G151 E-Reading Book Review of Night Game by Carol Davis Luce

Name of Book: Night Game

Author: Carol Davis Luce

ISBN: 9780821752876

Publisher: Zebra

Part of a Series: Night Trilogy

Type of book: Las Vegas, casino, 1990s, Utah, mystery, suspense, romance, revenge, twists, survival

Year it was published: 1996

Summary:

The exclusive King's Club resort casino is a glittering playground for gamblers with everything to gain and the hunting ground for a killer with nothing to lose. Until casino owner Jay King hires P.I. Kasey Atwood. Kasey's attraction to King is immediate. As their love affair heats up, she becomes a pawn in a dangerously seductive game of passion and revenge.

Characters:

While I liked Kasey and her quirky mother from the start, the character of Jay took awhile for me to grow, and due to an obstacle of marriage, I kept hoping Kasey would like someone else. I found the characters to be well rounded and very strong, at least the female characters in particular. Kasey works as a spotter for the clients, trying to figure out how they got cheated and what's going on. She has good instincts, loyal and is very observant and knowledgeable. Jay is a casino owner and is very ambitious, sentimental, loyal and determined to do the best he can for his niece and nephew and wife. The characters that did change throughout the course of the novel are Kasey and Jay; Kasey learning that she can be a winner in life, and Jay learning the value of love and to care about something else rather than his business.

Theme:

You are responsible for yourself and your own happiness, not anyone else's.

Plot:

Its written in third person narrative from Kasey's and Monk's point of view. I really cannot think of anything that bothered me or that I found wrong. The author knows how to handle the mood of the story, that of suspense and then some light hearted funny moments, which were my favorite. I do have to admit that once one finds out the true identity of the Monk, the suspense did fall for me slightly, although the question of why continues to remain until the very end. I did not see the twist coming and would have liked the true conclusion to Kasey's romance instead of the way it ended.

Author Information:
(from goodreads.com)
url
http://www.goodreads.com/CarolDavisLuce

born
The United States

gender
female

website
http://imagerystudios.com/carol

twitter username
CarolDavisLuce

genre
Mystery & Thrillers, Romance, Literature & Fiction

influences
Stephen King/Mary Stewart/Wm. Goldman/Steinbeck

member since
January 2011

About the author:

Amazon bestselling author of the "Night" books, NightWriter Carol Davis Luce writes standalone suspense novels with strong elements of romance. After publishing five books through a traditional publisher, she turned independent author with her 2011 suspense novel, Night Widow, and two short story trilogies.

Her first novel, Night Stalker, was also her first sale. "A dandy read," wrote bestselling author Tony Hillerman. It went into three printings and became the flagship for the sub-genre "Woman in Jeopardy" at Kensington Publishers.

Suspense novels: Night Stalker, Night Prey, Night Hunter, Night Passage, Night Game, and Night Widow.

All six suspense novels and two short story collections can be found at Amazon.com, B&N:
NIGHT STALKER
NIGHT HUNTER
NIGHT PREY
NIGHT PASSAGE
NIGHT GAME
NIGHT WIDOW
NIGHT TRILOGY-Three Night Novels (new)

New Release, General Fiction:
AWAKENING: Secrets of a Brown Eyed Girl

Opinion:

I'm not a mystery reader, thus this is the first time I'm reading a mystery novel, at least one that's not Nancy Drew and is more suited for adults. I was surprised that I enjoyed reading it so much and that I was dying to know who and what and why. The book was good at keeping my interest and suspense. Along with the tense moments, there were light-hearted scenes as well; that of Kasey's mother and Snickers the dog or the relationships between the boarders. Up until the ending I thought the book was well written and if I rated things in half, I would give it 4.5 stars. What I was dissatisfied when it came to the book was that some of the ends were a little too sudden, in particular that of Brad, and epilogue didn't seem to help much, at least for me. Other than the ending, this is a very well-written suspenseful novel that I often thought of in between readings, as well as a fascinating glimpse into the way casinos are run.

This was given to me by Melissa. Thank you

4 out of 5
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)