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James Swain, winner of the prestigious Prix Calibre 38 for Best American Crime Fiction, is the bestselling author of eight previous novels. He lives with his wife, Laura, in Florida, where he is currently at work on his next novel.
Anonymous
Posted April 19, 2009
I enjoyed this book. I found it very interesting. It ended kind of abruptly but overall I liked the story. --K--
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Posted March 9, 2009
I read my first James Swain book over the Christmas holidays. Since then, I have picked up 5 more and have read 4 of them. The main character - Tony Valentine - is well developed and I find my self laughing out loud at times when I am reading. Great series to read through.
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Posted August 19, 2005
Ricky Smith, a loser from a nowhere town in the North Carolina mountains, suddenly becomes the luckiest man on earth, winning everything he sets his mind to. But he isn't fooling everyone. Enter Tony Valentine, ageing ex-cop and gambling scam detection artist. Soon he and his son Gerry are up to their ears in the Dixie Mafia, revenge-driven backwoodsmen, and corruption at the highest levels of business. Set in Florida, Nevada, and the deep South, this tale of greed and grift holds the reader to the last exciting page.
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Posted June 27, 2005
Excellent, with a little suspension of disbelief. One glaring error: a man 'burns off' his fingerprints using Boric Acid? Boric is used in eyewashes and of you soaked your fingers in it all day you would only get wrinkled skin, same as water. OK, that's nitpicking. Still a good book.
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Posted March 24, 2005
I just finished reading an excellent book that I highly recommed to you. 'Mr. Lucky is an exciting, beautifully written novel. I particularly enjoyed all the insider information the author lets us in on about many types of gambling scams that crooks use. These tricks add spice to altogether satisfying and exciting story line. Tony Valentine is a totally believalbe, really engaging person. Another great book by James Swain
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.When a fire breaks out in the Riverboat Casino, small time gambler Ricky Smith jumps from his burning balcony into a pool. A few minutes later without a look back he enters the Mint. He borrows twenty bucks; Smith starts at blackjack, turns to roulette and dice before completing his incredible run by wiping out poker expert Tex Snyder. In a short period, Smith went from loser to millionaire never losing a hand at any of the games he played. --- The Vegas Nevada Gaming Control Board wants Tony Valentine, head of Grift Sense, to figure out how Smith accomplished this incredible run. Tony wants to refuse the assignment, but when the consortium adds the wiping out his wastrel son¿s debts, he agrees only for the sake of his daughter in-law and granddaughter. Smith is back in North Carolina, but the streak continues with a lottery win. Tony struggles to debunk MR. LUCKY as no pattern except the wins emerge.--- In his latest grift tale, James Swain provides a delightful wild gambling tale that also provides a cautionary waning to those hooked by the glitter of internet and televised poker. Tony is terrific as he cannot find how Smith can win at seemingly random events like a lottery. Wild and zany, MR. LUCKY is a terrific royal flush thriller.--- Harriet Klausner
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Posted November 10, 2010
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Posted March 14, 2009
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Posted September 25, 2011
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Posted November 12, 2008
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Posted January 8, 2010
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Posted May 31, 2010
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Posted April 2, 2009
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Overview
Tony Valentine made his living and his name as a cop in Atlantic City–and is now known worldwide for his ability to spot the kinds of scams, grifts, and rip-offs that cost casinos billions every year. A man with a biting wit who drives a ’92 Honda, Tony is low-profile, old-school, and has seen it all–until he meets the luckiest man on earth.Ricky Smith was once a small-town loser. Then he went to Las Vegas, jumped out the window of a burning hotel, lived to tell the tale, and tore up the Strip on an incredible winning streak. Ricky didn’t just win at one slot machine or table game. He won at blackjack, roulette, and craps, and then beat the pants off ...