Lucky at Cards

A Hard Case Crime Novel

By: Lawrence Block

Narrated by: Alan Sklar

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.

©1964 Lawrence Block (P)2007 BBC Audiobooks America

Critic reviews

"The plot twists here, then there, then back again, rooted in Block's strong characters and no-nonsense prose style." ( Publishers Weekly)
"Block unwinds his plot superbly, pointing toward a classic noir finale but then seeming to pull away - or maybe not. And, along the way, there is all the teasing sexuality and tongue-in-cheek noir style that a pulp devotee craves." ( Booklist)

Pulp Perfection

Lucky at Cards is good, seedy, drugstore paperback pulp. This was my first exposure to Block's work and I really enjoyed it. The women fall too easily for the street smart grifter and the drama is straight from an old B-movie but the writing is sharp, the characters memorable and well-defined and the entire mix works like a charm, right through each well-plotted twist and turn. It's great stuff and Alan Sklar's narration is perfect.

Well performed, but disappointing

Block starts with some good story lines, but then the plot becomes very derivative and cliched. Outstanding narration kept this novel from being a total yawn. Block is a better writer than this book would indicate.

cool story with a cool ending

enjoyable all the way excellent tough guy narration at the ending doesn't disappoint at all.

Another Terrific Lawrence Block

Tried and true, Lawrence Block delivers one of his basic hard boiled stories that entertains and keeps one listening.

Pulp Noir

This is a hoot. They don't write 'em like this anymore. Lucky at Cards is hard-boiled, suspenseful, and charmingly sleazy in a way that would be hard to duplicate today without descending into camp. The narrator evokes the mid-20th-century pulp ambiance quite well.