When last we saw Tony Valentine -- former cop, lifelong misanthrope, and legendary catcher of casino cheats -- he was just coming up for air after a close brush with the afterlife in his first outing, the acclaimed Grift Sense. This time around, it's personal. Tony Valentine's ex-partner Doyle Flanagan has been blown to pieces by a car bomb. Shortly before his death, Doyle had been filling Valentine in on the details of his latest, most baffling case -- an impressive $6 million blackjack scam at Atlantic City's legendary Bombay casino. Valentine determines that the only way to bring his friend's killers to justice is to crack the Bombay heist himself. But standing between Valentine and his goal is a head-spinning assortment of ruthless gangsters, crooked croupiers, eccentric millionaires, and Croatians with bad haircuts. His only ally: an irresistibly enigmatic female wrestler. With diamond-hard prose, triple-crossing plot twists, and a deliciously noir-inflected atmosphere, Funny Money finds James Swain more than living up to his promise as a razor-sharp storyteller with unlimited surprises up his sleeve.

James Swain, a sleight-of-hand and gambling expert, runs his own advertising agency. He is considered one of the best card handlers in the world. He lives in Odessa, Florida, and is currently working on the third mystery featuring Tony Valentine. Visit his Web site at www.jimswain.com.