Review: Prince's gamble
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 05 21, 2013
An FBI agent is appointed to examine suspicious activities at a Russian-owned casino in New Jersey. She doesn't trust the eye-catching Prince who owns it, at first.Agent Kathleen Martinez leads a team forcing an entry to a warehouse owned by a Russian consortium in New York. They rescue women held chained in tiny rooms for white slavery. Two years later, a Russian calls her in to investigate his Atlantic City casino business and his family connection to the previous case makes Kathleen uneasy. A young female employee called Vanessa has vanished, and shady men and escort girls are cashing large amounts of chips - possibly money laundering; can it be that the owner just wants to harm rival gangsters?The casino occupies five floors of a building, with shopping, food and entertainment, and Prince Alexander has a penthouse suite on the 22nd floor. He wears designer suits and his younger sister Tatania is a refreshingly casual student trying to fit in with young Americans. Casino owners, not gamblers, make it rich, and where there is potential for illicit activities crooks will follow. Kathleen organises a security team and goes undercover to gain the trust of a Russian mafia boss by stripping in front of him. Her grudging admiration for the prince turns to attraction. In a very ill-advised move she becomes his lover, potentially exposing herself to blackmail and dismissal and getting her case thrown straight out of court for involvement with a principal. This was unconvincing - if she wanted to become involved she should have waited until the case was finalised, or do we want FBI agents jumping into bed with everyone they investigate? I could not believe this conscientious career woman would do this.This book, which has obviously been well researched by Caridad Pineiro, includes a lot of information about running casinos. I would have liked scenes set among the community of New Jersey, as almost everything takes place inside the casino premises and we only see the shore through high windows. I did enjoy the Russian-style foods, especially one recipe cooked by Alexander. Chicken breasts with butter and sour cream sauce, served with pilaf rice flavoured with almonds, apricots, carrots and onions. Mmm!