The Digger's Game

By George V. Higgins

Book Overview

A riveting George V. Higgins masterpiece about Jerry Doherty and his trip to Vegas that puts him eighteen grand in the hole.

Jerry "Digger" Doherty is an ex-con and proprietor of a workingman's Boston bar, who supplements his income with the occasional "odd job," like stealing live checks or picking up hot goods. His brother's a priest, his wife's a nag, and he has a deadly appetite for martinis and gambling. On a trip to Vegas, the Digger finds himself in the sights of a loan shark known as "the Greek." Luckily--if you call it luck--the Digger has been let in on a little job that can turn his gambling debt into a profit, if only he can pull it off without getting himself killed.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0307947262
• ISBN13: 9780307947260
• Release Date: March 2012
• Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.54 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.2" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

His Books Should Be Part Of The Library Of America Series

In my humble opinion, the late Mr. Higgins was the best when it comes to writing dialogue. "The Digger's Game" takes place in the less reputable social circles of Boston during the seventies. All of the characters are immensely flawed, morally questionable and utterly believable. The book isn't some complex whodunit or steeped in intrigue. People who need stories with plenty of action and that are neatly wrapped up at the end will be sorely disappointed. Mr. Higgins books are highly entertaining pieces held together by oodles of superb dialogue. If you are interested in reading a true master of his craft, Mr. Higgins is your man. It's a shame that he's dead.

Another Higgins tour de force

Higgins here tells the story of "Digger" Dougherty, barkeep, gambler and part-time small-time criminal. In over his head from losing big money that he doesn't have gambling on a Vegas junket, owing money to the wrong people, the Digger uses his "holy" brother (a priest), his friends and even his enemies to stay one step ahead of the loansharks. Full of the quintessential Higgins dialogue, this followup to his 1st classic, "The Friends of Eddie Coyle", never disappoints.