...then read Brain Rouff's Dice Angel. What a ride!

"Dice Angel" by Brian Rouff is a fun, easy read with well-defined characters, a lively plot and a surprise ending. Set in the other world of Las Vegas, the one locals know and love, Rouff captures the benefits and dilemmas of life a few blocks off "The Strip." What more could you want for an escape to the "Entertainment Capital of the World?"

As a native Las Vegan, I always approach any book set in my city with wariness. Stereotypes and misinformation abound: Strippers do not live on every street (only every other) and not everyone gambles (those who over-indulge often have to move away). Dice Angel, set in Las Vegas, does a great job portraying Vegas as it actually is, giving us a great setting against a fun plot and interesting characters.

The quick pacing of Dice Angel will have you hooked before you know it, and I concur with other reviewers who recommend not starting this book if you have something else pressing to do. Rouff's hero, Jimmy, finds himself in a terrible mess with embezzled money, a missing accountant, the IRS, and an irate ex-wife. His woes prompt him to seek out the Dice Angel, a mystic/con/kook who is so true to life that I could swear I've met her. I don't want to send any spoilers here, so I won't tell you how Jimmy rescues himself, but I will tell you that the scenes at the Luxor's craps tables will have you on the edge of your seat.

If you are a current or former Las Vegan, you'll love the small details Rouff peppers throughout the book: the Denny's at Five Points, the Charleston Plaza Bar, commentary on Summerlin. But even if you've never set foot in town, you'll still be rooting for Jimmy before you know it.

Things I learned this weekend...don't start a Brian Rouff book if you have a History exam that you are suppose to be studying for. I picked up Dice Angel, read the first two chapters and kept on reading during any spare time I found. The book was fun, with some plot twists that were unexpected. The characters, as pedestrian as the phrase may be, came alive from the pages. Living in southern Nevada, I related to many of the little Las Vegas quirks Brian included in his book, i.e., traffic cones, red lights and implosion prone redevelopment; I also learned other things that only someone who had done his research could have learned. The book is a fast read, it is fun, and gives a lesson each one of us should adopt: that if we don't believe in ourselves, we can only hope there is an angel out there who will.

Vegas Buzz Radio Interview: Brian Rouff, Author, Dice Angel
http://snipurl.com/cq28
Great fun to listen to!