Dice Angel [Paperback]

Brian Rouff (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 5, 2002

Jimmy Delaney is on another bad roll. His ex-wife is cranky. Burglars clean out all the coins from the video poker machines at his saloon, Jimmy D's. His accountant is missing - with all the bar's money. He can't get a loan because the IRS has a lien on the joint and a rogue revenue agent with a personal grudge is seizing Jimmy D's on Friday unless he can come up with $50,000 in back taxes. Losing streaks in Las Vegas can be the worst in the world. And then a mysterious woman enters his life. A karma-spouting planet-charting colon-cleansing floozy - the Dice Angel. Can Delaney save Jimmy D's with a supernaturally hot hand at the crap tables at Luxor? Or does Lady Luck bite off, chew up, and spit out another Las Vegas loser...

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Brian Rouff has a chance to be to Vegas what Hiaasen is to Florida. Dice Angel is the perfect start." -- Tod Goldberg, Author

"Buy the book, and in addition to reading a delightful story, you'll be the legend of your e-mail joke circle." -- John Ziebell, Las Vegas Mercury, June 13, 2002

"Dice Angel is pure excitement. Pure intrigue. Pure heart-racing adrenaline-rush. I guess that makes it pure Las Vegas." -- Andy Bellin, Author of Poker Nation

"Funny and engaging. I cared about every single character. A great read!" -- Al Bernstein, ESPN

"I don't have enough adjectives. Wonderful! Terrific! Marvelous! Really great fun!" -- - Larry Wilde, America's best-selling humorist.

"If you're flying to Vegas, I want you to read this book while you're on the plane." -- brachman.com, Las Vegas Book Round-Up

"The characters are so lifelike, the dialogue is almost like eavesdropping on real conversations." - -- Blurb

"The characters are so lifelike, the dialogue is almost like eavesdropping on real conversations." -- Barney Vinson, author

"With an unforgettable cast, terrific writing, and a surprise ending, Dice Angel is a sure bet!" -- Larry Edell, Crap Shooter Newsletter

Check out Brian Rouff's entertaining novel. It may be the closest you hard-luck types get to a happy ending. -- John L. Smith, Las Vegas Review-Journal, May 10, 2002

About the Author

Brian Rouff has lived in Las Vegas since 1981, which makes him a long-timer by local standards. He is married with two grown daughters. This is his first novel.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 242 pages
• Publisher: Hardway Pr (February 5, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0971714819
• ISBN-13: 978-0971714816
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (122 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,172,195 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dialog sparkles as tension deepens. Great story!, March 16, 2003

By 

Linda Linguvic (New York City) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dice Angel (Paperback)

Brian Rouff, the author of this tightly constructed, fast paced novel set in Las Vegas really knows his craft. I was not only swept into the story immediately, but once hooked, I couldn't put the book down. It's all about guy named Jimmy Delaney who owns a saloon in Las Vegas. He's about to lose his business though, and has to come up with $50,000 fast. He's someone we all can identify with as he copes the best he can. His style to keep cracking wisecracks. The dialog sparkles and, as the tension deepened, I couldn't help laughing out loud at some of the jokes.

The characters are well drawn with just a few simple words and come alive on the page. They're all people I've met somewhere along the way and each moves the story forward. There's ongoing conflict with his ex-wife and ongoing love for his 7-year old daughter. There's his seemingly upstanding brother-in-law accountant who has disappeared with all of his money. There's an IRS agent with an agenda of his own, a cop friend who knows how to get information on anyone, and a homeless guy who hangs around the bar. But most of all, there's the "Dice Angel", a middle-aged woman with a shady past who guarantees she can help Jimmy win at the craps table.

This book took my out of my own little world and plunked me down right in the middle of Las Vegas. I got so caught up in Jimmy's predicament that I kept turning the pages faster and fast. And, as the story sped through the Las Vegas casinos and then added even more complications, I literally could not put the book down. I reached the arc in the story as I was traveling on a New York City bus moving slowly through snow filled streets. When it came to my bus stop, I had just a few pages to go. Believe it or not I stood on the street with icy slush all around me and finished it standing up. I read a lot, but this was a first for me.

This is Mr. Rouff's first book. I am sure there will be more. He's just has too much talent to let his finely tuned craftsmanship go to waste. Highly recommended.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Snappy, Smart-Aleck Las Vegas Fun, March 17, 2003

By 

Louis N. Gruber "Author of Jay" (Lexington, SC United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dice Angel (Paperback)

Tough-talking, hard-boiled nightclub owner, Jimmy Delaney, is doing pretty well, carrying on his father's Las Vegas night-spot, but then the roof falls in. His bank account is empty, the IRS is hot on his trail, and he is about to lose everything. Well, what is a man supposed to do? Grasping at straws he calls up the Dice Angel, a quirky old lady who claims to have--well--supernatural powers in the crap-shooting department.

So what do you think happens? Will he save Jimmy D's? Does the Dice Angel really have powers? Will he learn something and maybe even become a better person? Well, you'll just have to read the book and see.

Brian Rouff has done a masterful job with this first novel. The book is written in hard-hitting, smart-aleck, first-person monologue and hard-hitting, smart-aleck dialogue that rolls along with a crisp and snappy rhythm. It's fun to read and would probably be fun to hear as well. If you like Carl Hiaasen or Eric Garcia you will love Dice Angel.

Is it great literature? Probably not. Is it entertaining, fast-moving, easy to read and great fun? Absolutely. I recommend it highly. Reviewed by Louis N. Gruber

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enormously Entertaining, August 16, 2002

By 

Jeffrey Leach (Omaha, NE USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dice Angel (Paperback)

"Dice Angel," a novel about life in Las Vegas, tells the story of Jimmy Delaney. Jimmy keeps himself busy by running the bar he inherited from his father. The bar, called Jimmy D's, draws in lots of Vegas locals who come to chat with Jimmy and have a good time. Unfortunately for Jimmy, he can't enjoy life along with his customers.

Jimmy's got so many problems in his life that it's hard to keep track of them all. His ex-wife, Joy, has custody of Jimmy's daughter while she dips into Jimmy's pocket for alimony and child support. Shortly after burglars rip off the bar, Jimmy discovers that someone's been pulling an inside job on him by emptying his bank account. Then he discovers that the IRS is interested in collecting a whole lot of scratch for back taxes. Yep, Jimmy has problems falling out of his ears.

Things go down hill so fast that Jimmy is forced to turn to the one thing in Vegas that might save somebody with no options left: gambling. Jimmy contacts the dice angel, a strange woman who claims that her intimate knowledge of astrology can save the day. All Jimmy knows is that her claims better be true because the IRS is moving in on him, and moving in for the kill.

"Dice Angel" is a hilarious story, mostly due to the antics of Jimmy. He's quick witted and cynical, but he also has a heart of gold. Even though he's not the straightest arrow in the world, you come to like the guy. It's hard not to. Sure, he messes around with his ex-wife's head a bit, but he loves his daughter, treats his employees like family, and helps his friends out whenever he can. He even takes a local homeless guy under his wing, although the guy has a tendency to scare the living daylights out of Jimmy whenever he shows up.

What is most memorable about this book is the cast of wacky characters that appear in Jimmy's life. There are two customers that insist on playing a game that involves questions you probably won't find in Trivial Pursuit, an Asian band that only plays pre-1977 Jimmy Buffett songs, a hypnotist with a picture of Larry from the Three Stooges on his wall, and Amaris, the dice angel, whose personal quirks are both strange and hilarious. Even though I've never been there, I suspect that only in Vegas would such a cast of goofballs be part of everyday life.

Vegas itself forms the backdrop for the story. The pawnshops, the casinos, and the tourists all appear at some point in the story. It must be hard to be a local in Las Vegas. While the characters in the story seem to be used to all of the chaos, most of us would probably be lost in a haze of bells, lights, and Elvis impersonators.

Seeing this story end is a real disappointment. Reading this book is like hitting three cherries on a slot machine. For a quick, entertaining story, "Dice Angel" is well worth the time.