Customer Reviews

The Counter

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I usually stay away from fiction books about gambling and casinos because often the author displays his or her total lack of knowledge of gambling games as the book progresses. That can get irritating when you've invested your time only to find out on page 103 that the writer hasn't a clue as to what happens in a casino or to casino players.

I remember once reading an otherwise decent book that took the protagonists to Atlantic City where they played blackjack using $20 purple chips and tried to hit to hands of 21, no matter what the dealer had showing -- and these characters, the author insisted, were supposed to be savvy gamblers. He even got the location of individual Atlantic City casinos wrong! (Aren't there supposed to be editors that check these things at major publishers?) It almost ruined the experience for me. Luckily, the author got them out of town before I got up and threw the book out. (The one glaring exception to the above was Mario Puzo's Fools Die, a brilliant book.)

So, when Kevin Blackwood's book came to me, it had to face my distrust of gambling fiction, and also the fact that I have never heard of the publisher. The book had obviously been read in galley form by some prominent gaming authorities as the back cover was liberally sprinkled with quotes about its virtues. Good enough to give me a reason to read some of it.

So I started reading. Immediately I was struck with a scene that I felt was labored and false. The protagonist, Raven Townsend, is playing at a casino and a young lady, obviously a chip hustler or hooker, is asking questions. The dealer is explaining the essence of card counting to her. Those questions were heavy-handedly designed, it seemed to me, to inform the readers about the mechanics of card counting and I thought, "this book is going to be laborious. I'll give it thirty pages."

It didn't take thirty pages. Once that initial, and strained, conversation took place, the book took off. I couldn't put it down. Blackwood weaved a world of professional blackjack with a quest for truth and identity, a love lost and found, and a rollicking series of adventures that culminated in a showdown at the conclusion that was teeth clenching and stomach tightening.

The Counter is a book that is everything its blurbs say it is. The blackjack information is right on the money. Scene after crackling scene I kept saying to myself: "I've been there and done that, wow!"

Mr. Blackwood knows the game inside and out, and he has liberally sprinkled the book with, I believe, true life adventures and thinly veiled true-life characters. (Blackjack buffs might be able to pin down these characters!)

Still a work of fiction has to be more than just a series of blackjack anecdotes, no matter how appealing. Such anecdotes are fine for nonfiction, how-to books in order to take away the tedium of reading serious strategic matters. A work of fiction has to have a search for truth, be it the little truth of an individual's existence that we can relate to or be it the big truths about the very nature of existence itself. A novel has to be, well, novel, in the strictest sense of that word. Otherwise why get involved? Why not just live your own life, which is novel enough?

Blackwood's first novel is indeed novel. His main character, Raven Townsend, is a fully drawn, unique individual with a moral compass that starts spinning uncontrollably as the story progresses. In fact, the core of the novel is Raven's search for his sense of self and the meaning of his life. At first, the love of God and a reverential fundamentalist Christianity consume him. He desires to be a great archeologist; he wants to discover Noah's Ark. He also wants to unload the guilt associated with a deed done in youth that has caused him shame. But as he attends and graduates college, money and materialism become his lifeboat. As he gets deeper and deeper into the world of professional blackjack play, and as his bankroll grows from a mere $5,000 to over $800,000, he becomes the foil, pawn, and then scapegoat of some very well-drawn, shady characters (one of them highly reminiscent of the late, great, blackjack guru Ken Uston).

He finds himself banned by casinos in Vegas, Mississippi and the Islands; he is hoodwinked by his cronies. He discovers that the girl he loves, a throwback to a time when women ruled the moral roost, is repelled by his career choice and disgusted with his growing immorality. His father, a man of simple vision and strong principles, is also disheartened by Raven's inability to see the hollow nature of his lucrative blackjack calling. The book insightfully creates a dramatic tension between characters -- father/son, friend/friend, casino/counter, lover/beloved -- and among partners in the business of blackjack. However, the moral struggle within the character of Raven himself is at the core of the book.

The title itself can have various meanings. The "counter" with the small "c" is Raven, and what he counts are cards and money and, as the book revs up, his mistakes. But the "Counter" with a capital "C" can also stand for the Creator, God, or the Great Spirit of Raven's part-Indian heritage, who counts our ways and numbers our days. Raven is indeed on a quest for knowledge and, despite his fundamentalist leanings, he experiments with a "vision quest" (ala Carlos Castenada who wrote The Teachings of Don Juan), participates in an archeological dig in the holy land, and examines his conscience throughout.

The book's climax is both tense and exhilarating. It ends...well, that's for you to find out.

While there is some intermittent and occasionally awkward dialogue, along with some corny witticisms here and there, on the whole and in its parts, Blackwood's literary style is smooth, consistently straightforward and admirably concrete. This is a novel I can recommend to anyone interested in a good read. Congratulations, Mr. Blackwood, on a job well done.

Not only is Kevin Blackwood's story provocative and riveting, but as a long-time professional gambler myself, I can absolutely vouch for its authenticity. If you have ever dreamed about living the glamorous life of the professional gambler, this is a MUST read. Be prepared however; living "high off the hog" at the expense of the largest, most exotic casinos in the world, may not be all that's it's cracked up to be - especially for the novel's hero and protagonist, who struggles to find a moral high ground in a sea of gorgeous women, money, booze, and other temptations...

As a teenager, Raven Townsend severs all ties with his failure of a father, & finds religion on the tiny New England island of his birth. While at college, he single-mindedly studies to become a Biblical archaeologist & struggles to keep himself "pure" for the girl he fell in love with.

Then, just before his graduation year, when money is tight, he is introduced to Black Jack, discovers he can count the dealer's cards & makes more money in one evening than during a whole summer of hard labor, or scratching around in a desert somewhere unearthing artifacts.

Soon he decides to put his career on hold & make his fortune in the less dirty, more challenging world of America's casinos - until they start recognizing him, & then banning him.

THE COUNTER is not only a story about one young man's life experiences, it is also about circles touching circles, & taking the opportunities given us to find redemption & fulfillment.

An interesting, unusual read!

The Counter is a reasonably quick read, somewhat engaging and decently written/edited. It gets top grades for the blackjack clique since no other fiction books (that I know of) cover the topic. If you're interested in that aspect, "top shelf." However, as a general work of fiction, I found the "arc" lacking. The ending was both painfully predictable and something the Lifetime channel would like to get their hands on: everything black and white, happy and zero loose ends. I'd give it three stars but I enjoyed the blackjack angle too much for that.

Kevin Blackwood's The Counter is a gripping novel of the life of a professional card counter - one who, through extraordinary mental gifts and discipline, is capable of beating the casino house. Danger, skill, and the ins and outs of gambling permeate this thrilling adventure. This is the kind of riveting fiction from which Hollywood blockbusters are made!

This is one of the most enjoyable books I have ever read. This story spoke to me personally because I too once dreamt of a life as a professional gambler. As a once avid blackjack player, the descriptions of the make-or-break blackjack hands had me on the edge of my seat waiting for that last card to flip. The locations throughout the book are authentic and all too familiar. Simply put - it's not often that a book can get my heart pounding like "The Counter" did. This novel is not simply about the fast life as a professional gambler, it is about choices, convictions and the personal struggles within each of us. Do not misunderstand - this is certainly a story about gambling, just remember that not all gambling is done with money or in a casino.

Speaking as one who has read hundreds of bestsellers, I found THE COUNTER kept me flipping pages until its exciting finish.

I had just recently returned from Las Vegas when I read this book and the descriptions were right on the money. I only wish I had read this book first, or better still, taken it with me. I am not a gambler, but after reading THE COUNTER, I feel I have some insight into the mind of a professional blackjack player.

Don't get me wrong; this novel is not just about the fast paced world of casinos. If it were, I would've been lost immediately. No, the story touches on many universal themes such as relationships, redemption, and regrets. I've read everything from romance to horror and I highly recommend you buy this book.

I enjoyed reading my first novel ever where the main character, Raven, is a card counter and card counting itself is central to the story line. Mr. Blackwood is or was a professional BlackJack player, his understanding and knowledge about big time blackjack play is quite evident in the realistic portrayal of his book's characters. As a serious card counter myself, I found Raven's thought process quite similar to how my own thought pattern works in similar situations. While the good vs. evil conflict in "The Counter" is timeless, for me, having it play out in the world of blackjack made for an even more pleasurable read.

The Counter is an excellent read, whether you are a seasoned card counter or a "basic strategy" blackjack player. I highly recommend it.

With gaming becoming so wide spread and so many people interested in this "entertainment" The Counter shows the struggle to be successful brilliantly. The honesty about the whole inside scoop of the world of Blackjack was fascinating and I doubt better detailed anywhere else.
So if you want to have a realistic view of what the this kind of life is like read The Counter!