Funny Money (Tony Valentine Novels) [Hardcover]

James Swain (Author)

Book Description

Series: Tony Valentine Novels | Publication Date: June 4, 2002

When we last saw Tony Valentine - former cop, lifelong misanthrope, and sixty something freelance 'grifter hunter' - he was just coming up for air after a close brush with the afterlife. Now, Tony's back on the case in FUNNY MONEY, James Swain's hardboiled, page-turning follow up to his breakthrough GRIFT SENSE. This time around, it's personal: Valentine's ex-partner Doyle Flanagan has been blown to pieces by a car bomb. Shortly before his death, Doyle had been filling Valentine in on the details of his latest case - an impressive six million dollar blackjack scam at Atlantic City's legendary Bombay casino. Valentine determines that the only way to bring his friend's killers to justice is to crack the Bombay heist himself. But standing between Valentine and his goal is a head spinning assortment of ruthless gangsters, crooked croupiers, eccentric millionaires, Croations with bad haircuts, and one irresistibly enigmatic female wrestler.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"I can sense when things aren't right on a casino floor and I just take it from there," says Tony Valentine, the cop turned casino consultant who--all boasting aside--finds himself stumped more often than not in Funny Money. James Swain's smartly plotted, often humorous sequel to Grift Sense sends the 62-year-old Valentine back to his hometown, Atlantic City, where his former police partner, Doyle Flanagan, has been blown up in his car at a McDonald's. Is this murder linked to Flanagan's investigation of a $6 million blackjack hustle at the city's giant Bombay casino, allegedly perpetrated by a gang of badly coifed Croatians? Meanwhile, Valentine will have to face down thugs who are putting the squeeze on his flaky son, try to appease the Bombay's much-despised owner, and win the help--and heart--of a no-nonsense woman wrestler with a nasty attitude.

Like his debut novel, Funny Money is distinguished by Swain's knowledge of gambling scams from card counting to the judicious application of a "monkey's paw" on a slot machine. Less even is this book's character development. Valentine is expertly drawn, and the relationship between him and his late-blooming son is both convincing and heartwarming. But some secondary players are about as thinly realized as a poker chip, and Swain's too-convenient use of violence as a plot propellant threatens to undermine his story's credibility. All in all, though, Funny Money is a safe bet. --J. Kingston Pierce

From Publishers Weekly

The same warmth, honesty and inside expertise that made Grift Sense (2001) a memorable crime debut is back in spades in Swain's second book about ex-cop Tony Valentine, who advises gambling casinos on how to spot and stop cheaters. Swain might not be a Leonard or even a Hiaasen when it comes to a seamless writing style, but he makes up for it with insights into his characters' behavior that inevitably ring true. Tony's relationship with his hapless son, Gerry, is letter-perfect: a father's natural love warring at every turn with a hard man's distaste for weakness. No matter how often Gerry screws up, Tony finds some way to help him. This same ambivalence colors Tony's dealings with Archie Tanner, the brutal, bullying fixer who runs a vast Taj Mahal-like casino in Atlantic City and who now wants to buy his way into Florida's gambling industry. When Tony's ex-partner and lifelong friend Doyle Flanagan is killed while looking for a strange band of shabby Croatian math geniuses who are ripping off Tanner's blackjack operation, Valentine takes over the investigation. But it's not really revenge or the $1,000-a-day fee that motivates him: it's a weird but finally totally logical belief that the gambling business which preys on human weakness should at least be clean and honest. Stretching that analogy only a little, Swain makes Tony his Don Quixote tilting at blackjack tables and slot machines instead of windmills.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Atria; First Printing edition (June 4, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743436865
• ISBN-13: 978-0743436861
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #668,055 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

James Swain is the author of fourteen nationally bestselling novels. His novels have been translated into French, Japanese, Russian, German, Serbian, Bulgarian, and Croatian, and chosen as Mysteries of the Year by Publisher's Weekly and Kirkus Reviews. Swain has received three Barry Award nominations, a Florida Book award for fiction, and the prestigious Prix Calibre .38 for Best American Crime Writing. An avid magician, he has written and lectured extensively on the subject. Visit his web site at www.jimswain.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Funny Money pushes Swain Higher, June 14, 2002

By 

Michael Hatch (Florida) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Funny Money (Tony Valentine Novels) (Hardcover)

Swain clearly has hit on a fresh topic in mystery novels. Grift Sense was very good. Funny Money is better. Like a fine well aged wine, Tony Valentine is both smooth and complex. His determination is inspiring and draws you in. Swain brings us through a labrynth of twisting scenarios making the book a very fun read. The relationship between Tony and his son is classic.
Swains descriptions of the emotions between them paints a clear picture in your mind putting you right there with them.
Read both Grift Sense and Funny Money and you get the sense that Jim Swain is well on his way to becoming big in the mystery catagory. I loved the story line and the fact that I couldn't put this book down. It's very intriguing to read about gambling scams. Makes you wonder just how much of it is based on actual similar events.
I suspect quite a bit. I can't wait for Book 3.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hugely entertaining, March 1, 2003

By 

Charlotte Vale-Allen (CT USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Funny Money (Tony Valentine Novels) (Hardcover)

Swain's Grift Sense was pure pleasure and, happily, he's followed up with a royal flush. The writing is lean, the characters are fully developed (even the dog) and hero Valentine is a believable and sympathetic fellow. Any book that entertains as well as informs is one well worth the cover price. The author's seemingly limitless knowledge of gambling scams makes for fascinating reading. Add to this a hero of sixty-two with a sense of chivalry and a good heart, as well as a fully functioning conscience, and you've got a solid series working. From white-haired neighbor Mabel who takes to her new job as Tony's assistant with believable mental agility to wrestler-love interest Kat, to a trio of hapless inept thugs, the entertainment factor is one hundred percent. Superior plotting skill and great narrative drive make Swain someone to watch.
Very highly recommended.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Grifters, Con Artists and Others: The Second Installment, July 30, 2003

By 

Kevin Tipple (Plano, Texas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Funny Money (Tony Valentine Novels) (Mass Market Paperback)

Greed and revenge are two common literary themes, especially in the mystery genre. However, just because they have been done before is no reason to miss the second installment of the Tony Valentine series. If you haven't read the first book, "Grift Sense" then please skip this review for now and then come back after you have read that book which was also reviewed here. The reads are well worth it.

It has been more than a couple of months since the last book. Business is going well and then one evening, Valentine gets a call from his old friend and former partner, Doyle Flanagan. Doyle has retired and is working as a Private Investigator in Atlantic City. Doyle is currently working a case for The Bombay Casino trying to catch a player who managed to steal $6 million while playing Blackjack. Minutes later, just as he began telling Valentine about the case, he is killed by a car bomb.

Valentine goes to Atlantic City for the funeral and then the hunt. Soon, he find that he can't keep up with the numerous scams and cons going on, many of which involve at least some of the employees if not the Casino owner himself. As he gets further and further behind, chasing the killers, he manages to antagonize everyone around him and becomes a thorn for all concerned leaving bodies in his wake.

As in the first book, this is another tightly plotted, complex mystery where no one and nothing is at it seems. Most of the individuals from the first book are back and adding a plausible love interest further expands the Valentine character. At the same time, this is a step up from the first book and shows the author evolving at his craft. The book moves forward at a better pace and with considerably more action while at the same time, he allows the supporting cast of characters to flesh out more as well. Simply put, this series that does not get a lot of attention, is well worth the read.