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Las Vegas, and where gamblers gather in large numbers, then the cheats, the con men, the grifters, are never far away. The Acropolis is a down and nearly out casino, and when a gambler starts to win way over the odds at blackjack then a scam must be happening. The gambler disappears and the dealer is arrested, but she seems to be innocent. Nobody can figure out how the scam is being worked. Enter Tony Valentine, a Gaming Commission cop from Atlantic City who has retired to Florida, and who supplements his pension by hiring himself out as a security consultant to the big casinos. Tony has grift sense, the ability to sense a scam even before it happens, and when the Acropolis calls him in on the blackjack scam, Tony's nose smells something a lot fishier in the wind. Characterisation is a major strength of Grift Sense, in particular Tony Valentine, a realistic old-timer with lots of little details that really bring him to life. The womanising casino owner could easily have become a caricature, as could the helpful Florida neighbour and some others, but Swain provides just enough background to make them realistic. The casino's security staff, the dealers, the Las Vegas policemen, the gamblers and cheats, all provide a rich cast for Swain to build to his plot around. Nearly everybody knows what Las Vegas looks like, and Swain does a good job with the major setting, including the seamier streets behind the glitter. The real star of the setting, however, is the Acropolis Casino. The façade is detailed, the majestically tacky entrance, the gaming floor, the lavish hotel suites, and then Swain also takes us behind the scenes to areas such as the security control room, giving a fascinating look at the running of a once great casino. This is the setting where the scam is played out, it's important to have a good mental picture, and the area is clearly defined without ever seeming like a floorplan description. Grift Sense isn't a murder mystery, although there are some deaths they're incidental to the main plot. It's a very clever caper style story and the mystery is the scam itself, what's really happening and who's behind it. James Swain is a gambling expert and magician, and his writing shows an adroigt sleight of hand as the plot twists and turns to it's surprising conclusion. Swain provides plenty of potential suspects and clues, and I always had the sense that the solution was there but, as with any great illusion, always just out of my sight, and that made Grift Sense a very entertaining read. Great fun. I highly recommend Grift Sense, it's in my top ten for 2002 and I'm looking forward to reading the follow-up. James Swain goes straight onto my list of must read authors. Grift
Reviewed by Paul Richmond, October 2002
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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