Review: Antonio Cruz pulls another one out of his Hat!!!!!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 01 14, 2013
I became a fan of this series with the first book, Casino Shuffle, read early last year. Antonio Cruz and the Native Sun Casino Hotel were a wonderfully different type of mystery thriller. This story has the punch of humor that piques my senses. Antonio is the Head Butler in the elite villas of this establishment. He is impeccably dressed in the finest clothing and is always in a perfect bow tie and breast pocket handkerchief in his perfectly pressed tuxedo. He is in charge of all the comings and goings of the high rollers, movie stars and VIP guests of this Hotel.Antonio comes with a small entourage of very important side characters. Liz Fiore, the ear to the President of the Native Sun, and Mark Ford, the hotel's Security Officer, are among the first two you see back.  Both Mark and Liz play a larger role in this story and we slowly learn more about them as well. Chewie and Chloe, our Surveillance Team duo, still bring out the laugh out loud moments that we come to expect from them. I just adore them and the comedic fill we sometimes need for ourselves and for Antonio.Bad Beat is faster paced and darker than Casino Shuffle. It made the story even better for me, as we slowly learn more about Mr. Perfect, Antonio Cruz. So, he is nothing like we imagined, he is sooo much more! We now see Mafia connections, we have murder, we have mayhem and we have a new mystery added to the mystery we are already trying to solve. A Villa Guest, one of the High Rollers, has hung himself in his room...Why???Now  we meet  to the next mystery...Who is Halifax Downs? He is  introduced as the New Executive Director of Gaming Operations. He has arrived with his assistant, Natalie Strafford. What is their angle??? Besides all of this, a category five hurricane is bearing down on the North East...Will it hit The Native Sun? A Head Butler like Antonio certainly has his hands full. He usually handles these things and doesn't muss his hair or break a crease in his pants. Will he be able to overcome this???Can you bear the suspense??? Your palms sweat, your heart races. Chewie and Chloe break the angst with a scene that has you laughing out loud. Now back to the wonderful camaraderie and friendship and repartee of Antonio and Mark. It is all too much, and it is all too good.Mr. Fields has wonderful timing and gift with words. I love seeing behind the scenes of a first rate casino and all the pitfalls that can occur. I enjoyed this book as much or maybe even more than the first. I loved seeing the humanization of not only Antonio but also Liz Fiore. She was so stark in the first book. I also love the knowledge that their will be more...I would be remiss not to add that Mr. Fields released a Christmas Novella called Rogue et Noir... Just think what would happen to a casino if someone called the 800 number on New Years Eve and told the operator he had planted a bomb at the hotel. Just sayin',  you might want to check it out as well...Review by Gloria LakritzReview Chair and Sr Reviewer of the Paranormal Romance Guild