Double Down

been there and came close to what he writes about, and he knows the feelings -the depression after the all day and night game-the hollowness felt on returning to the other non poker world,even as a winner and the discipline and bile producing tension of the game -the oppressive,stifling heat of south florida the pillsbury man hates so much--the seediness underlying palm beach's supposed grandeur-the people are scary real--they exist! - he must know their prototypes-these can't be whole cloth inventions!--best poker story-let alone novel,i've read to date.he writes with a patience for his characters' thoughts that is fluid and comes only with superior craft and brilliance of exposition-wonderful stuff-not a hack writer and tough to repeat these intensities again and again-where leonard is formulaic kakonis is unique--more gritty and nasty and real -he doesn't use his people for laughs-if there are any they arise naturally from the action--there is that place he writes about and he writes about it better than anyone else-got to get michigan roll since this is the first kakonis book i've read--a find!!

Tom Kakonis is perhaps the best mystery writer in America today. Though he has not received one tenth of the acclaim or the attention given to Elmore Leonard, his cast of characters is more colorful and his plots more intriguing. Tom Kakonis is a true artist with respect to the "craft " of writing. As a former bookseller at one of Denver's more renowned bookstores,I recommended Tom Kakonis hundreds of times and always heard gratified thanks from returning customers. Double Down is a top-notch mystery/suspense that will be enjoyed by any reader of James W. Hall, Elmore Leonard, or James Burke