Pete gives Jimmy some
"sound" financial advice to help Jimmy
get out of his current no-win situation. Get in
touch with a woman known as the Dice Angel, insists
Pete. She'll be able to help Jimmy win at craps,
get the bar back, and live happily ever after. Pete
even has one of the Dice Angel's cards with him.
Jimmy forgets all about
the dice angel until one day he is cleaning out
his wallet, preparatory to cleaning out his life,
when he sees the card: "Dice Angel: I will
bring you luck at craps." What the hell, he's
tried everything else, why not try some supernatural
soliciting? It can't get any worse, he figures.
So he gives the dice angel, Amaris, a call. And
here the book takes a decidedly upbeat turn. Until
the arrival of the dice angel, the plight of Jimmy
Delaney is the novelistic equivalent of watching
a slow-motion car wreck. We sympathize with his
plight; understand his feelings; appreciate his
dilemma. But as each and every turn for Jimmy, and
the reader, comes up "dead end"; as doors
close and desperation sets in; we long for a deus
ex machina to take place and spare Jimmy the inevitable.
Enter Amaris.
Rouff has created a terrific character in this energetic,
upbeat, and quirky woman. She works in, of all places,
a colon-cleansing salon as well as doing a little
part-time sympathetic magic on the side. She only
has three rules for Jimmy in their new partnership:
1., that Jimmy never gamble without her; 2., that
Jimmy never lie to her; and 3., that Jimmy not fall
in love with her. This last requirement doesn't
seem too difficult to Jimmy; after all, Amaris is
pushing 60 if she's a day, and she looks as if she's
been around the block a few times, in fact, several
blocks and more than a few times.
Indeed, Amaris takes
Jimmy to the casinos to gamble at craps. These scenes
are thrilling and, since I've been there and done
that, I can tell you that they have the right feel
to them. But I don't want to give away too much.
Suffice it to say, that we go on a rollercoaster
ride at the end of this novel; at the dice tables
with Jimmy and Amaris, for sure, but also in terms
of Jimmy's life and the delicate balance of his
personal and financial resources. The ending is
a true test of character, as well.
Rouff has fashioned
a wonderful novel. Jimmy Delaney is a fully realized,
wisecracking, sometimes headstrong, but always human
being. We see him for what he is--Everyman in trouble,
sinking and looking for a life preserver. We care
about him from the first page to the last page.
And we like him. And against the dice angel's best
advice the reader inevitably falls in love with
her!
Dice
Angel Book Review Part One
Good
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