Shuffled
“Soft clicks. Low chatter. The flutter of cards and banknotes. The clunk of coin. The moiré sibilance of play…”
“A taut, pacy read…” – Amazon review
“I knew nothing about the casino world and I found it fascinating, the author obviously knows her stuff…The writing itself is vibrant and certainly packs a punch. It doesn’t hold back and has an unique style. Its nice to find an author who is not scared to be different and churn out the same old, same old.” – Amazon review
“Having never entered a casino in my life, I generally saw them as either a playground for the wealthy or part of the fantasy world of cinema (Casino, Casino Royale, etc). “Shuffled” managed to sneak me inside a realistic casino and provide an insightful commentary on what goes on there, especially behind the façade of moneyed leisure.” – Amazon review
We follow Iris, a croupier, young, attractive, determined to make something of herself in the big city, far from parents and her home town. She is a conflicted guide, already experienced enough to be scornful of the casino environment and the people who throw their money around, yet also youthfully enamoured by the glitz and exclusivity she rubs up against. She is “the pretty face of this despoliation.” We get to appreciate the enormous gap between the high rollers she serves and her bedsit reality, we ogle beautiful escorts, dripping gold, and learn that the glamorous outfits of the staff have their pockets sewn shut. To be a croupier is to be watched at all times. But some things go unnoticed by the watchers, such as the brief moments of communication between a rich man’s trophy girlfriend and the croupier taking his chips.
What exactly is she trying to communicate? Why this thrill of danger and illegality? How far into this grubby, moneyed world is Iris willing to go?
Shuffled is an informative, engaging, and exciting read. A safe bet.” – Amazon review
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