Pokergeist

Pokergeist by Michael Phillip Cash    266 pages

Pokergeist is the fourth novel by as-yet-to-be-discovered author Michael Phillip Cash that I’ve read, and I think this one is his best yet.

The story opens in Las Vegas. Poker legend Clutch Henderson comes from a poker legend family; his grandfather was a champion player. He taught Clutch how to play the game.

Clutch is good. After all, this is his nineteenth attempt to win the million-dollar gold bracelet in the International Series of Poker. His opponent is an Internet poker sensation, Adam “The Ant” Antonowski. It’s the final hand; Clutch can practically feel the bracelet’s weight on his wrist. Everything he ever dreamed of is just a card away. Suddenly, Clutch can’t breathe. There is a heaviness in his chest. Words fail him. He falls to the floor.

One year later, Telly Martin has lost everything. It started with a layoff and spiraled down from there. Now he and his girlfriend Gretchen are living in a seedy hotel, barely able to eat and make the rent.

Telly also has dreams of winning the International Series of Poker. He’s a pretty good player, but with luck he could go all the way. All he needs now is the ten thousand dollar buy-in fee. Yeah, right, like he has that kind of money lying around.

Then Clutch shows up in ghost form to act as Telly’s mentor.

There are no real surprises in this plot line. Still, it’s well done and interesting reading. It’s a lot of fun too.

I give Pokergiest 5 out of 5 stars.  

Seconds

Seconds, by Bryan Lee O'Malley, 336 pages

This is a tricky one to explain without giving it all away.  Let me just say that this book had all of the humor and spirit of the Scott Pilgrim series, but with the satisfaction of the story being contained in one volume. It also had a lot of heart, if you'll forgive such a hokey phrase. Katie is a brilliant chef, opening her own restaurant- or at least trying to.  Setbacks keep frustrating her, as does the fact that she still lives over the restaurant she started and is leaving.  One night full of a series of terrible events, though, ends differently when Katie is faced with the option of a second chance.  If she had a second chance, what would she do differently?  And would anyone really be satisfied with only one second chance? (Yes, I realize the awkward phrasing ^_^) I really enjoyed this.