Murder In Vegas: New Crime Tales Of Gambling And Desperation

Murder in Vegas: New Crime Tales of Gambling and Desperation

Las Vegas. Lost Wages. Sin City. An artificial oasis of pleasure, spectacle, and entertainment, the gambling capital of America has reinvented itself so many times that its doubtful that anyone knows for sure what's real and what isn't in the miles of neon and scorching heat. Las Vegas is considered the ultimate players destination-no matter what your game. Almost anything is available-for a price, mind you, and sometimes losers walk away from the tables with even less than just an empty wallet or purse-sometimes they don't walk away at all.Now the International Association of Crime Writers and New York Times-bestselling author Michael Connelly have gathered twenty-two crime and mystery stories about the ultimate playground, Las Vegas, and what can happen behind the glitz and glamour. From a gambler who must-must-win at the roulette table to stay alive to a courier who's only mistake was accepting a package with Las Vegas as the final destination, come to the true city that never sleeps, where fortunes are made and lost every day, and where snake-eyes aren't found just on a pair of dice.Featuring stories by:James Swain, S.J. Rozan, Wendy Hornsby, Michael Collins, T.P Keating, J. Madison Davis, Sue Pike, Joan Richter, Libby Hellmann, Tom Savage, Edward Wellen, K.j.a. Wishnia, Linda Kerslake, John Wessel, Lise McClendon, Ronnie Klaskin, Ruth Cavin, A.B. Robbins , Gay Toltl Kinman, Micki Marz, Rick Mofina, Jeremiah HealyFrom BooklistIn a witty, engaging introduction, Connelly, author of the celebrated Harry Bosch series, makes the case for why Las Vegas serves as such an excellent backdrop for crime fiction. It's an easy case to make: bright lights, pretty girls, all that money, and all that desperation set the stage for any number of crimes. In this collection of 22 new stories by a mix of well- and lesser-known authors, murder takes the spotlight from slot machines and chorus girls. Contributions from James Swain, author of the acclaimed Tony Valentine series, and Edgar winner S. Z. Rozan will attract the most attention, but nearly all the tales manage to use the usual Vegas topics--desert heat, the Mafia, big scores gone wrong--in new and unusual ways. In Wendy Hornsby's "Dust Up," for instance, thugs in the process of whacking a turncoat mistake a birdwatcher for a federal agent; the birdwatcher, in turn, thinks the thugs are poachers out to eliminate an endangered bird. Only in Vegas. Mary Frances WilkensCopyright