WINNING HAND

MIKE FARICY

Winning Hand, by prolific and veteran mystery writer Mike Faricy, has everything that the novice mystery reader is looking for, as well as for long-time readers. Faricy knows how to tell a story, combining his lovable recurring characters, office mate Louie, his attorney, and Tubby Gustafson, the well-known local gangster, for whom Dev Haskell, our intrepid Private Eye and protagonist, is obligated to for many years to come.

Winning Hand finds Tubby reaching out to Dev to find the money and the guest who had misplaced it. The problem is that Tubby wants to use this guest as a professional card player as a partner and model in an ongoing monthly large-stakes poker game, where you can be sure Tubby will make plenty of money, as will anybody associated with Tubby and his gang.

The plot has Dev, our Private Eye, trying to locate the missing money, the person who lost it, and a slew of others you wouldn't want seen with. Combine this plot with amusing dialogue spoken by Dev, his on and off girlfriends, mostly off, his source at the Police Department, and Louie, and you have a winning novel by an author who gives his all every time to make readers laugh and want more of Dev and his theatrics.