A Hazard of Losers

Lloyd Biggle, Jr., whose storytelling gifts have won nationwide praise and avid readership for his fifteen previous novels, takes us on a dash through the neon-lit streets and dreary back alleys, the glitzy casinos and posh mansions of Las Vegas in a mystery which revolves around a "foolproof" Keno-rigging scheme. The scheme is costing casino owners plenty and they hire J. Pletcher, private investigator, to discover the culprits.

Pletcher proves to be a careful observer as well as a man of action. He combines a knack for playing the right hunches with the patience and cunning of the careful detective. Even these won’t be enough to foil the Keno riggers, however, and he’ll have to enlist the aid of professors and policemen, socialites and secretaries, waitresses, Keno writers, shift bosses, taxi drivers and even Vegas Vic himself.

Reading a novel by Lloyd Biggle is like taking a trip – this time to the desert city of fantasy and glitter. The Las Vegas setting is more than a backdrop, however. In A Hazard of Losers, America’s favorite Sin City springs to life to become the leading character in a tale of mystery and suspense.