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Lucky at Cards Audiobook
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(3.04) - 384 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
At cards and with women, Bill Maynard knew how to cheat …
On the mend after getting run out of Chicago, professional cardsharp Bill Maynard is hungry for some action … but not nearly as hungry as Joyce Rogers, the tantalizing wife of Bill’s latest mark. Together they hatch an ingenious scheme to get rid of her husband. But in life as in poker, the other player sometimes has an ace up his sleeve.
This classic pulp novel was originally released in 1964 as The Sex Shuffle under the pen name Sheldon Lord.
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"Cards, scotch, cigarettes, lust, betrayal, what's not to love? Block's writing is akin to Bukowski, in that he gets to the point, weaves an interesting tale and pulls on your emotions only when it matters most. No extra fluff or literary gymnastics. Despite being written in the mid sixties, the language is timeless and not dated, yet still makes you feel that you are fully there in that era observing and relating to the characters. Suspenseful, intriguing, gritty, yet sweet. It would make a fantastic movie!"
— Kari (5 out of 5 stars)
Lucky at Cards Listener Reviews
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" Bill Maynard was a cheat at cards and good at it. The descriptions of how a cardshark works were interesting, but overall the book was plodding. The characters were flat and the pace dragged. The ending seemed unlikely. "
— Denise, 2/20/2014 -
" I'm just taken with the idea that in the early 60s a writer like Lawrence Block (a good writer based on these Hard Case Crime books I've read, though I haven't read his current work) would write these drugstore pulps, but so much better than they had to be. And it's so cool that Hard Case Crime reprints them. I'm happy. "
— Remy, 1/21/2014 -
" More classics stuff from my favourite crime writer. These old titles can be picked up cheaply (and sometimes even free) from Amazon and are well worth the effort of searching out. This one's a cracker! "
— Andrew, 1/15/2014 -
" Nancy 4 stars; Ron 4 stars "
— Ron, 1/12/2014 -
" It is a bit dated but otherwise a decent read. "
— David, 1/11/2014 -
" Block writes in a down to earth way that makes his characters and their situations real and his language is always apt and descriptive. "
— Jim, 1/10/2014 -
" A meat and potatoes card sharp story with a simple structure, cleanly drawn characters and a taut plot line. The twist at the end is a nice touch. Maybe not Block's most exciting work, but well crafted nevertheless. "
— Thomas, 1/4/2014 -
" A good noir. The atmosphere of misery and loneliness and doom is nicely handled, if one disregards the ridiculously improbable ending. "
— Isidore, 12/10/2013 -
" I really liked the characters and the complicated plot. I am sure that I will read more Block. "
— Lynette, 7/2/2013 -
" Great plot! I can't believe this isn't a movie! "
— Roland, 5/24/2013 -
" You can't go wrong with Lawrence Block! "
— Jonathan, 12/18/2012 -
" This was one book I just couldn't put down. But that's how I've been feeling since I checked out a stack of Hard Case Crime books from the Library. "
— Richard, 12/17/2012 -
" Classic pulp fiction noir written in the '60s. I love the seedy grifter con-man stuff, pure entertainment. Thanks to the publisher Hard Case Crime for bringing these books out for Kindle. "
— Doctorwu51, 9/20/2012 -
" An ill short crime noir thriller. "
— Man, 7/15/2012 -
" A very fun, very great read. This had some great twists-- the most important one being that if the protagonist does actually does kill the man he gets nothing. This was great a slight break in formula that made this book a real gem of a story. "
— Shawn, 3/8/2012 -
" another solid Block HCC novel. "
— Nicholas, 11/22/2011 -
" Maybe I have read too many Hard Case Crime books at this point. This book was so formulaic that nothing was new or a suprise. This reminds me of Double Indemity without compelling characters. "
— Brian, 11/10/2011 -
" Really liked this one - it's fast-paced, the author seems to know the subject and it had enough of a plot twist for me to not be able to see the ending a mile off. A decent story with some interesting characters and some good plot-lines. Worth a go.... "
— Tim, 7/21/2011 -
" I love Block's Hard Case Novels. They are so devilishly noirish. "
— Steven, 7/20/2011 -
" one of the "hard case crime" paperbacks. PULP stuff.<br/>I liked it.... a card sharp (i thought it was card shark) with a pleasing ending. "
— Steve, 5/9/2011 -
" Block writes in a down to earth way that makes his characters and their situations real and his language is always apt and descriptive. "
— Jim, 3/29/2011 -
" Great read. Huge LB fan and this didn't disappoint. "
— Matt, 1/8/2011 -
" Bill Maynard was a cheat at cards and good at it. The descriptions of how a cardshark works were interesting, but overall the book was plodding. The characters were flat and the pace dragged. The ending seemed unlikely. "
— Denise, 10/11/2010 -
" <br/>Another dose of some retro-cool Lawrence Block. This time, it's a cardshark story with a twist. Not quite up there with Block's *The Girl With The Long Green Heart*, in my opinion, but a very solid four stars nonetheless. "
— Jack, 9/28/2010 -
" another solid Block HCC novel. "
— Nicholas, 7/22/2010 -
" Another nice peek at the past from Hard Case Crime and, of the imprint's books I've read, one of the few with a somewhat happy ending. Not being interested in cards, my eyes kind of glazed over during those parts. But it was still a fun read. "
— Micah, 5/6/2010 -
" If a tax accountant wrote a romance novel it would read a lot like "Lucky At Cards". Wow, I should take this one to the dentist. It almost put me under. "
— Andy, 3/31/2010 -
" An ill short crime noir thriller. "
— Man, 1/31/2010 -
" Maybe I have read too many Hard Case Crime books at this point. This book was so formulaic that nothing was new or a suprise. This reminds me of Double Indemity without compelling characters. "
— Brian, 12/7/2008
About Lawrence Block
Lawrence Block is the recipient of a Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America and a New York Times bestselling author. His prolific career spans over one hundred books, including four bestselling series and dozens of short stories and articles. He has won multiple Edgar, and Shamus awards, two Falcon Awards from the Maltese Falcon Society of Japan, the Nero and Philip Marlowe Awards, the Cartier Diamond Dagger from the Crime Writers Association of America, and many others. Aside from being a mystery writer, he has also written a number of episodes for television, including two episodes of the ESPN series Tilt; he also cowrote the screenplay for the film My Blueberry Nights, starring Norah Jones. Block currently lives in New York City with his wife, Lynne.
About Alan Sklar
Alan Sklar, a graduate of Dartmouth, has excelled in his career as a freelance voice actor. Named a Best Voice of 2009 by AudioFile magazine, his work has earned him several Earphones Awards, a Booklist Editors’ Choice Award (twice), a Publishers Weekly Listen-Up Award, and Audiobook of the Year by ForeWord magazine. He has also narrated thousands of corporate videos for clients such as NASA, Sikorsky Aircraft, IBM, Dannon, Pfizer, AT&T, and SONY.