Graham
Ellis, pro pit boss and company man finds himself on the wrong side of
management and ends up being transferred from a prestigious casino to one that
caters to the lesser likes of gambling society. It’s a demotion showed in
mystery, yet stinking of management insecurity. For Graham, the pit is his life
– aside from the single guy syndrome of sci-fi-like shows and comics, it’s his
only form of reality, a more meaningful way to meander through life. When the
transfer comes about as a result of ‘stress’, Graham knows something is off,
having been at the top of his game, with only a blip on his near perfect radar
as a result of a miss timed whale, their reasoning for the transfer screams
scapegoat. Yet management refuse to deal in honesty – rather overused HR buzz
terms and contradictory statements. For Graham, the relegation is more than a
change of scenery, and one that threatens to eventually place him behind bars instead
of cards.
INSIDE
STRAIGHT is a very good novel. The protagonist, Graham Ellis is likable despite
his flaws. He’s an average Joe out to make an honest living...until a local
gangster in Barry Pollard sets his sights on him. Before long, Graham becomes
the inside man on a robbery which was meant to turn his life around, leaving
him flush and without cause to stay in the hovel of a casino his finds himself
This being a Ray Banks book, you can be assured that rainbows and happy
sunshine endings aren’t a guarantee. Dreams of ships and wealth turn to
nightmares of dismemberment and imprisonment.
I loved
the way Banks keeps you guessing, is Graham Ellis victimised or ignorant of his
own shortcomings? Blinded by his own perception of self; can it be possible
that he really is stressed and his performances in the pit less than exemplary?
Or is everyone else wrong? The answer elusive and up to interpretation – it’s
great that Banks allows for this flexibility in his latest noir fiction.
There
are many strong points to INSIDE STRAIGHT; it’s engaging, character driven,
well plotted, and has a turn or two you wont see coming. Yet another great
addition to a growing list of must read books by Ray Banks.
No comments:
Post a Comment