
Mr. Lucky
A Novel of High Stakes
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $15.75
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Paul Boehmer
-
By:
-
James Swain
About this listen
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Sucker Bet
- By: James Swain
- Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
- Length: 8 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tony Valentine is a retired Atlantic City cop and a master hunter of casino cheats, or "grifters." He has the talent to spot cheats over a casino's surveillance cameras from the moment they come off the street and begin to take a part in the action. Valentine IDs his prey and moves in for the kill.
-
-
Interesting and entertaining
- By James on 06-11-04
By: James Swain
-
Take Down
- Billy Cunningham, Book 1
- By: James Swain
- Narrated by: Nick Podehl
- Length: 11 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
There are hundreds of casinos in Las Vegas, and Billy Cunningham knows how to rip off every one. His scams are a thing of beauty - so perfectly orchestrated that onlookers believe he and his crew are winning fair and square. In a town where bosses will kill to protect their profits, Billy can't afford to make mistakes, but even the best-laid plans can go wrong...
-
-
Meaningless time-passer
- By Marc on 04-15-15
By: James Swain
-
Midnight Rambler
- By: James Swain
- Narrated by: Peter Jay Fernandez
- Length: 9 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Years ago, South Florida cop Jack Carpenter beat up a murder suspect named Simon Skell, a dangerous predator with a penchant for playing the Rolling Stones' "Midnight Rambler" as he tortured young women. When Jack lost his temper, he lost his job and marriage, too; so as Skell's early release from prison draws near, the tarnished hero, now a specialist in missing-child cases, sees an opportunity to make things right.
-
-
Not one of James Swain's best
- By Maryfrances on 12-04-07
By: James Swain
-
Convergence
- Convergence, Book 1
- By: Craig Alanson
- Narrated by: R.C. Bray
- Length: 16 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
My name is Kazimir Wolfe. People call me "Kaz", except they don’t. I never use my real name; it’s too dangerous, for me and for anyone I meet. I’m on the run from the law, who think I killed my aunt, and from whoever did kill her, because they want to finish the job. So, I move around a lot, working construction or whatever job I can find. It’s a lonely life. I don’t let anyone get close...people who get close to me end up dead. Why? I’m a wizard. The world’s only wizard, as far as I know.
-
-
How did this get passed an editor?
- By Joseph on 08-03-22
By: Craig Alanson
-
Six Years
- By: Harlan Coben
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Six years have passed since Jake Fisher watched Natalie, the love of his life, marry another man. Six years of hiding a broken heart by throwing himself into his career as a college professor. Six years of keeping his promise to leave Natalie alone, and six years of tortured dreams of her life with her new husband, Todd. But six years haven’t come close to extinguishing his feelings, and when Jake comes across Todd’s obituary, he can’t keep himself away from the funeral. There he gets the glimpse of Todd’s wife he’s hoping for...but she is not Natalie....
-
-
Obsession, mystery, and you're hooked!
- By GH on 03-20-13
By: Harlan Coben
-
11-22-63
- A Novel
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Craig Wasson
- Length: 30 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On November 22, 1963, three shots rang out in Dallas, President Kennedy died, and the world changed. What if you could change it back? In this brilliantly conceived tour de force, Stephen King - who has absorbed the social, political, and popular culture of his generation more imaginatively and thoroughly than any other writer - takes listeners on an incredible journey into the past and the possibility of altering it.
-
-
I Owe Stephen King An Apology
- By Kelly - Write Well Academy on 04-16-12
By: Stephen King
-
Sucker Bet
- By: James Swain
- Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
- Length: 8 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tony Valentine is a retired Atlantic City cop and a master hunter of casino cheats, or "grifters." He has the talent to spot cheats over a casino's surveillance cameras from the moment they come off the street and begin to take a part in the action. Valentine IDs his prey and moves in for the kill.
-
-
Interesting and entertaining
- By James on 06-11-04
By: James Swain
-
Take Down
- Billy Cunningham, Book 1
- By: James Swain
- Narrated by: Nick Podehl
- Length: 11 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
There are hundreds of casinos in Las Vegas, and Billy Cunningham knows how to rip off every one. His scams are a thing of beauty - so perfectly orchestrated that onlookers believe he and his crew are winning fair and square. In a town where bosses will kill to protect their profits, Billy can't afford to make mistakes, but even the best-laid plans can go wrong...
-
-
Meaningless time-passer
- By Marc on 04-15-15
By: James Swain
-
Midnight Rambler
- By: James Swain
- Narrated by: Peter Jay Fernandez
- Length: 9 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Years ago, South Florida cop Jack Carpenter beat up a murder suspect named Simon Skell, a dangerous predator with a penchant for playing the Rolling Stones' "Midnight Rambler" as he tortured young women. When Jack lost his temper, he lost his job and marriage, too; so as Skell's early release from prison draws near, the tarnished hero, now a specialist in missing-child cases, sees an opportunity to make things right.
-
-
Not one of James Swain's best
- By Maryfrances on 12-04-07
By: James Swain
-
Convergence
- Convergence, Book 1
- By: Craig Alanson
- Narrated by: R.C. Bray
- Length: 16 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
My name is Kazimir Wolfe. People call me "Kaz", except they don’t. I never use my real name; it’s too dangerous, for me and for anyone I meet. I’m on the run from the law, who think I killed my aunt, and from whoever did kill her, because they want to finish the job. So, I move around a lot, working construction or whatever job I can find. It’s a lonely life. I don’t let anyone get close...people who get close to me end up dead. Why? I’m a wizard. The world’s only wizard, as far as I know.
-
-
How did this get passed an editor?
- By Joseph on 08-03-22
By: Craig Alanson
-
Six Years
- By: Harlan Coben
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Six years have passed since Jake Fisher watched Natalie, the love of his life, marry another man. Six years of hiding a broken heart by throwing himself into his career as a college professor. Six years of keeping his promise to leave Natalie alone, and six years of tortured dreams of her life with her new husband, Todd. But six years haven’t come close to extinguishing his feelings, and when Jake comes across Todd’s obituary, he can’t keep himself away from the funeral. There he gets the glimpse of Todd’s wife he’s hoping for...but she is not Natalie....
-
-
Obsession, mystery, and you're hooked!
- By GH on 03-20-13
By: Harlan Coben
-
11-22-63
- A Novel
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Craig Wasson
- Length: 30 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On November 22, 1963, three shots rang out in Dallas, President Kennedy died, and the world changed. What if you could change it back? In this brilliantly conceived tour de force, Stephen King - who has absorbed the social, political, and popular culture of his generation more imaginatively and thoroughly than any other writer - takes listeners on an incredible journey into the past and the possibility of altering it.
-
-
I Owe Stephen King An Apology
- By Kelly - Write Well Academy on 04-16-12
By: Stephen King
-
Mr. Mercedes
- A Novel
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Will Patton
- Length: 14 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the frigid pre-dawn hours, in a distressed Midwestern city, hundreds of desperate unemployed folks are lined up for a spot at a job fair. Without warning, a lone driver plows through the crowd in a stolen Mercedes, running over the innocent, backing up, and charging again. Eight people are killed; fifteen are wounded. The killer escapes. Mr. Mercedes is a war between good and evil, from the master of suspense whose insight into the mind of this obsessed, insane killer is chilling and unforgettable.
-
-
King and Patton create a winning combo
- By David Shear on 06-04-14
By: Stephen King
-
Spoonbenders
- A novel
- By: Daryl Gregory
- Narrated by: Ari Fliakos
- Length: 14 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Teddy Telemachus is a charming con man with a gift for sleight of hand and some shady underground associates. In need of cash, he tricks his way into a classified government study about telekinesis and its possible role in intelligence gathering. There he meets Maureen McKinnon, and it's not just her piercing blue eyes that leave Teddy forever charmed but her mind - Maureen is a genuine psychic of immense and mysterious power.
-
-
Slow start, but patience is your friend here.
- By Heather on 08-22-17
By: Daryl Gregory
-
The Short Drop
- Gibson Vaughn
- By: Matthew FitzSimmons
- Narrated by: James Patrick Cronin
- Length: 11 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A decade ago, fourteen-year-old Suzanne Lombard, the daughter of Benjamin Lombard - then a senator, now a powerful vice president running for the presidency - disappeared in the most sensational missing-person case in the nation's history. Still unsolved, the mystery remains a national obsession. For legendary hacker and marine Gibson Vaughn, the case is personal - Suzanne Lombard had been like a sister to him.
-
-
Incredibly wonderful thriller! Magnificant!
- By Wayne on 03-15-16
-
War and Peace
- By: Leo Tolstoy
- Narrated by: Frederick Davidson
- Length: 61 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Often called the greatest novel ever written, War and Peace is at once an epic of the Napoleonic wars, a philosophical study, and a celebration of the Russian spirit. Tolstoy's genius is clearly seen in the multitude of characters in this massive chronicle, all of them fully realized and equally memorable.
-
-
Glad I finally decided to read it
- By Plumeria on 09-25-05
By: Leo Tolstoy
-
The Quickie
- By: James Patterson, Michael Ledwidge
- Narrated by: Mary Stuart Masterson
- Length: 6 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Lauren Stillwell isn't your average damsel in distress. When the NYPD cop discovers her husband leaving a hotel with another woman, she decides to beat him at his own game. But her revenge goes dangerously awry, and she finds her world spiraling into a hell that becomes more terrifying by the hour.
-
-
Implausible plot
- By Sarah on 07-10-07
By: James Patterson, and others
-
Prey
- By: Michael Crichton
- Narrated by: George Wilson
- Length: 12 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the Nevada desert, an experiment has gone horribly wrong. A cloud of nanoparticles (micro-robots) has escaped from the laboratory. This cloud is self-sustaining and self-reproducing. It is intelligent and learns from experience. For all practical purposes, it is alive. It has been programmed as a predator. It is evolving swiftly, becoming more deadly with each passing hour. Every attempt to destroy it has failed. And we are the prey.
-
-
Starts slow but picks up lots of momentum
- By Michael Kellogg on 05-06-05
By: Michael Crichton
-
A Drink Before the War
- By: Dennis Lehane
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis
- Length: 8 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With novels like Mystic River and Shutter Island, Dennis Lehane has dramatically altered the landscape of the crime thriller—while boldly overstepping the boundaries that have long separated mystery from literature. Now two of his sensational early novels have been combined in a single volume—two gritty and mesmerizing masterworks of suspense featuring the private eye duo of Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro.
-
-
White Bread
- By Jim "The Impatient" on 06-30-12
By: Dennis Lehane
-
Coyote Blue
- By: Christopher Moore
- Narrated by: James Jenner
- Length: 10 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With New York Times best-sellers like Bloodsucking Fiends to his credit, Christopher Moore has developed a devoted cult following. Coyote Blue introduces Samuel Hunter, a young man who's running from his past while being tormented by an ancient Crow God with a talent for mischief.
-
-
ehhhh...
- By Michelle on 08-17-09
-
A Reason to Live (Marty Singer Mystery #1)
- By: Matthew Iden
- Narrated by: Lloyd Sherr
- Length: 8 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the late 90s, a bad cop killed a good woman and DC Homicide Detective Marty Singer got to watch as the murderer walked out of the courtroom a free man. Twelve years later, the victim's daughter comes to Marty begging for help: the killer is stalking her now. There's just one problem: Marty's retired...and he's retired because he's battling cancer.
-
-
This book was a distraction
- By DabOfDarkness on 01-17-14
By: Matthew Iden
-
Gangland
- By: Chuck Hogan
- Narrated by: Justin Price
- Length: 9 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the late 1970s, The Outfit, led by Tony Accardo, has the entire city of Chicago in its grip. When the bracelet he bought his wife is stolen in a jewelry heist, Tony has his loyal soldier Nicky Passero track it down—by whatever means necessary. What Accardo doesn't know: Nicky has a secret which has made his life impossible and has put him in the pocket of the FBI.
-
-
Much better than I thought
- By robert l. on 05-06-24
By: Chuck Hogan
-
The Iceman
- The True Story of a Cold-Blooded Killer
- By: Anthony Bruno
- Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot
- Length: 8 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At home, Richard Kuklinski was a dedicated suburban family man; on the street, he was the Iceman, a professional hit man and lethal scam artist, a man so heartless he kept one of his victims frozen for over two years to disguise the time of death. His personal body count was over 100, but the police couldn’t touch him. Then undercover agent Dominick Polifrone posed as a mobster and began a deadly game of cat and mouse. The Iceman chronicles Kuklinski’s grisly career and exposes his murderous double life.
-
-
Started out promising, but...
- By M. Murphy on 07-10-13
By: Anthony Bruno
-
The Long and Faraway Gone
- A Novel
- By: Lou Berney
- Narrated by: Brian Hutchison, Amy McFadden
- Length: 12 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the summer of 1986, two tragedies rocked Oklahoma City. Six movie-theater employees were killed in an armed robbery while one inexplicably survived. Then, a teenage girl vanished from the annual state fair. Neither crime was ever solved. Twenty-five years later, the reverberations of those unsolved cases quietly echo through survivors’ lives. A private investigator in Vegas, Wyatt’s latest inquiry takes him back to a past he’s tried to escape - and drags him deeper into the harrowing mystery of the movie house robbery that left six of his friends dead.
-
-
Heartbreaking and extremely entertaining
- By Victor @ theAudiobookBlog dot com on 01-05-21
By: Lou Berney
Critic reviews
"In this series about gambling, the main character is a big winner. Mr. Swain's likeable detective hero is Tony Valentine...and he has some neat tricks up his sleeve." (The New York Times)
"If all Swain had going for him was a dynamite premise (inside dope on how casino games work) this series would still be good fun, but he adds all the sinew we look for in the best caper novels: quirky characters on both sides of the law who constantly surprise us with just the right mix of comedy, violence, and humanity." (Booklist)
What listeners say about Mr. Lucky
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
- David
- 06-12-05
Great Summer Read!
I got more than I bargained for on this one! I purchased the book based on the other online review... and I'm so happy I did! If you enjoy books about the inner workings of casinos, gambling or even if are just a fan of books with action, snappy dialogue and characters from all walks of life... then this one is for you! Similar in style to the writings of Janet Evanovich' "Stephanie Plum", John Sandford's Prey series, or, yes, even Elmore Leonard (although most comparisons to the great Leonard pale in comparison). Light, fun, entertaining, and a good use of audible bucks!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Susan Sharples
- 10-01-21
mable
please decide where Mable comes from--new Jersey, as in book 3 or the south as in this book.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
- Nicholas Winn
- 05-09-05
Fun light reading!
From the first 10 words I was captured. I just loved this book. I'm only 1/2 way through but it's so good I wanted to let people know how fun it is.
I've been listening to alot of the heavier stuff lately and needed a break with something different. This book is in the elmore leonard line of books. Light reading with entertaining characters, subplots and subcharacters. But liked this one better than any Elmore book I've ever read.
Narration is tremendous, he makes the characters come alive. Try this one it won't dissapoint.
Unless you're in the mood for War and Peace!!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- Zach
- 06-17-05
If you liked Skinny Dip you will like this.....
A darn fine story with characters that hook you and a plot lines, or lines...that keeps you both guessing and learning interesting things. Well read and engrossing I wandered around the house listening to the last hour to get the ending.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- P.Keith Daigle
- 07-28-05
Very Disappointing
Sophomoric, cliche-ridden writing. I love books about Las Vegas and the gambling culture, but this one was poor. The plot premise was intriguing but I kept getting diverted by the comic-book style writing. Swain- Never again.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 02-20-13
Not a book about casinos or gambling
Would you try another book from James Swain and/or Paul Boehmer?
yes
Would you ever listen to anything by James Swain again?
yes
What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?
did the best he could with such poor material
What character would you cut from Mr. Lucky?
Mr Lucky and both Valentines :)
Any additional comments?
In addition to not finding this book to have many redeeming elements, I expected a book that focused around casinos and gambling. That element was only a back drop while the main story was focused in a small town
What little there was about casino life, was annoyingly inaccurate. For instance, one of the scams depicted was a dealer stealing chips from his rack by placing a box of tissue on his table -- he had a cold and needed to blow his nose from time to time. Uh - yea. I'd like to see an actual dealer try to place anything other than their hands and cards on the table.
Problems with the story were numerous, and the story was too simplistic to over come (over look) the literary license taken by the author.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful