The Kari AnnAlysis

There’s a plague on the professional poker tour in Canada. It’s not just a few bad hands, but a few of the best players turning up dead at the hands of a strangler. So Clare, fresh off solving deaths of local politicians, she’ll still got a good enough rep to get her undercover in the poker game. Unfortunately for Clare, her cover is a sparkly, pink loving, spoiled, trust fund baby, Tiffany. Clare is not only trying to solve the murders, but also figure out whose behind a cheating ring and how it works. But as all the victim’s found out too late, once you start getting close to the ring, your time starts to run out.

Let me gush a little. First of all, Robin Spano is one of my favorite people in the world! She contacted me when her first book, Dead Politician Society, came out and asked if I would be interested in reviewing it off of NetGalley. I agreed since she took the time to contact me and was so glad I did. I loved the book and love, love, love the main character Clare. Robin and I have stayed in touch and she gives me writing tips and advice to getting published, my own little cheerleader! Before I even get to my review, let’s take a look at the cover of this book….. Thank you! After reading the first book, I mentioned in my review that I didn’t originally download it because it wasn’t pink and pretty. I’m a cover girl, I’m vain. So, miss Robin took that to heart and make sure that pink was not only on the cover, but a big part of Clare in this book. I love it and just can’t quit looking at it!!

So now to the review. I love how Clare evolves in this book. She’s off the rookie high, a bit, but still gliding on the fumes of solving that big case. She keeps that in her back pocket whenever her handlers start to question her, and eventually it will run out, but lucky for her, she can hold onto that card, at least through the first tourney (what, you thought I’d give away a spoiler?) She just has such a spark to her. I want to meet her and know her and maybe have her rub off a little of her bad ass on me.

But it’s not just about Clare and the pretty pink cover, Spano has an awesome way of story telling. Both Clare Vengel novels are told through several points of view. You of course have Clare, but there are so many other characters that play integral roles in each of the books. You have the ones that you like and want to hear more from, you have the ones you don’t like and immediately want to point out as a suspect, but the thing with these books, you have so many characters and so many points of view, it’s almost impossible to nab the suspect until it’s revealed. I’m 0 for 2. Well, I’ve at one point in both books thought the character that was guilty was the suspect, but a chapter later, it changed.

Spano has the knack for writing an awesome mystery and Death Plays Poker is a royal straight flush! I give it 5 bookmarks and for the sake of all of us Clare lovers, will constantly pester Spano about getting that next book out SOON!

ISBN: 978-1550229875
Released: October 1, 2011
Author Website
Kari got this book from NetGalley

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