Funny Money (Tony Valentine Novels)
"I can sense when things aren't right on a casino floor and I just take  it from there," says Tony Valentine, the cop turned casino consultant who--all  boasting aside--finds himself stumped more often than not inFunny Money.  James Swain's smartly plotted, often humorous sequel toGrift Sensesends the  62-year-old Valentine back to his hometown, Atlantic City, where his former  police partner, Doyle Flanagan, has been blown up in his car at a McDonald's. Is  this murder linked to Flanagan's investigation of a $6 million blackjack hustle  at the city's giant Bombay casino, allegedly perpetrated by a gang of badly  coifed Croatians? Meanwhile, Valentine will have to face down thugs who are  putting the squeeze on his flaky son, try to appease the Bombay's much-despised  owner, and win the help--and heart--of a no-nonsense woman wrestler with a nasty  attitude.Like his debut novel,Funny Moneyis distinguished by Swain's knowledge  of gambling scams from card counting to the judicious application of a "monkey's  paw" on a slot machine. Less even is this book's character development.  Valentine is expertly drawn, and the relationship between him and his  late-blooming son is both convincing and heartwarming. But some secondary  players are about as thinly realized as a poker chip, and Swain's too-convenient  use of violence as a plot propellant threatens to undermine his story's  credibility. All in all, though,Funny Moneyis a safe bet.--J.  Kingston Pierce--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.