Rating: 
Summary: This book hits the jackpot
Review: 62 year old Tony Valentine is a retired cop who helps stop casino fraud from the security of his retirement home in Florida. The impending visit of his prodigal son, however, convinces him a little vacation is necessary. He allows himself to be pulled into the investigation of a hustler in Las Vegas. No one recognizes the guy but he is just too good to appear out of the woodwork. Valentine eventually recognizes him as Sonny Fontana, the greatest hustler ever - and apparently not dead, as reported. Valentine gradually uncovers both Fontana's accomplices and his intricate plan.Along with a cracking good heist mystery, the characters in this book are myriad and distinctive. There's casino owner Nick, the little Greek lover who can't remember who he has slept with. Nola, the down-at-luck but trying-to-find-happiness blackjack dealer. Roxanne, the beautiful desk clerk with a thing for older men. Valentine's son Gerry, his geriatric neighbor Mabel, and lots more. The great bonus in Grift Sense is the inside secrets of life in a casino. Scattered through the story are the scams, the hustles, the rip-offs, plus the tedium and wretchedness, behind the scenes of the gambling world. This book hits the jackpot on all levels.
Rating:
Summary: What book are they reading????
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: grift sense
Review: I really enjoyed Swain's story of a retired cop who returns to Vegas to help capture a master con man. Swain's mix of Vegas and plot twists made it a very hard book to put down. I did not see the ending coming. Great job!
Rating: 
Summary: Good Humor, Nice Flow for first of series
Review: I really enjoyed this book. I read 2-3 books a week. This one kept my attention. When I review a book I ask, Did it keep my interest? Does it have humor? Is it well written? Does the ending have resolve? I answered yes to all these questions after reading Grift Sense.
This is the first of a series of 4. The author is also an expert on gambling. You could tell. The main character, Valentine, is likeable and funny. I can't wait to read the next one.
Rating:
Summary: I Bet You'll Like It
Review: In his debut novel, James Swain introduces us to Tony Valentine, a retired cop in his sixties living in Florida. Valentine is an expert in spotting a hustler and his talents are in great demand by casinos all over the country. A particularly perplexing case sees Valentine leave the comforts of home to head for Las Vegas, not Tony's favourite city. The casino security staff knows that a man is cheating at blackjack, but they don't know how and it's for this reason that he's been called in to take a look. Things start going wrong the moment he hits town. He receives a death threat, a dealer from the casino (and suspect in his case) goes missing, and low-lifes from his past begin showing up. Swain has managed to hit upon the winning combination of an interesting subject and a likable protagonist making it a very enjoyable book to read. I found that reading about the intricacies of gambling cheats and how to spot them was fascinating and was very nicely woven into the plot making me want to read more. We are gradually familiarised with the past of Tony Valentine and, in so doing, learn what makes him tick and what ideals are important to him. It becomes very easy to like him and empathise with his character. This is a very worthwhile mystery with a few twists to keep you on your toes. The pace is fast, the characters are likeable and the ending is satisfying. I'm looking forward to reading the next Tony Valentine mystery.
Rating:
Summary: On The Money!
Review: This is the author's first novel and he's off to an auspicious beginning. It's rare that a fresh idea appears in the mystery genre, but Tony Valentine is a unique character. He's an ex-cop with an ability (Grift Sense) to spot grifters and con men who try to fleece casionos, and acts as a consultant to a Las Vegas casino in this series opener. Swain knows Vegas, and the little touches like having to use a handkerchief on a car door handle to keep from getting scalded, brings back memories of those blistering hot days I spent on the strip. A great story, too, pitting Valentine against master grifter Sonny Fontana, with a suprise ending and a nice sub-plot about Tony's relationship with his bookie son, Gerry. Alas, the author could have done some research into polygraph, and how tests are administered. In this area he was completely wrong and it slowed the story down a bit, as he made an attempt to sound like he knew what he was talking about. Next time he should call a real PI and get the straight skinny on how to conduct a polygraph test, which are utilized often by the Vegas police in cheating cases. A minor quibble, however. This is a fast-paced story with great characters and a terrific sense of place. I had to turn up the airconditioner halfway through the book.
Rating:
Summary: Great debut
Review: This is the best debut of a mystery series that I've read in years. The characters were fully realized, and the story's pacing was phenomenal. The crooked gambling and scams were also a real treat.
Rating:
Summary: Great debut
Review: This is the best debut of a mystery series that I've read in years. The characters were fully realized, and the story's pacing was phenomenal. The crooked gambling and scams were also a real treat.
Rating:
Summary: The first might be the best
Review: This is the first in the Tony Valentine series, and it may be the best, although all three stand out as really terrific yarns. The setting is Las Vegas, and Valentine, a retired Atlantic City detective who runs a casino consulting business, is hired by the Acropolis Casino to figure out how a player at a blackjack table took the casino for $50,000. To tell any more would reveal too many juicy plot details. Like the other two books in the series, Funny Money and Sucker Bet, Grift Sense is an afternoon well spent.
Rating:
Summary: Fast paced and engaging.
Review: This is the first novel in James Swain's Tony Valentine series. I had already read the sequel, Funny Money, and quite frankly, had found that book to be rather mediocre. Grift Sense, I'm pleased to say, is much, much better.
This very entertaining book grabs your interest on page one and holds it to the very end. Most of the action takes place in Las Vegas and Swain has succeeded in conveying the unique feel of that intriguing place.
Perhaps the most amazing aspect of Swain's writing is its remarkable readability. Both the dialogue and the narrative portions flow so smoothly, the reader can't help but keep turning pages. Where this novel differs from the weaker Funny Money is in the critically important areas of character developement and plot construction. Grift Sense has several well defined characters, each with a number of interesting and many times colorful attributes. And the plot unfolds in a way that really engages the reader's imagination.
My only gripe about this otherwise appealing novel concerns the way in which the crooks manage to rack up big winnings at the blackjack table. If this method worked in the real world, it would be used all the time and the game of blackjack would rapidly become unprofitable to casinos.
Grift Sense is a lot of fun to read. I'm looking forward to seeing how the third Tony Valentine adventure, Sucker Bet, stacks up against the first two.
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