Kate’s 2¢: “Jackpot” by James Swain

“Jackpot” by James Swain

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

   I’ve been to Las Vegas and played Black Jack and, of course, the slot machines. I knew going into the casino that there would be not clocks nor windows. I also knew I had a set amount of money to bet. When that was gone, I’d watch other people play. I won some and out it back into the pot until the funds were gone. I had a lot of fun, but, now I wonder if it was all rigged for the house to win!

   I liked how to catch a thief, Jerry was a former thief and was able to think like Bronco to out-wit him.  

   Ray Foushee is one of my favorite readers. Good job. Thank you.

James Swain (born June 7, 1956) is an American crime fiction author and magician.

Swain has written at more than fifteen fiction and non-fiction books. Many have been translated into twelve languages.[1] He has used two main characters in most of his crime related and mystery books. These are Tony Valentine, a private eye and Jack Carpenter, an ex-cop turned child rescuer. Swain is lesser known for his “Magic” non-fiction books which are self-published. Swain’s recent books have been declared “Mysteries of the Year” by Publishers Weekly and Kirkus Reviews.

He has received two nominations for the Barry Award. In 2006, he was awarded the Prix Calibre 38 for best American Crime Fiction for his Tony Valentine series. He has received an award for his fiction from “Florida Book.”[2][3]

The “Tony Valentine” rights were purchased in 2009 by Langley Films for theatrical purposes.[1] An agreement allows Swain to write the first screenplay adaptation.[3][4]

Swain was researching a story about poker hustling for Men’s Journal in 2009 and the team of hustlers he found agreed to let him write a series of novels based on their experiences after a five-year delay, leading to the “Billy Cunningham” series.[5]

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Jackpot DB102684

Swain, James. Reading time: 9 hours, 57 minutes.

Read by Ray Foushee.

Suspense Fiction

Mystery and Detective Stories

Ex-cop Tony Valentine heads to Nevada to settle a score with the last of the ruthless con men who gunned down his brother-in-law. With his son Gerry, they track down the cold-blooded Bronco Marchese, while also helping the police figure out who’s remotely stealing jackpots. Strong language and some violence. 2010.