The Good Thief's Guide to Vegas

Good Thief's Guide #3

by Chris Ewan, Simon Vance (Narrator)

Charlie Howard isn’t only a part–time crime writer and part–time thief; he’s also a magician. For his next trick, he’ll relieve Josh Masters, the famous illusionist vying for the affections of Charlie’s friend Victoria, of $60,000 in casino chips stashed in his hotel safe. Revenge would be sweet—if there weren’t a dead redhead floating in Masters’ bathtub and if Masters hadn’t just disappeared in a puff of smoke after cheating at roulette. Convinced that Charlie was in on the scam, the casino’s owners give him an impossible mission: either pull off an elaborate heist to reimburse the house for every dollar his “accomplice” made off with, or enjoy a one–way trip into the desert.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Audiobook, Crime, Humor, Thriller, Contemporary

7 pages, Audio CD

First published April 29, 2010

About the author

Writing as C.M. Ewan, my latest thriller is A WINDOW BREAKS.

I'm also the author of the popular GOOD THIEF'S GUIDE TO ... series of mysteries about globetrotting crime writer and thief-for-hire, Charlie Howard. The series has been praised as "crime writing at its best" (Sydney Morning Herald) and a "delightful series" (The Seattle Times) and comprises THE GOOD THIEF'S GUIDE TO AMSTERDAM (winner of the Long Barn Books First Novel Award), THE GOOD THIEF'S GUIDE TO PARIS, THE GOOD THIEF'S GUIDE TO VEGAS, THE GOOD THIEF'S GUIDE TO VENICE and THE GOOD THIEF'S GUIDE TO BERLIN.

To download your FREE copy of THE GOOD THIEF'S GUIDE TO MURDER, simply visit my website www.chrisewan.com and enter your email details.

I love to hear from readers and always respond to every email I receive.
You can contact me via:
my website www.chrisewan.com
on Twitter @chrisewan
or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/chrisewanauthor

My critically acclaimed standalone thrillers include the major bestseller SAFE HOUSE (which has sold more than 500,000 copies in the UK and was shortlisted for the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award), DEAD LINE, DARK TIDES (an Observer "Thriller of the Month") and LONG TIME LOST (a "masterful thriller" The Independent). I'm also the author of the Kindle Single story SCARLETT POINT which, like many of my thrillers, is set on the Isle of Man.

I was born in Taunton in 1976 and graduated from the University of Nottingham with a degree in American Studies with a minor in Canadian Literature, then later trained as a lawyer. After an eleven-year spell living on the Isle of Man, I now live in Somerset, England with my wife and two children, where I write full time.

Reviews

[Elizabeth A · Rating 2 out of 5]

Have you ever read a book where the writing was good, but the story itself was rather dull? I submit this one as Exhibit A.

I'm headed out to Vegas next week, so was in the mood for a fast and entertaining read. How could I resist that title, especially since I love Ocean's Eleven? This is a mystery of sorts. The main character, Charlie Howard, is a part-time crime writer, and part time thief, who suddenly finds himself threatened with a one-way trip into the desert. What's a guy to do?

This started out really well, but quickly got rather pedestrian. The writing is good, and there were scenes/lines that made me smile, but the characters are not well fleshed out, the mystery (a missing magician) not compelling, and the only reason I got to the end was because (a) the audiobook is superbly narrated by Simon Vance, and (b) it's a really short book. Turns out that this is the third book in a series, but I didn't find that to be my issue with it. I won't be reading the rest of this series, though must admit that I love the titles.

Since I have family in Vegas, it's a place I visit a couple of times a year, so am always in search of books set in the area. If you've got a recommendation, please do let me know.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Evans is a good writer, with interesting characters and tight, twisty plots. It seems unfair to give him only a three star rating because he doesn't write the kind of books I like. If you enjoy suspense and a little violence, you'll really love him. Writer and burglar Charlie Howard and his prim literary agent Victoria make a detour to Las Vegas. Victoria doesn't approve of gambling, but she volunteers to work with a smarmy magician at a casino show. This leads the pair into big trouble, and some revelations about one of them. Meanwhile, you'll learn why you shouldn't leave valuables in hotel room safes.

[Blake Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.7 stars, just wanted more. Wanted the story to unfold for us not be told to us. Howmst ever, pretty good story all the same. Worth the read. Don’t go outta your way.

[Scarlett Barnhill · Rating 1 out of 5]

What an awful book.

It started out okay, nothing revolutionary, but at least attention-grabbing enough for me to keep reading. It then descended into a sludge of purple prose and rambling description (down to the state of the toenails of a maid that opened the door to a house of a minor character).

Then there's the issue of the main character. He's flat and uninteresting, and seems to have zero motivation beyond being a sleaze. He makes a point to comment on the body of almost every woman that makes an appearance in the book, and more than a few times gets chatty about their "loose morals." (He is a thief, where does he have room to speak on morals?) At one point he goes so far as to refer to his own friend as slutty.

The entire conflict is based on a decision he made based on high school-level jealousy, for which he never seems as apologetic as he should be.

He is such an awful character that I would rather read about Joffery Lannister and the Joker wreaking havoc on the innocent, because at least they're not half-baked excuses for characters.

Beyond that, the writing itself is technically bland. It is written in passive voice almost exclusively, and despite indulgent descriptions of every room the character enters, leaves holes for the reader to fill. I found myself rewriting the sentences as I read, thinking about how much better the book would have sounded if just one person pointed out the flaws.

Tl;dr: Save yourself the time. This book is not worth it.

[Karine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Plenty of twists and excitement toward the end, but the majority of the book was kind of dull. Vegas wasn't as interesting a backdrop as Paris or Amsterdam. I would only recommend this to fans of the first two Guides, which were good enough warrant reading the next Guide.

[Hermien · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining.

[Translator Monkey · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I know, I know. I'm just going through the series to get to the Berlin edition. This one is a bit less farfetched than the previous two, and some pretty decent red herrings to throw most readers (me) well off track. Two more to go.

[Kelly Griffin (Owen) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read

[Stacey Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this! I'm already planning to read the rest of the series! Reminds me of Finlay Donovan.

[Donald Schopflocher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reliably amusing, twisty mystery. More fun because I know Vegas.

[Emma Rose · Rating 2 out of 5]

So, we’ve had mysterious monkeys and hidden secrets in Paris – dead bodies and murder and the blame falling on Charlie’s shoulders. Now, he’s in Vegas, with its bright lights and desert heat and Victoria at his side. What could he get up to this time?

A missing magician.

No murder accusations. No suspicious clients, or a thievery job gone wrong. His and Victoria’s lives are threatened, sure, but that’s par for the course at this point.

Now, don’t misunderstand. The book is still written well. I love the contrast Ewan creates between the nightlife and daylight of Vegas, as well as the variations between casinos. High chandeliers and champagne, or tacky gambling tables and beer – the clashing between environments really sucks you in.

Charlie’s character is still enjoyable to follow, especially as he tries to figure out the mystery and impress Victoria. And Victoria is fantastic in this book. We learn more about her past, as well as watch her bounce off Charlie’s reckless behaviour with pragmatism, humour and charm. She really comes into her own in this book, changing from a friend to protect, to a friend Charlie can rely on.

But at the end of the day, the heart of a crime novel is its mystery. And while the mystery is a perplexing one, the final solution felt convoluted. Rather than having an “a-ha!” moment, I closed the book thinking “Wait. Whaaat?” Which I think is the last thing any crime author wants.

In addition, I felt that the stakes weren’t all that high in this book – there was no threat to Charlie being found out as a thief, no dead body turning up in his living room, no cops prowling on his tail. If he doesn’t find the magician, he and Victoria are killed: in real life, I’m sure this would be terrible, but after everything Charlie has been through – framed, manipulated, exploited, blackmailed – a death threat felt like a cold motivation.

If Amsterdam was the prequel, Vegas felt like the filler episode. It’s fun to read, we learn more about the characters, we see them clashing heads – but, ultimately, we find ourselves wanting the next daring adventure.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whilst not a masterpiece, it wasn’t a bad book by any means and I rather enjoyed it. Being set in my fave city was my motivation for picking up this well-narrated audiobook and the story was semi-plausible and interesting. Not the best of writing and the characterisation was a bit bland on occasion and ‘different’ to say the least: a bumbling (in my eyes) thief who isn’t considered a crook with a weird set of morals but somehow enjoyable nonetheless.

I found the dialogues a bit unbelievable at times, and there was nothing groundbreaking amongst the pages but all in all a nice plot, with a witty British character as the protagonist and it has definitely enticed me into reading others in the series.

[Lois Baron · Rating 3 out of 5]

The third adventure with Charlie Howard, a Briton who writes mystery novels about a thief while being a thief himself. Deftly done.

He has talked his literary agent, Victoria, into coming to Las Vegas for a vacation after the adventures chronicled in the the previous book. In the land of gambling and cheating, they soon need a way to extricate themselves from plot twists, diversion, and sleight of hand. In the midst of this, we learn more about Victoria's backstory--why she's been surprisingly calm about Charlie's career as a thief.

Easy-to-like main characters, enjoyable odd side characters, scary-enough villains, all embroiled in a twisty plot. Works for me.

[Chelsea · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book started off with a bang. It seemed so promising, and went downhill from there. Wish I would have given up on this mystery..but I did hang on till the last page.

[Joseph OToole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Starts REALLY strong, bur fails at the moment of ah-HA! that's necessary in a mystery, rendering the conclusion sort of muddled. Still a decent read.

[Sara Tilley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Berlin was better but still sad that this was my last Good Thief book, having read them in a random order.
A quippy yarn and travelogue for smokers.

[Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, rounded up

Someone recommended this series a few years ago, and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the first book – and the second. Maybe it’s the unique main character – Charlie is a successful mystery author, but he’s also a thief – that brings an interesting perspective to the stories.

In this book, Charlie seems doomed to live by the adage “If it wasn’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all.” Everything that can go wrong does go wrong, and I had to keep reading (listening) to find out how he was going to get out of one mess after another. Having his editor, Victoria, so deeply involved intensified the situations, but also provided an interesting addition to the equation.

For a good portion of the book, the mystery was centered on a stage performer who cheated at one of the table games, then disappeared in the middle of his act. Charlie and Vic, implicated in the cheating scheme, are given no choice but to locate the missing man, not an easy feat in Las Vegas, where it’s easy for anyone to vanish.

When the eventual murder was discovered, there were a lot of potential suspects, but the person ultimately revealed as the killer was nowhere near the top of my list. Given the character, the motive made sense, but I wouldn’t have figured it out on my own.

[S.K. Conaghan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it. I still liked it, so I did.

… the thing was… well… It was a lot more procedural detail—not that I'm opposed to procedural detail when it has significance to the plot—but not here. It was just detail for details' sake. And not a whole lot of action either. Much less mystery and appeal than I’ve become accustomed to from Chris Ewan—and he is one of my new faves in 2023. This tale wasn’t as intriguing as the first two of the series, but maybe it’s just that I’m not really one of these people to whom Las Vegas appeals. In any way. In any shape. At all. Ever. But it wasn't that, no, it was that the whole vibe of disappointed let-down after hyped anticipation. So, yeah, kind of like Vegas, after all...

I enjoyed the relational aspects that began to develop; that was a bonus.

The best I can say of this novel is that I’m looking forward to the next instalment. I do so like Chris Ewan's writing style—it’s sharp, witty, funny, self-deprecatingly pretentious, and full of snarky one-liners.

Listen, it wasn't his best in the series, but still a worthwhile quick read if you're sitting on a train or a plane for a few hours.

As always, Simon Vance is a bloody star on the audiobook narration. He's maybe a bit too old for me, but seriously: vibes.

Anyways, where is Charlie heading next...?

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh, Charlie Howard what are you up to now? I often wonder why he is identified as the eponymous 'Good' thief...is he good as heart or simply good at picking locks? I don't know if we can describe him as a good thief as every book sees him make a major mis-judgement which leads him into a whole lot of bother.
Having fled Paris in book two, we now find Charlie and Victoria in Vegas for a bit of a 'holiday'. Perhaps visiting the world's crime-backed gambling capital wasn't the ideal choice for a bit of R&R, so it's no surprise that Charlie finds himself diving into murky waters with a little bit of pick pocketing that having surprising consequences.
'Vegas' reveals more of Victoria's back story which in itself provides a little more colour and of course, there is an obligatory body count and physical violence which provide darker shades to this tale. How Charlie ever recovers from these continuous physical assaults is wonder in itself.
The third book in the series is an enjoyable romp, perhaps missing a little of the intrigue of the first two 'Good Thief's' but enjoyable nevertheless. I consumed this one as an audiobook and the narration by Simon Vance was excellent as ever.

[Spuddie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Charlie Howard is in trouble again, this time across the pond in Las Vegas. Having just met his editor--he's a mystery writer (and a practicing thief!)--he seeks to impress the lovely Victoria by heading to Vegas. Instead, he ends up losing all his money in a high-stakes poker game, then subsequently burgles the room of the high-profile magician who performs at the casino and stumbles upon the dead body of his assistant in his bathroom and is nabbed (along with Victoria) by the casino's owners--little more than thugs--suspected of being part of a ring--with the same magician--dealing in fake casino chips. The magician disappears, and the brothers want Charlie and Victoria to find him and their money. And that's before anyone else even knows about the dead body!

All within about 6 hours of arriving in Sin City! Sounds a bit ludicrous, right? Yeah, I thought so too.

I despise all things Vegas, so I didn't have much hope for this one, but the story itself was kind of lame too.

[RJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

We’re introduced to Charlie Howard, a part-time crime writer, part-time thief, and a self-practiced magician. The part-time thief is what we’re interested in. Charlie and his female literary agent Victoria have gone to Las Vegas for a brief stopover vacation after a business trip to New York. Josh Masters, an illusionist, was headlining the 50-50 Casino. Masters and Victoria met on the gambling floor. Charlie was not impressed. Lifting Masters’s wallet, In spite, Charlie robbed Masters’s apartment. He found much more in the apartment than he bargained for. Later, Masters disappears and Charlie appears on the security cameras. Pressured by the casino owners, the Fisher Twins, Charlie has to perform several jobs to get himself and Victoria out of this jam. The tale continues with multiple twists and turns to keep you guessing.

[Sherry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thief/Author flies to Vegas after fencing sketches from last novel and promptly looses it all at the gaming table. He looks around and finds his friend Victoria (who doesn't gamble) winning with the local magician. So Charlie lifts his wallet to check out his room. It tumbles into an elaborate scheme with dead bodies, blackmail lists, cheating at gambling, and their lives at stake from mafia style casino owners. Charlie ineptly whips out his theft skills repeatedly making the situations worse and taking a few serious beatings in the process. The mystery has a great deal of depth including the ever changing question of what he is looking for. Overall, it was a good book, but I just had trouble getting engaged in this story and kept putting the audio aside for other things.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Third in this series and each one gets better and better. The writing is better, the plots are clearer and we are really getting to know the main characters. I thought I would not enjoy a story in Las Vegas as much as the first two, in Amsterdam and Paris, but I really did. The writer captured the seediness of Las Vegas and the corruption of greed. But he does it with humor and suspense, if that is possible! My favorite sentence, when the main character is talking about working out a plan with two unlikely helpers: "In truth, I'd seen Wile E Coyote sketch out more complicated plans, but I still had to go over it twice before they were happy. " This book is filled with gems like that!

[John Biddle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've been on somewhat of a roll lately, but tnot the good kind. The Good Thief's Guide to Vegas by Chris Ewan is another miss. It's much like the Bernie Rhodenbar books by Lawrence Block which I like quite a bit, so you'd think I'd like this one too, but nope. It just left me feeling empty. I have no connection to the main character Charlie Howard, I didn't like him and didn't care what happened to him, nor to his girlfriend Victoria. That's a killer for me. And the plot was quite complicated and there were many peoplinvolved. To work this hard I need to be invested, and I just wasn't. I'll stick to Bernie.

[Book Jester · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third book in the Good Thief series and, whilst I know these books aren't likely to win any grand literature prizes, I still very much enjoy reading them. This one was perhaps my least favourite out of the 3 I have read so far but it was still a fun little caper. I have never been to Las Vegas (nor do I have any particular desire to go) but Ewan writes so well that I feel I have just spent a couple of manic days there. I liked the fact that in this story the character of Victoria was fleshed out a bit more but I hope in subsequent books we get to learn a bit more about what really makes Charlie tick.

[S A R A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part-time crime writer and part-time thief Charlie Howard is at it again, this time in Sin City. The casino owner twins are convinced Charlie and his agent Victoria are in on their recent casino theft, and therefore give them an impossible mission—pull off an elaborate heist to reimburse the house or enjoy a one-way trip into the desert. The stream of witty patter that seems quintessentially British (which he is), is fabulous and allows readers to enjoy Charlie, as he narrates his own skills of thievery and flights of quick thought.

[Tiffany · Rating 3 out of 5]

More like 2.5 stars. Overall, it was a chain of predictable clichés.

Third book in the series, I've now read books #2 and #3. You don't really have to read the previous books, there's fleeting references but the stories are separate.

I was hoping for the book to focus more on the thievery and heists, but I wasn't in luck. The main character gets less and less likable, and his arthritis is more annoying than it is an interesting problem/quirk/hinderance for the character to deal with.

I probably won't read more in the series, at least not anytime soon.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've had fun listening to the Good Thief's Guide books on audio lately. The mysteries are interesting and even if you can figure out who-done-it, you may not know HOW. The language is a little rough for those who are sensitive to that type of thing. However, still a good way to spend your afternoon.

[Ilonka · Rating 2 out of 5]

I get the feeling that the author has done a lot of research into the break and enter world that Charlie lives in and is determined to make sure that the reader knows each and every excruciating detail that he studied. I would have liked this story better if it had been written as the short story that Charlie keeps promising throughout this novel.

[Khalila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly enjoyable as an audiobook. The narrator does a great job with voice and expressing the main character, Charlie. I could see how it could be a little frustrating if I were to read it rather than listen to it though because it is stylized but unique first person voice.