Good Money after Bad (Paperback)

by Donald G. Evans (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
With a gambler named Chance as the protagonist in his roguishly witty debut novel, former Chicago Sun-Times sports reporter Evans places some high-stakes bets and comes out way ahead. Chance cuts quite a figure in his vintage fedoras and fancy duds, but luscious and brash Gwen isn't thrilled to discover that he shares his digs, an apartment within earshot of Wrigley Field, with his grandmother. Not that flashy, flask-packing Gram isn't good company. What Gwen doesn't know is that Chance is addicted to sports betting. With debts mounting, he gives his body to science, playing guinea pig for drug trials and sleep studies and getting tangled up with sinister one-eyed Fenwick, aka Phase One. Evans is a terrifically atmospheric writer, deftly evoking the world of bookies and compulsive gamblers, the tensions of gentrification, a surreally severe heat wave, and the consequences of secret desperation. Combining the blue-collar, neighborhood-anchored aesthetic Chicago writers are known for with a touch of suavely boozy noir, a sliver of medical-thriller action, and loads of charm, Evans tells a rascally and edgy cautionary tale. Donna Seaman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Description
Good Money After Bad follows the fluctuating fortunes of sports gambler Chance Skinner during the summer of 1995, while Chicago is experiencing its worst-ever heat wave. Chance, at 26, lives rent-free in his Gram's converted pantry overlooking Wrigley Field. He aspires to something vaguely like success, which includes respect, love, a kind of integrity and meaningful work. Gambling seems like a good shortcut to all that. When losses mount, Chance, desperate to maintain his good credit standing with bookies, submits himself as guinea pig to human medical studies. In this atmosphere of mounting danger, Chance meets his worst nightmare, the charming human parts broker Phase One Fenwick. Are the one-eyed Phase One and Chance really quite alike? Chance fears so, but hopes not. In a world in which there's a huge gap between self-image and reality, in which allies and enemies are nearly indistinguishable, where the house, as prophesized, looks unbeatable, and where even the biggest wins can be parlayed into something truly significant, Phase One offers Chance a last gasp hope for salvation--or ruin. With a cast of colorful characters that includes the City of Chicago itself, Good Money After Bad is a novel--that like its protagonist--skewers political correctness and revels in the ribald and ridiculous. Through Don Evans' deft prose and careful plotting, Chance Skinner joins a

pantheon of memorable Chicago literary characters, but also transcends geography to take his place alongside the likes of Kingsley Amis' Lord Jim and Joseph Heller's Yossarian. The publication of Evans' first novel Good Money After Bad promises to be an event, and the book itself, with its subtle interspersing of high drama and comic overtures, a distinguished addition to American letters.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: Atomic Quill Press (February 28, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0976053586
• ISBN-13: 978-0976053583
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,511,650 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More than one reason to enjoy it, July 13, 2007

By	Hugh Schulze - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Whether you're a Chicago Cubs fan or just have a fondness for the City of Big Shoulders, whether you're a gambling addict or have always had a hankering to participate in medical experiments, this book has something to make every reader smile -- and might just make you laugh out loud. I found it funny and poignant, and these days, that's a refreshing combination. I figured: if I've already given copies to several friends, I should let some more folks know how good it is.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Put Your Money Down On This One, October 9, 2007

By	Randy Richardson "Mystery Writer" (Evanston, IL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

With his appropriately named protagonist Chance Skinner, who of course always seems to have a Lucky Strike dangling from his lips, Donald G. Evans provides a fascinating insider's glimpse into the dizzily seductive and oftentimes ugly world of sports gambling.

Using Wrigley Field, the home ballpark of baseball's Chicago Cubs, a team well-known for misfortune and losing, Evans sets a tone of doom that builds throughout his winning debut.

Like holding a pair of aces and jacks in your hand, you won't want to put this one down. Evans doesn't disappoint all the way to the end when he gives the reader a thrilling and surprsing payoff.

Put your money down on this one. "Good Money After Bad" is certainly a good bet.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gamblers Never Win, November 2, 2007

By	Harry Jay Raemont "struggling reader" (Mchenry IL USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Gamblers never win, in the long run, but it's the thrill of the race they are after, not necessarily the finish line. Don Evans has written a great book that shows the reader some of the inner workings of the rat race of the Chicago neighborhood gambling world. But it is also a book about trust, about who to trust, who can you trust and why and how do they deserve your respect. I enjoyed how the author walked you through the city and made it come alive on the page; not an easy task. Buy it, read it. ...Cuz I said so.