Strip Rules

A down-and-out card counter gets the chance to turn his life around by taking down a ruthless Vegas casino boss in this raucous, big-hearted novel by the critically acclaimed author of Jade Lady Burning.

Blackjack pro Ronnie “the Technician” Redfield, the “most feared card counter between Vegas and Reno,” has his life blown up when a casino owner decides to take him down. Card counting isn’t illegal—since thinking isn’t illegal, yet—but the court battle costs Ronnie, a Vietnam vet, his livelihood, his sobriety, and his family. His wife is dead and his teenage daughter, Margot, has disappeared. Ronnie has failed her so badly he doesn’t know how to begin looking for her.

Now, three years later, he’s just about dug himself out of his hole. He’s living in a trailer outside Vegas when his old army buddy “Wild” Bill Grimsley, now a casino handler for high rollers, shows up in a limo to drag Ronnie back into the action. Bill has a revenge plot to take down Rodrigo Gwynne, the nastiest, most exploitative casino owner on the Strip. Bill’s grudge is personal, but Ronnie’s involvement will be strictly professional, what he does best: make money off the house. If he succeeds, Ronnie’s share of the take will be enough to get his life back on track—and hire a detective to track down Margot.

To infiltrate Gwynne’s casino, Ronnie assembles a team of misfit geniuses, blackjack pros who excel at role-playing or flying under the radar. The plan is off to a raring start, the card counters evolving their strategy through every new setback, when intimidation erupts into deadly violence. Ronnie could lose everything—was his comeback worth the risk?

Cult favorite crime novelist Martin Limón, author of the Sueño & Bascom series, delights in his first-ever standalone, drawn from his own experiences at the blackjack table.Praise for Martin Limón

“Limón has proven himself to be a sensitive observer of the darker angels of human nature and a skilled weaver of mystery.”
—NPR

“Limón’s crisp, clear storytelling opens a door to another world.”
—The Baltimore Sun

“Limón is one of the best military writers ever. His stories are addictive entertainment today—and valuable slices of history tomorrow.”
—Lee ChildMartin Limón retired from military service after twenty years in the US Army. He calls his military career “exceedingly undistinguished,” comprising odd jobs, writing for Stars and Stripes, serving as an artillery gun crew chief, and working in military intelligence. It was during his time in the army that he took up card counting for extra money. He is the author of fifteen mysteries in the cult classic Sueño and Bascom series, beginning with Jade Lady Burning, as well as the short story collection Nightmare Range. He lives near Seattle.