the ride, and Swain has continued to mature Gerry and the relationship between father and son. Of course, while Gerry shows more flashes of being able to think on his feet in dangerous situations, including a gritty, distasteful sequence of events leading up to the climax, it still takes Valentine riding to the rescue with the infantry in tow to save the day in the climax of this first-of-two-parts story.

Two parts? Yep. The story continues in the next novel, Deadman’s Bluff, released only one-month after Deadman’s Poker. Up next on my reading list, of course.

Anyway, this is an action story that moves right along. Having read the previous books in the Tony Valentine series, I knew what to expect and was not disappointed. Great stuff!

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