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Cold Poker Gang #5
Dead Hand: A Cold Poker Gang Mystery
More than two hundred couples get married in Las Vegas every day. And some people just go missing right before their planned wedding.
Some show up later. Some are never found.
The Cold Poker Gang decides to look into an old cold case of a woman who went missing right before her wedding. What they dig up shocks the entire city to the core. And exposes the dirty side of an industry beyond the roses and cake and white dresses.
Another twisted mystery from USA Today bestselling author Dean Wesley Smith.
“…Dean Wesley Smith draws a royal straight flush by making the hand he deals readers seem possible with this exhilarating political poker thriller…”—Midwest Book Review on Dead Money
Some show up later. Some are never found.
The Cold Poker Gang decides to look into an old cold case of a woman who went missing right before her wedding. What they dig up shocks the entire city to the core. And exposes the dirty side of an industry beyond the roses and cake and white dresses.
Another twisted mystery from USA Today bestselling author Dean Wesley Smith.
“…Dean Wesley Smith draws a royal straight flush by making the hand he deals readers seem possible with this exhilarating political poker thriller…”—Midwest Book Review on Dead Money
230 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 19, 2016
About the author
Dean Wesley Smith
835 books177 followersPen Names
Edward Taft
Dee W. Schofield
Sandy Schofield
Kathryn Wesley
Dean Wesley Smith is the bestselling author of over ninety novels under many names and well over 100 published short stories. He has over eight million copies of his books in print and has books published in nine different countries. He has written many original novels in science fiction, fantasy, mystery, thriller, and romance as well as books for television, movies, games, and comics. He is also known for writing quality work very quickly and has written a large number of novels as a ghost writer or under house names.
With Kristine Kathryn Rusch, he is the coauthor of The Tenth Planet trilogy and The 10th Kingdom. The following is a list of novels under the Dean Wesley Smith name, plus a number of pen names that are open knowledge. Many ghost and pen name books are not on this list because he is under contractual obligations not to disclose that he wrote them. Many of Dean’s original novels are also under hidden pen names for marketing reasons.
Dean has also written books and comics for all three major comic book companies, Marvel, DC, and Dark Horse, and has done scripts for Hollywood. One movie was actually made.
Over his career he has also been an editor and publisher, first at Pulphouse Publishing, then for VB Tech Journal, then for Pocket Books.
Currently, he is writing thrillers and mystery novels under another name.
Edward Taft
Dee W. Schofield
Sandy Schofield
Kathryn Wesley
Dean Wesley Smith is the bestselling author of over ninety novels under many names and well over 100 published short stories. He has over eight million copies of his books in print and has books published in nine different countries. He has written many original novels in science fiction, fantasy, mystery, thriller, and romance as well as books for television, movies, games, and comics. He is also known for writing quality work very quickly and has written a large number of novels as a ghost writer or under house names.
With Kristine Kathryn Rusch, he is the coauthor of The Tenth Planet trilogy and The 10th Kingdom. The following is a list of novels under the Dean Wesley Smith name, plus a number of pen names that are open knowledge. Many ghost and pen name books are not on this list because he is under contractual obligations not to disclose that he wrote them. Many of Dean’s original novels are also under hidden pen names for marketing reasons.
Dean has also written books and comics for all three major comic book companies, Marvel, DC, and Dark Horse, and has done scripts for Hollywood. One movie was actually made.
Over his career he has also been an editor and publisher, first at Pulphouse Publishing, then for VB Tech Journal, then for Pocket Books.
Currently, he is writing thrillers and mystery novels under another name.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 15, 2023
"Dead Hand" is book five in the Cold Poker Gang series, authored by Dean Wesley Smith. Though a part of a series, each book stands pretty well on its own. "Dead Hand" in particular is a good entry point into the series, as it follows a group of new protagonists.
As usual, I enjoyed following the exploits of "The Gang." I thought the series needed to introduce some of the other members of the Gang and Dean must have read my mind, because "Dead Hand" does just that. We get three new main characters added to the mix, although Lott and some of the older characters don't appear as anything other than vague references. While I do appreciate the new characters, I hope some of the previous characters make appearances again. Perhaps a later novel might see all the protagonists team up for a really big case? Might be cool...
I thoroughly enjoyed the case in "Dead Hand," though it was decidedly morbid. I was a little dubious that the perps could carry out such a large operation for such a long time, but the novel still won me over with its tense excitement and moments of humor and charm. Dean had me laughing out loud in one particular scene; some of the Las Vegas-isms are pure gold.
The main place in which novel falters is the absurd rapidity of the two main protagonists falling for each other. The romancing was much too quick. I thought the author paced the romance between Lott and Julia in a much more convincing way in previous books.
I'm quite taken with the books in the Cold Poker Gang series. Short, hard hitting, smart, but also charming and endearing, this is a series worth checking out and one you'll be bound to enjoy.
As usual, I enjoyed following the exploits of "The Gang." I thought the series needed to introduce some of the other members of the Gang and Dean must have read my mind, because "Dead Hand" does just that. We get three new main characters added to the mix, although Lott and some of the older characters don't appear as anything other than vague references. While I do appreciate the new characters, I hope some of the previous characters make appearances again. Perhaps a later novel might see all the protagonists team up for a really big case? Might be cool...
I thoroughly enjoyed the case in "Dead Hand," though it was decidedly morbid. I was a little dubious that the perps could carry out such a large operation for such a long time, but the novel still won me over with its tense excitement and moments of humor and charm. Dean had me laughing out loud in one particular scene; some of the Las Vegas-isms are pure gold.
The main place in which novel falters is the absurd rapidity of the two main protagonists falling for each other. The romancing was much too quick. I thought the author paced the romance between Lott and Julia in a much more convincing way in previous books.
I'm quite taken with the books in the Cold Poker Gang series. Short, hard hitting, smart, but also charming and endearing, this is a series worth checking out and one you'll be bound to enjoy.
November 26, 2022
Love the Cold Poker Gang Mysteries
I love these mysteries where the heroes are retired detectives from the Las Vegas police department. They get a cold case from their files and all of the Old Poker Gang work on the case with the help of computer gurus and special Services. I like that these retiree work hard in the cases, but are not in harm’s way when the criminals get arrested.
I love these mysteries where the heroes are retired detectives from the Las Vegas police department. They get a cold case from their files and all of the Old Poker Gang work on the case with the help of computer gurus and special Services. I like that these retiree work hard in the cases, but are not in harm’s way when the criminals get arrested.
June 28, 2019
I really like these books! I wished there were more!!
December 24, 2019
Unbelievable
Great storyline that started out with one cold case with the unexplained death of one person to the rescue of almost 1000 people
Great storyline that started out with one cold case with the unexplained death of one person to the rescue of almost 1000 people
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews