Bluff

by Jane Stanton Hitchcock

Overview

Winner of the 2019 Dashiell Hammett Prize for Literary Excellence in Crime Writing

"Bluff is a triumphant and thrilling return. Not only can Hitchcock stage a murder mystery that's as comedic as it is clever, but she also skewers the social elite — a world in which she grew up — with a satirical touch that's both razor-sharp and subtly sympathetic."—The Strand Magazine

From New York Times bestselling author Jane Stanton Hitchcock comes a noir crime thriller full of wit, charm, and intrigue. For Maud Warner, the only way to get revenge is at the poker table—and she likes her odds.

One-time socialite Maud Warner polishes up the rags of her once glittering existence and bluffs her way into a signature New York restaurant on a sunny October day. When she walks out again, a man will have been shot.

Maud has grown accustomed to being underestimated and invisible to young New York socialites, and she uses her ability to fly under the radar as she pursues celebrity accountant Burt Sklar, the man she believes stole her mother's fortune and left her family in ruins. Her fervent passion for poker has taught Maud that she can turn weakness into strength to take advantage of people who think they are taking advantage of her, and now she has dealt the first card in her high-stakes plan for revenge.

One unexpected twist after another follows as Maud plays a deadly game of poker. The stakes? To take down her enemies and get justice for their victims. Her success depends on her continuing ability to pull off the biggest bluff of her life—and on who will fold.

Can she win?

Full of both intrigue and wit, this mystery is:

• Perfect for fans of Linda Fairstein and Tara Isabella Burton
• A riveting book for people who love poker
• For readers who enjoy big city mysteries and crime noir fiction

This award-winning thriller from New York Times bestselling author will have you cheering as Maud Warner, ex-socialite and card master, deftly plays her adversaries one-by-one. The necessary ending? Revenge. The plan? A deadly gamble.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781464210693
Publisher:	Sourcebooks
Publication date:	04/07/2020
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	672,742
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.10(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Jane Stanton Hitchcock is a New York Times bestselling author, playwright, and screenwriter. Best known for her mystery novels (Trick of the Eye, The Witches' Hammer, Social Crimes, One Dangerous Lady, and Mortal Friends), Jane is also an avid poker player who competes in the World Poker Tour and the World Series of Poker. Her sixth novel, BLUFF, pays tribute to her passion for poker and will be published in April 2019. Jane Stanton Hitchcock is married to Jim Hoagland, a two-time Pulitzer prize-winning journalist. They live in Washington, D.C. and New York City.

Editorial Reviews

★ 11/12/2018
At the start of this wry, sly caper novel from Hitchcock (Mortal Friends), 56-year-old former socialite and accomplished poker player Maude Warner, dressed in a vintage Saint Laurent suit (bought back when Yves was still designing) and thrift shop–purchased Louboutin shoes, walks into the Four Seasons restaurant in Manhattan, pulls a handgun from her faux Birkin bag, and fires. A bullet hits billionaire financier Sun Sunderland, who was lunching with his business partner, Burt Sklar, “accountant to the stars.” Sklar is also the man Maude blames for stealing her family’s fortune. In the chaos that follows, Maude drops the gun, calmly walks out of the restaurant, and catches a train back home to Washington, D.C. As she says, “Older women are invisible and we don’t even have to disappear.” Chapters vividly narrated by Maude explain what led her to commit her crime and offer hints about what her endgame might be. This delicious novel of sweet revenge reveals, with wit and stylish vigor, a world—New York high society—that the author clearly knows intimately. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

"Jane Hitchcock pulls off another stunning tour de force in her newest crime novel, Bluff. Nobody writes high society and its down-low denizens better than Hitchcock - and this book is her best yet. It's all in the cards—and it's masterful." — Linda Fairstein, New York Times bestselling author

"With the heart-pounding suspense of a high-stakes poker game, Bluff is a vivid, compelling novel about deceit, seduction, and delicious revenge that will have you spellbound and cheering as you turn the last page." — Susan Cheever, author of Home Before Dark and Treetops

"Jane Stanton Hitchcock's Bluff is the royal flush of suspense novels! The queen of both writing and poker aces it again!" — Linda Kenney Baden, celebrated attorney, legal commentator, and author

"This delicious novel of sweet revenge reveals, with wit and stylish vigor, a world—New York high society—that the author clearly knows intimately." — Publishers Weekly STARRED Review

"Hitchcock pokes fun at the gossipy upper class, at the verbal tics of crass hangers-on, at the street-smart capability of former strippers and former advertising executives alike. The biggest takeaway: He who underestimates women of a certain age certainly does so at his own peril. Frothy fun with a backbone of feminist steel; as quick-moving and intricate as any heist movie." — Kirkus Reviews

"The axiom 'write what you know' deliciously foretells this poker-themed thriller...A smartly plotted upper-crust caper." — Karen Keefe, Booklist

From the Publisher

"Jane Stanton Hitchcock's Bluff is the royal flush of suspense novels! The queen of both writing and poker aces it again!"

Linda Kenney Baden

"With the heart-pounding suspense of a high-stakes poker game, Bluff is a vivid, compelling novel about deceit, seduction, and delicious revenge that will have you spellbound and cheering as you turn the last page."

Susan Cheever

"Jane Hitchcock pulls off another stunning tour de force in her newest crime novel, Bluff. Nobody writes high society and its down-low denizens better than Hitchcock - and this book is her best yet. It's all in the cards - and it's masterful."

New York Times bestselling author Linda Fairstein

"The axiom 'write what you know' deliciously foretells this poker-themed thriller...A smartly plotted upper-crust caper."

Booklist - Karen Keefe

This audiobook is a unique, fast-paced thriller full of intrigue and unexpected humor. Narrator Lisa Flanagan creates a remarkable portrayal of its protagonist. Listeners will be drawn in by Maud Warner, a 50-something New York socialite on a mission. She is out for revenge against those she believes destroyed her family and stole her inheritance. As Flanagan depicts a large cast of well-developed characters, her vocal nuances and impeccable timing add to the listener's enjoyment. This story juxtaposes Maud's actions and their consequences with larger themes of retribution, financial scandal, gossip, family, and the rise and fall of members of high society. With parallels made between poker and life, BLUFF is a quirky, engaging listen. K.S.M. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

MAY 2019 - AudioFile

2018-10-28

An aging debutante and card shark commits the perfect revenge crime in Hitchcock's (Mortal Friends, 2009, etc.) social noir.

When "Mad" Maud Warner walks into the Four Seasons and shoots Sun Sunderland, "the Pope of Finance," then drops the gun and walks out again undetected, the upper-class grapevines in New York and Washington begin working overtime. It's generally accepted that she was probably aiming at Sunderland's lunch companion, Burt Sklar, a shady financial planner Maud blames for the fleecing of her mother and the death of her brother. It's also generally admired that Maud has taken advantage of her relative social obscurity as a financially disgraced older woman to evade arrest, especially when the victim is revealed to be a bigamist. For her part, Maud takes shelter in the dingy world of underground poker, where she has become a consummate player. There's a metaphor here of course; as an expert poker player, Maud knows how to plan and how to bluff, and soon the shooting is revealed to be part of a much larger plot to expose Sklar and punish both men for many egregious personal sins. The novel hums along with a chatty, sometimes hyperbolic tone; some chapters are written in Maud's first-person and others in third-person as the details of the crime and depth of the conspiracy are slowly exposed. Hitchcock pokes fun at the gossipy upper class, at the verbal tics of crass hangers-on, at the street-smart capability of former strippers and former advertising executives alike. The biggest takeaway: He who underestimates women of a certain age certainly does so at his own peril.

Frothy fun with a backbone of feminist steel; as quick-moving and intricate as any heist movie.

Kirkus Reviews