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Summary: At home in Las vegas
Review: Living in the Las Vega area, I can see the cast of characters on the streets and in the casinos. Knowing the Las Vegas history, I found the plot very believable with surprises at every turn of the page.This is a 'must read' for anyone who is familiar with a casino town or has ever visited one. From the beginning I giggled and laughed at the author's wit and cried with tears of joy at the end. My only regret is that this book is not twice as long as it is.
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Summary: One of the great Vegas stories
Review: I loved this book and enjoyed every page. I was so excited when I got it. I lived in Las Vegas for a few months and this author has captured the experience perfectly. The small details really make you feel like you're there. The story is well crafted and suspenseful and I couldn't put it down. I even took it to work so I could sneak a few pages in during my breaks. I'd advise it for anyone who needs a little slice of Vegas in between trips or anyone who has lived there and misses it a bit. I hope this author writes another book soon.
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Summary: Las Vegas fun
Review: Congratulations Brian, you wrote a best seller. I couldn't put the book down. Having lived in the Las Vegas area for close to four years, it was fun to picture the casinos, intersections and similar stores and restaurants in my mind as I read. The story and characters develop at a wonderful pace and as one walks through casinos you swear Dice Angel is there. Don't believe me? Come and take a look for yourself. Take a fun trip to 'Vegas'. Read Dice Angel. Thanks for writing it Brian.
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Summary: Sometimes the Good Guys Win, Even in Las Vegas
Review: If you would like a respite from serial killers and spies, try this funny, warm-hearted story. Long-time Las Vegas resident Jimmy Delaney owns a bar that is a happy hangout for locals. But things aren't running Jimmy's way. His exwife hates him. His brother-in-law, acting as his accountant, runs off with all of Jimmy's money, and the IRS is about sell his bar for taxes that his accountant failed to pay. The only bright spots in Jimmy's suddenly-dark life are the love of his little daughter, Jenny, and the loyalty of his staff. As his life hits bottom, a homeless man, to whom Jimmy has given food for years, insists that the Dice Angel will help him get the money he needs. Jimmy scoffs, but where else to turn? Thus, he meets Amaris, the Dice Angel, a weird character even for Las Vegas, and a wild ride begins. Brian Rouff's setting of the atmosphere of Las Vegas is great, and his dialog is priceless.
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Summary: Viva Las Vegas
Review: Right from the beginning Dice Angel is full of energy and packed with laughs. The author Brian Rouff is a long time Vegas local and this is his first novel, hopefully he will be writing many more as Dice Angel is an extremely enjoyable book, full of humour and a distinctly Vegas character. The hero Jimmy D has a stretch of bad luck and finds himself in debt to the IRS and in danger of losing his beloved bar, passed down to him by his father. I won't spoil any of the story but will say that as we follow Jimmy on his quest to find the cash, we meet all sorts of humorous and bizarre characters. One aspect of this novel that really made it stand out for me was the fact that we were seeing Vegas through the eye's of a local, not an outsider. Just about every other tale involving Vegas whether it's the book Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas or films like Honeymoon in Vegas, Vegas Vacation or any of the other Vegas movies, they are all told through the eye's of an outsider and concentrate on portraying Vegas as phoney, like so many cheap Elvis impersonators. Rouff on the other hand paints us a picture of Vegas which includes the fact that 'real' people live there and that Vegas goes beyond the strip. In Dice Angel the tourists are foreigners with strange behaiviour and the casinos with their bright lights are just a part of everyday life. This vibe could never be manufactured. The writing is outstanding. The style is fast paced and characters are very briskly fleshed out in some of the most human and real conversations that I have seen in any book ever. Unlike many books, the character's dialog in Dice Angel sound like real conversations and we quickly get a sense of who they are. This is especially true for Jimmy D, Rouff manages to endear his hero Jimmy D to the reader in no time at all, the character seems to have a charisma that can be felt and you soon find yourself laughing along with Jimmy's wise cracks. Dice Angel is hilarious and contains a very human warmth. I found myself laughing out loud countless times and enjoyed every page.
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Summary: A winning hand............
Review: Dice Angel is a terrific tale of hard times, love, and hope with a big dose of zaniness!! Brian Rouff brings together a crazy cast of characters and sets them down in Las Vegas where life deals out some tough situations. Jimmy Delaney is the proud owner of a "saloon and supper club"named Jimmy D's, that he inherited from his father. He is a divorced dad whose daughter, Jenny is the light of his life! His ex-wife however casts a dark shadow over his life no matter where she is! When Jimmy's bar is burglarized things begin to go downhill quickly. He finds out that Owen, his accountant(and former brother-in-law) has disappeared without a trace, and so has all the money. Jimmy's insurance has lapsed,his bills have gone unpaid, he owes back taxes.When he attempts to take out a loan to come up with some fast money he finds out that the IRS has put a lien on the bar. He attempts to negotiate with the IRS, but that turns out to be a bigger nightmare than he had ever imagined. The IRS demands full payment in one week's time. When Jimmy's homeless friend gives him a business card for a woman who promises to bring him luck in gambling, and since Jimmy is at the end of his financial rope, he gives her a call. Is she for real, or is she just another down and out ... looking for an easy mark? The story grabs you like a streak of luck and holds your attention like a winning hand in a poker game!!
Brian Rouff has a unique talent for creating such realistic, earthy conversation by his characters that it is easy to imagine you actually hear what is being said rather than reading it! His characters are uniquely real, poignant,wierd and funny! They draw you in and make you care about what is happening to them. His writing transports you into their lives and as in real life you really are not sure what is going to happen next and surprises await you. This is a terrific story that is full of life and humor that round out the dark edges and lets the light in!!
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Summary: Enormously Entertaining
Review: "Dice Angel," a novel about life in Las Vegas, tells the story of Jimmy Delaney. Jimmy keeps himself busy by running the bar he inherited from his father. The bar, called Jimmy D's, draws in lots of Vegas locals who come to chat with Jimmy and have a good time. Unfortunately for Jimmy, he can't enjoy life along with his customers. Jimmy's got so many problems in his life that it's hard to keep track of them all. His ex-wife, Joy, has custody of Jimmy's daughter while she dips into Jimmy's pocket for alimony and child support. Shortly after burglars rip off the bar, Jimmy discovers that someone's been pulling an inside job on him by emptying his bank account. Then he discovers that the IRS is interested in collecting a whole lot of scratch for back taxes. Yep, Jimmy has problems falling out of his ears. Things go down hill so fast that Jimmy is forced to turn to the one thing in Vegas that might save somebody with no options left: gambling. Jimmy contacts the dice angel, a strange woman who claims that her intimate knowledge of astrology can save the day. All Jimmy knows is that her claims better be true because the IRS is moving in on him, and moving in for the kill. "Dice Angel" is a hilarious story, mostly due to the antics of Jimmy. He's quick witted and cynical, but he also has a heart of gold. Even though he's not the straightest arrow in the world, you come to like the guy. It's hard not to. Sure, he messes around with his ex-wife's head a bit, but he loves his daughter, treats his employees like family, and helps his friends out whenever he can. He even takes a local homeless guy under his wing, although the guy has a tendency to scare the living daylights out of Jimmy whenever he shows up. What is most memorable about this book is the cast of wacky characters that appear in Jimmy's life. There are two customers that insist on playing a game that involves questions you probably won't find in Trivial Pursuit, an Asian band that only plays pre-1977 Jimmy Buffett songs, a hypnotist with a picture of Larry from the Three Stooges on his wall, and Amaris, the dice angel, whose personal quirks are both strange and hilarious. Even though I've never been there, I suspect that only in Vegas would such a cast of goofballs be part of everyday life. Vegas itself forms the backdrop for the story. The pawnshops, the casinos, and the tourists all appear at some point in the story. It must be hard to be a local in Las Vegas. While the characters in the story seem to be used to all of the chaos, most of us would probably be lost in a haze of bells, lights, and Elvis impersonators. Seeing this story end is a real disappointment. Reading this book is like hitting three cherries on a slot machine. For a quick, entertaining story, "Dice Angel" is well worth the time.
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Summary: A Roll of the 'Dice' Yields a Winner
Review: Jimmy Delaney is the owner/proprietor of Jimmy D's, a bar and grill that is a favorite with the locals in Las Vegas. He swore off gambling about the time he and his wife split up and smoking more recently. Then his brother-in-law, who doubles as his bookkeeper, turned up his missing. So did Jimmy's money. Then Stanford Poon, of the IRS, started demanding back payroll taxes or else. Jimmy found himself in a tight spot with no options until a homeless friend gave him a business card that said 'Dice Angel'. And so events begin to unfold in Brian Rouff's novel, appropriately titled, 'Dice Angel'. I knew in advance that this novel was Rouff's first, but if it didn't say so on the 'About the Author' page, I might not believe it. Rouff's style combines the satire and wit of Carl Hiaasen with the snappy dialogue of Elmore Leonard. Like Hiaasen, a native of Florida, Rouff is a native of the locale his novel is set in. What Hiaasen does for Florida (i.e. takes shots at Disney and the tourist industry in general), Rouff does for Vegas (his target would mainly be the gambling industry). However, unlike Hiaasen and Leonard's work, 'Dice Angel' doesn't quite fit into the crime fiction genre, even though cops and the mob are marginally involved. The characters are first rate. Delaney is easy for anyone to identify with as he is basically a good man trying to shed a few bad habits and simply falls into trouble. His ex-wife, Joy, who he only had one fight with -- that started on the day they said "I do", is the insufferable 'ex' that we have all had at one time or another. And, last but not least, Stanford Poon is priceless as the IRS agent that plays obscure Jimmy Buffet songs on the side. Fans of Hiaasen and Leonard would really enjoy 'Dice Angel'. On top of that, anyone that enjoys Vegas, or has been taken by the casinos would enjoy a good laugh at the casino's expense. I highly recommend this novel. If you are in need of a fun read, order it today. I can only hope there will be additional novels by Rouff in the future.
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Summary: Dice Angels
Review: I gave this book to my husband for Father's Day...what a mistake...once he started reading it, he would not put it down! I had to read it myself after hearing his review of it. I understand why he could not put it down...Jimmy D. is someone you have got to love. Brian Rouff is masterful in keeping you involved in the mishaps of this colorful Vegas local. If you love Vegas, you will love Dice Angels. I only hope their is a sequel. This book would make a great movie. Please give us more of Jimmy D.
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Summary: A fantastic page turner about Las Vegas
Review: Brian Rouff has done a fantastic job! Dice Angel kept me interested from page 1. I connected with the characters and had a great time reading it! It was funny, touching, and well thought out. Jimmy D. was a gruff but likable character that was desperate and humorous. Dice Angel was a crap shoot for him but one that paid off!!!!
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