I am new to Chris Ewan’s mystery series, but if THE GOOD THIEF’S GUIDE TO VEGAS is any indication, I’m sure to enjoy the other books as well. (For the record, they are 2007′s THE GOOD THIEF’S GUIDE TO AMSTERDAM, 2009′s THE GOOD THIEF’S GUIDE TO PARIS and last year’s THE GOOD THIEF’S GUIDE TO VENICE; VEGAS is from 2010, but only recently published in paperback.)
Charlie Howard is a first-class thief who happens to write mystery novels on the side. He and his agent, Victoria Newbury, are spending a bit of time in Vegas. In a fit of pique, Charlie steals the wallet of the casino’s resident magician, goes up to the man’s classy suite, and steals a lot of poker chips from the room safe. And then he stumbles across what appears to be a dead body in the bathroom.
He returns to the casino floor to find that Victoria has scored front-row tickets from the magician for his act. Victoria is even picked by the magician to assist him in the performance. But as Charlie watches, the magician begins his trick, and then disappears. Forever.
Questioned in the aftermath, it is discovered that Charlie has a whole lot of poker chips in his possession that can be identified as the magician’s. And then things get really complicated.
This is a Toad’s wild ride of highly unlikely events, and remarkable coincidences, with the over-the-top Vegas sheen thrown into the mix. It’s all quite enjoyable though since Howard writes the book in the first person, adopting a chummy, self-deprecating humor as he occasionally directly addresses the reader, dragging us willingly into his brass-balls adventure. It’s charming in the way a nefarious rogue can often put on the charm, and it works.
I don’t know if all thieves are as talented as Charlie Howard, and I’m not sure if this particular plot can withstand thorough scrutiny, but the writing style is smooth and funny, the pitfalls are great and the solutions ingenious, and the character is certainly likable enough to keep you entertained and looking for more books in the series. A fun read. —Mark Rose
Related posts:
- Murder in Vegas: New Crime Tales of Gambling and Desperation
- Because It Feels Good: A Woman’s Guide to Sexual Pleasure and Satisfaction
- Las Vegas Noir
- Vegas Knights
- TRAILER PARK: Dead Neon: Tales of Near-Future Las Vegas
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Clicked through to Amazon and scooped up a copy — sounds right up my alley. Thanks Mark!