It's Book Review Wednesday (sorry it's been a couple of weeks)! Today, we're going to Las Vegas for a game we all love: poker, but with a ghost?

Pokergeist

Sometimes life, as well as death, is about second chances. Luckless Telly Martin doesn't have a clue. An awful gambler trying to scrape by as a professional poker player, he becomes the protégé of world famous poker champion Clutch Henderson. The only catch…Clutch is a ghost. Telly and Clutch must navigate the seedy gambling underbelly of Las Vegas learning to trust each other in order to win the elusive International Series of Poker, repair their shattered personal relationships and find redemption in this life and the hereafter.

My Review: 4 Stars

I enjoyed the story overall. It was a pretty great look at the game of poker, and it involved some awesomely colorful personalities (not the least of whom is the main man Clutch himself). The book was a good read, and one I'd recommend to anyone who enjoys both paranormal fiction and the game of poker. I had to give it a slightly lower review thanks to a few things: Some two dimensional characters.Telly Martin's wife doesn't have much of a personality, and even Telly himself doesn't do too much to surprise me until near the end. Clutch was a well-written character, but the others weren't as well-developed. The flow of the writing. The story was interesting, but the writing made it a tad hard to enjoy. The narrative was a bit iffy, with lots of head-hopping, adverbs, passives, and the occasional grammar mistakes. (Though this is mainly me being a perfectionist) The "Sten" angel character in the book seems out of place, and I had no idea who he was or what his purpose was. Despite these things, it was a pretty solid book.

Here's a Taste:

Like taking candy from a baby, Clutch Henderson thought. He took a deep pull on his whiskey, allowing the burn to numb him from gullet to stomach. The room reeked of smoke, even though it was not allowed in the main ballroom during the tournament. Overhead, giant television screens focused on two players. Clutch looked up, winked, and watched the camera close in on his craggy face. I still got it. He smirked at his image. He was tall, lanky, and deeply tanned, which accentuated his silver hair and light eyes. Even though he was pushing seventy, he knew the ladies still found him attractive. They didn’t call him the Silver Fox for nothing. Clutch patted the blister pack of Viagra in the pocket of the polyester bowling shirt that he wore in homage to the Big Lebowski, the fictional kingpin legend. Gineva would be picking up a celebratory bottle of champagne right now, as soon as she clocked out at the Nugget. They wouldn’t give her the day off today—the bastards. There was a good chance he was going to make an honest woman out of her tonight…a rich, honest woman. Clutch shifted in his seat, his hemorrhoids making their presence known. They burned his ass more than the cocky kid sitting opposite him. He looked over to his opponent who was sunk low in his seat, his face swallowed by the gray hoodie he wore. Adam “the Ant” Antonowski, boy wonder, who rose from the ranks of online card games, had beaten out a seemingly impossible one hundred sixty-five thousand players to earn a coveted seat at the International Series of Poker. His pimply face peeked out from under oversized sunglasses. Clutch sneered contemptuously at him. They let everybody play today. The kid did look bug-eyed with those enormous glasses. Adam curled his hands protectively over his cards, his bitten-down fingernails repulsive. “Rookie,” Clutch muttered under his breath, his lips barely moving. “Looks like Clutch Henderson is praying, folks,” Kevin Franklyn said into his mike from where he sat in a small room watching the game. He was a former champion turned seasoned sportscaster on the poker circuit, well respected, and the senior of the two anchormen. He was completely bald, his fleshy nose slightly off center on his craggy face, a victim of his youthful and unsuccessful boxing career. He’d made a mint once he turned to poker and had never looked back. Stu James shook his head. “Clutch could be at his last prayers; this kid is the terminator.” Stu was a tall cowboy with wavy blond hair and mustache left over from his 1970s poker-playing heyday. He looked like a country singer. “Let’s see if Clutch can exterminate the Ant,” Kevin replied. They shared a laugh. The sportscasters wore matching light blue jackets with the Poker Channel logo on the chest. Kevin nodded, placing his hand on his earbud, and said, “Yes, this is it, folks, in case you’ve just tuned in. A record fourteen thousand entrants, and it all comes down to this—the final moments. The rookie versus the pro: it could have been scripted by a screenwriter. David versus Goliath. Adam ‘the Ant’ Antonowski going up against the legendary Clutch Henderson.”

About the Author:

Michael Phillip Cash is an award winning and best-selling author of horror, paranormal, and science fiction novels. Within two years, this prolific writer has published eight novels and four screenplays. When not writing, he loves being with his wife and two children exploring the small villages along the North Shore of Long Island. Born and raised on Long Island, Michael has always had a fascination with horror writing and found footage films. He wanted to incorporate both with his debut novel, “Brood X”. Earning a degree in English and an MBA, he has worked various jobs before settling into being a full-time author. He currently resides on Long Island with his wife and children. Find the book on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Michael-Phillip-Cash/e/B00CEAC3VS/ Visit his website: http://www.michaelphillipcash.com/ And his official blog: http://www.michaelphillipcash-officialblog.com/ Connect with him on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MichaelPhillipCash Tweet at him: https://twitter.com/michaelpcash