Kill Game

Cold Poker Gang #1

by Dean Wesley Smith

USA Today bestselling author Dean Wesley Smith takes you into the world of his acclaimed novel Dead Money with a new series about a group of retired Las Vegas Police detectives playing poker and solving cold cases. Retired Detective Bayard Lott hosts the weekly poker games at his home. The group calls themselves the Cold Poker Gang. And they succeed at closing old cases. Lott’s very first homicide case as a brand-new detective had gone cold more than twenty years earlier. But retired Reno detective Julia Rogers, new to the Cold Poker Gang, suggests they look at that case again for personal reasons. From that simple suggestion spins one of the strangest and most complicated murder mystery puzzles the gang has ever seen. “Dean Wesley Smith does for poker what James Patterson does for serial killers.”—Sheldon McArthur, former owner of Mysterious Books in Los Angeles “[An] exhilarating political poker thriller.”—Harriet Klausner, Genre Go Round Reviews on Dead Money

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Fiction, Ebooks, Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Suspense

182 pages, Paperback

First published May 9, 2014

About the author

Pen 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.

Reviews

[Michael Slavin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kill Game has a great premise, a group of retired detectives that play a private poker game once a week, where they also select a cold case and try to solve it. The chief has agreed they can carry guns, a badge, and try to solve cold cases as their hobby.

The case they choose ties to two of the detectives in the game. The clues and the case they follow is interesting, as are the characters. I liked it.

Gold mines, diamond mines, the deceased had 4 wives, one a detective, and it possibly involves the governor's wife. S it's all good...except: to me it feels like the cops did nothing when the guy died. All the investigating being done now seems like it should have been done when the murder happened.

Still a good story with lots of moving parts.

[Friscomama · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an amusing quick read. As I write the review, I realize what was not there that I find annoying in some recent mysteries. There is no gratuitous gore or violence and there are no unnecessary details of the characters' sex lives. I can do without both of those when I just want to have an engaging story to read; if it doesn't move the story along, why include it?

[Andy Dutton · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not remotely thrilling

Ugh, where to start! Firstly, this is not a thriller, it’s a thinly veiled romance novella - and yet, the romance is so poorly developed. Writing a token “I could feel my feelings growing for him/her” at the end of EVERY CHAPTER, is not emotional character development. There was no effort to describe scenes or set pieces that showed the characters developing feelings.

Secondly, if this is a thriller, there was literally jeopardy involved. There is no risk to any of the characters at any point, and when something is uncovered that could be controversial, they back off it and then resolve it in the most pathetic way possible.

Thirdly, cops who are also high stakes poker players and have private jets and a life of luxury while still doing regular day cop work - bore me later! Such a typical case of deux ex machina - a plot device conveniently used to move the story along but made so little sense.

I’m actually wondering why I rated this two stars? Perhaps I just really like fried chicken, which was a main character in the first few chapters. Unfortunately it didn’t make a return. The bucket of chicken was the only character without a flat personality.

[Jeanne]

I usually don’t spend time on negative reviews for books I didn’t finish, but this title has a 3.97 average and I wouldn’t want anyone else accidentally paying for this book without realizing what they are getting into.

The premise of a group of retired cops playing poker and solving cold cases sounds like fun. But the writing is beyond poor with the author harping on the same things over and over again. KFC and chicken get 30 mentions in the first 7 short chapters. The attraction between Lott and Rogers is brought up time and again before there is even a hint of progress.

Descriptions use 3rd grade vocabulary: sad, wonderful, really, good. There are sentences like this one: “At the time, Julia had no idea her husband had even came to Las Vegas.” Please!

The case went cold because the original detectives did not follow up on anything. Did the victim have a car? Did he have papers or personal belongings? Where did he work? Should we interview his wife?

Okaaay...but those lousy detectives are the same ones looking into the case now. The heroes of the story. I just couldn’t suspend belief that much and the book lost its appeal early on. I can’t believe this is a series.

[Gilbert Stack · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve had the pleasure of reading several Dean Wesley Smith novels over the past twenty or more years. He’s written some SF, some Spiderman, and some Star Trek—always providing a good yarn. But after reading Kill Game, I realized that his true vocation as an author is writing excellent mysteries filled with surprises and interesting characters.

Kill Game is gripping from the first pages. The Cold Poker Gang, a group of retired police detectives, picks up cold cases and tries to resolve them. This time they’re looking into the long-ago murder of the husband of one of their members. I don’t want to want to give away any of the wonderful surprises, but every time you turn around in this story, Smith throws you for another loop in this simply wonderful tale.

I’m so glad he’s written more of them.

If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kill Game: A Cold Poker Gang Mystery if book one of Cold Poker Gang by Dean Wesley Smith. During a weekly poker game at retired Detective Bayard Lott, one of the members Reno detective Julia Rogers suggested a new cold case to investigate. However, for Detective Bayard Lott, this case brought back memories of his first case as a detective. The Readers of Kill Game will continue to follow Detective Bayard Lott and his Gang to find out what happens.

Kill Game is the first book I read of Dean Wesley Smith. I did enjoy reading Kill Game. However, not sure I would read another book in this series. I love Dean Wesley Smith portrayal of his characters and the way they intertwine with each other throughout this book. I like Dean Wesley Smith description of the settings of this book. Kill Game is well written and research by Dean Wesley Smith.

The readers of Kill Game will learn about poker playing tournaments. Also, the benefits of involving in a weekly social poker game can have on the players. The readers of Kill Game will learn about a different way that law enforcement can investigate cases that have gone cold.

I recommend this book.

[C Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story and writing style was quite simple. There's a little romance for lightness and I like how fast-paced it was.

It started with a murder that was unresolved until the cold poker gang decided to open it. Based on the available resources, it is now easier to find clues and there's a fresh set of eyes that could help.

I noticed that there aren't too many details in the aftermath when they found out the truth about everything. I would have liked to know what happened next.

[Barnard Madsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun diversion

Retired Las Vegas detectives play poker and solve cold cases. Lots of twists and turns. Great recreational read. On to Cold Call.

[Vivian · Rating 2 out of 5]

A lighthearted quick novella that leaves a fair bit to be desired. The romance which takes up a significant portion of the book is pretty poorly executed and suffers from a lot of telling us how close the two mains are getting rather than showing any real connection or spark between them. The mystery crime plot is entertaining but just not believable. Our female lead character is an ex cop who's ex husband was murdered 22 years ago and we're meant to believe its been bugging her for all these years but she never tried investigating it herself? Or even bother helping the original initial investigation? Our male lead character had this murder as his first case, apparently tried working it for a whole year, but never bothered interviewing her? And that's just the start. Love the idea of retired detectives following up cold cases and the series definitely has potential I just wish it had been a bit more realistic.

[Angel Hughes · Rating 1 out of 5]

I just can't rate it higher than one star, and that's only because the storyline itself wasn't terrible. Grammar was pretty bad, and the phrase "I'll be go to hell" is confusing and odd to me-is that some kind of regional catch phrase? The author apparently has a love affair with KFC, bottled water and iced tea, and hates cigarette smoke to the point of making his characters whiny over it. Detailed descriptions were amateurish and the developing relationship between the late-middle-aged main characters was portrayed in decidedly adolescent terminology and emotion. I'm still in a state of shock over the average rating on this title and I'm ecstatic that I didn't pay anything for this book!

[Lyn Clark · Rating 1 out of 5]

One star is too much

If I wanted to read a romance between two besotted people, I would go for Shakespeare, not Smith. This was more of a fairy tale than a mystery. No one was killed, which makes one wonder where the title came from? And the drooling over fast food was ridiculous. I've never waxed poetic over Kentucky Fried Chicken in my life. Hopefully KFC paid him well for the pages wasted extolling the virtues of their chicken.

[Lynda Newman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book so much. No bad language or any other garbage, just a fun read!

[Martha · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick read but a good whodunnit with mystery, romance and surprises in 172 pages.

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent book, should be an enjoyable series

I read Dean Wesley Smith's Star Trek books years ago, so I wanted to give his detective series a try. We don't learn a whole lot about the cold case poker players except for the main characters Lott and Rogers, and one other p!ayer, Andor, who he!ps them solve the cold case of Rogers' husband's murder. The story is good and there are some twists to it. The book is short so it moves quickly. Smith has experience as an author and his writing is enjoyable. What kept me from giving this first in the series 4 stars was the juvenile development of the romance between Lott and Rogers. OMG, if they each think one time about where the relationship is going, they think it 100 times. These are retired detectives so they aren't teenagers. My other pet peeve is how often they eat at Cafe Bellagio. I stayed there once and there is no way I could eat there, or any hotel on the Vegas strip. Especially on a retired executive's pension. It almost makes the reader wonder if Smith was paid to mention the place so many times. Lott eats a lot of KFC chicken also, but at least that sounds like something a retired cop might eat. Anyway, the premise of the series, that a group of retired detectives who play poker once a week and also assist the Law Vegas PD with closing cold cases is a good one. This book stands alone, no cliff hangers, but it does set up a continuing romance between Rogers and Lott for the subsequent books.

[David Freas · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story is a twist on a familiar plotline, and Smith did a good job making it a fresh twist. And keeping the story taut and focused. The resolution, however, could have been stronger. It was cut and dried, too easy for the characters, and not all the guilty parties got punished. The story lacked tension, too. Nowhere in the story were the main characters in danger. There were probably a dozen places Smith could have put them in peril but didn’t.

What he does do is tell us constantly about the growing relationship between main characters Bayard Lott and Julie Rogers. Neither one can smile at or look into the other one’s eyes without both coming down with a raging case of the warm fuzzies. And he gives the main characters too much easy access via friends to the information they need to solve the case. As with putting them in danger, having the characters work hard to learn what they need to know makes for a better story.

Smith needs to take a course in (or buy a good reference work on) police procedure. The initial investigation into the victim’s death was sloppy beyond belief. The detectives didn’t do 90% of the things they should have done. Work like that would have gotten them demoted in the real world, if not suspended and possibly fired. Now they take a look at this cold case, and suddenly they do all the things they should have done back then

I’ll give Smith another chance, but if it’s no better than this one, that will be it.

[Carole Whitehurst · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story but redundant writing style

I enjoyed this story which had some interesting characters and a few unexpected twists to it.

I did not enjoy the writing style: after ten lines of good writing there would suddenly be a paragraph with clumsy wording that made it hard to understand. On many occasions I had to re-read the text.

Finally, there was just too much redundancy when describing two people who were beginning to fall for each other. Almost word for word redundancy, which could have easily been avoided by expressing the same thing but in another way.

This writer is, it seems, quite prolific and rather successful. I’m sorry to say that my feeling is that this book was written quickly over the weekend. It deserved more time and effort on the quality of the writing style.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like this is a 2.5 star for me... and I really wish we could do a half star rating because this is a common problem! This book was meh. Firstly, there were quite a few spelling and grammatical errors, which I really struggle with in a published book. Secondly, I did not find the plot great. The characters felt somewhat shallow, the development somewhat predictable... and I really don't need a book where two people who have lost love suddenly seem to find love at first sight, as a backdrop to what is actually going on in the story. While the relationship-besides-crime theme comes up in a lot of books I've rated higher, it at least doesn't seem so forced? I can see how others might enjoy this book but I'm not interested in continuing with the series. I think I only got through this because it seemed short.

[Ralph · Rating 2 out of 5]

Came to this book via a reference to the author in The Ties That Bind: A Mystery Crime Thriller. I enjoyed that book a lot and I expected that the author (Robert Bucchianeri) would only mention someone else's book if he thought it was exceptional.

Unfortunately, I didn't think this book was exceptional. The problem was the "romance" part of the book, which was repetitive, awkward and very distracting from the mystery part of the book.

I did finish this book, but don't expect to read any more by this author.

[Will Decker · Rating 2 out of 5]

A somewhat boring little mystery with some really juvenile characters and lots of lousy detective work. The detectives botched it in the beginning and if not for some connected friends, wouldn't have a clue this time around. Plus, do police chiefs really let retired personnel carry a badge and weapon and portray themselves as real cops? Maybe they can put lights on their cars and pull people over while they're at it. The blossoming romance between the two main characters reminds me of a christian book where nothing ever really happens. Boring sums it up. The editing is really good though and for that I'm giving it an extra star.

[Chris B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dean Smith may be a prolific and bestselling author, but on the basis of this he is not a *good* writer. Or this is just a bad example of the boast that he can write 'quality' fiction very fast: parts of this are clumsy, repetitious, with clunky dialogue and show a distinct lack of self- or professional editing.
Having said that, the story is enjoyable enough - although one has to suspend disbelief around the poverty of the original investigation and the fact that people married without questioning. But it certainly deserves 2 stars, and feeling generous while recovering from an operation I'll actually give it 3.

[Ted Tayler · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I enjoyed it despite the flaws"

This was an easy read. There were implausible items in the plot, of course, but it didn't seem to bother me. I lost count of the number of occasions the cops ate fast food and the prospect of Lott and Rogers getting it on was mentioned. Despite all the flaws I wanted to find out what had happened to Rocha, so I kept going. That has to be a tick for the writer's ability to give the reader a good story even if the basic premise is tough to swallow.

[Mary Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Decent story, no mystery

Read like it had been written by a middle schooler. Major over use of “really” “a lot” Used in almost every paragraph. The story was mildly entertaining, but highly predictable.

[Sandy Carlin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dumbest female detective ever.

[Sherry Sammons · Rating 2 out of 5]

Simple

The writing is flat and simple. Not much suspense. I was disappointed, and would not recommend. Perhaps later writings are more mature.

[Peter Benz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trong thế giới của cá cược trực tuyến, Tài Xỉu là một trò chơi được ưa chuộng với những người yêu thích sự may mắn và thử thách. Một phần quan trọng của trò chơi này là các loại cược mà người chơi có thể tham gia, mỗi loại mang lại những trải nghiệm và cơ hội chiến thắng khác nhau. Dưới đây là một cái nhìn sâu sắc vào các loại cược trong tài xỉu online uy tín.

1. Cược Tổng:
Loại cược phổ biến nhất và đơn giản nhất trong Tài Xỉu là cược tổng. Người chơi đặt cược vào tổng điểm của ba con xúc xắc sau mỗi lần tung. Tổng điểm có thể nằm trong khoảng từ 3 đến 18 và người chơi có thể đặt cược vào một khoảng cụ thể hoặc tổng điểm chính xác.

2. Cược Con Lớn và Con Nhỏ:
Cược con lớn và con nhỏ dựa trên tổng điểm của ba con xúc xắc. Nếu tổng điểm từ 11 đến 17, đây được gọi là "con lớn," và người chơi đặt cược vào con lớn sẽ thắng. Ngược lại, nếu tổng điểm từ 4 đến 10, đây được gọi là "con nhỏ," và người chơi đặt cược vào con nhỏ sẽ thắng.

3. Cược Tổ Hợp:
Cược tổ hợp cho phép người chơi đặt cược vào một số kết quả cụ thể của ba con xúc xắc. Ví dụ, bạn có thể đặt cược vào việc một con xúc xắc sẽ hiển thị một số cụ thể hoặc cược vào một tổ hợp cụ thể của các số xuất hiện trên ba con xúc xắc.

4. Cược Đôi và Cược Lẻ:
Cược đôi và cược lẻ liên quan đến tổng điểm của ba con xúc xắc. Nếu tổng điểm là số chẵn, đó được gọi là cược đôi; ngược lại, nếu tổng điểm là số lẻ, đó được gọi là cược lẻ. Đây là một loại cược đơn giản nhưng mang lại cơ hội chiến thắng tốt.

5. Cược Con Cụ Thể:
Người chơi có thể đặt cược vào một con xúc xắc cụ thể và chọn số từ 1 đến 6. Nếu con xúc xắc hiển thị số bạn đã chọn, bạn sẽ thắng. Đây là một loại cược có khả năng thắng cao, nhưng cũng đi kèm với rủi ro lớn.

6. Cược Xúc Xắc Hiển Thị Hai Số Đồng Nhất:
Người chơi có thể đặt cược vào việc hai con xúc xắc sẽ hiển thị cùng một số. Nếu dự đoán đúng, người chơi sẽ thắng, mang lại một tỷ lệ thanh toán hấp dẫn.

7. Cược Xúc Xắc Hiển Thị Ba Số Đồng Nhất:
Loại cược này là một biến thể của cược hai số đồng nhất, nhưng lần này người chơi cược vào việc ba con xúc xắc sẽ hiển thị cùng một số. Đây là một loại cược có tỷ lệ thanh toán cao, nhưng cũng là một rủi ro lớn.

Trong khi mỗi loại cược mang lại những trải nghiệm riêng biệt, việc hiểu rõ về chúng và lựa chọn cẩn thận là chìa khóa để tận hưởng trò chơi và có cơ hội chiến thắng. Hãy khám phá và áp dụng những chiến thuật này để trải nghiệm một cách đầy đủ thế giới đa dạng của Tài Xỉu online. Chúc bạn may mắn và thú vị trong mỗi ván cược!

[Darth Dragonetti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Up next from Darth's Colossal Stack of Stuff is "Kill Game," by Dean Wesely Smith. "Kill Game" is the first book in the Cold Poker Gang series, featuring a group of retired detectives who get together to play poker and solve cold cases. The Cold Poker Gang series is set in the same universe as the Doc Hill stories, and he is even used as a character. "Kill Game" was originally published serially in Smith's Monthly and was later released as a full novel in 2021. If you don't know anything about poker, fear not; the book is accessible to any reader. No poker experience required!

When Julia Rogers, a member of the Cold Poker Gang, asks the group to look into the unsolved murder of her former husband, the Gang begins to uncover an unexpectedly complex mystery. The more they dig, the more tangled the tale becomes, with conundrums and intrigue around every corner.

"Kill Game" is a short and sweet murder mystery with an engaging plot and well-developed characters. Dean Wesley Smith spins an entertaining yarn with a convincingly rendered mystery that will keep you in genuine suspense while trying to guess what will happen next. My only real complaint with the novel is the mediocre quality of writing. Dean Wesley Smith is, without a doubt, a master wordsmith, but "Kill Game" comes across as a hastily written, hastily edited effort. I know Dean pumps his fiction out at a furious rate, but he can do better, especially given his own experience as an editor. If I'm going to buy a hardback novel, I expect quality writing. Maybe another editing pass, Dean?

In terms of characterization, the book has a lot going for it. Most of the main characters are old enough for AARP memberships, so the characters are generally numerologically superior to your typical action heroes. Perhaps because the author is of a similar age, he renders the characters exceptionally well, and in a loving way. As important as the plot is the budding romance between Rogers and Bayard Lott, the sort-of leader of the Cold Poker Gang. Dean does a bang-up job of developing this relationship, and I'm looking forward to seeing where it goes in future books.

If you're looking for a competently crafted mystery with great characters, check out "Kill Game." While the writing won't knock your socks off, it's a quick and entertaining read that will likely leave you hungry for some more fun with the Cold Poker Gang.

[Mervi · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this series, a group of retired Las Vegas Police detectives gathers together once a week to play poker. They also have permission to look into cold cases and try to solve them.

Bayard Lott hosts the game. He’s a widow, living alone. He has an adult daughter Annie who is a very good poker player and rich. She also solves mysteries together with her boyfriend Doc Hill. Lott’s former partner and best friend Andor Williams is also a player in the weekly game. The newest player is Julia Rogers who retired from detective work because of a leg injury. In fact, Julia wants the gang to try to solve her husband’s murder.

Julia’s husband was murdered 22 years ago in Las Vegas. The case was never solved. Lott and Williams were the detectives on the case back then and it has always bothered them. This time, they’re far more experienced and can look at the case from a slightly different angle. Julia lived in Reno back then so Lott and Williams didn’t even interview her.

This is a complex case with a lot of surprises. That partly explains why Lott and Williams didn’t get anywhere with it the first time. Unfortunately, their work also seems sloppy. Julia gives the case a very personal angle, especially when they find disturbing things about her former husband and she’s thinking about how she can tell her daughter about it.

Lott and Julia are the two POV characters. They also quickly find each other attractive and start liking each other’s company more and more. Lott’s wife died three years ago and he’s still not over it while Julia never had a real relationship after her husband’s murder. The romance is a gentle one without the toxic romance tropes, so I liked it a lot.

This was an interesting case with very likable POV characters.

[Ace · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wasn't fond of the writing. It seems basic and rather poor. I question whether an experienced author, like Dean Wesley Smith, was capable of writing this or if he was temporarily inhabited by the ghost of a semi-literate sixth grader:

"And then the smell hit them. The putrid smell of something rotting in the heat.

It was a cloying smell that seemed to make the air thicker than it actually was, and fill every sense. It turned his stomach instantly. He knew it was a dead person instantly.

He had smelled that before. He had no idea how police who worked around dead bodies ever got used to the smell.

“What is that?” Sharon asked, stopping and covering her mouth and nose. After a moment she started to back toward the street, her eyes round and her skin pale.

Jim stood his ground. He had been with two friends last year up on Lake Mead when they found a floater near the shore. He knew that smell. Someone had died."

--Smith, Dean Wesley. Kill Game: A Cold Poker Gang Mystery (p. 5). WMG Publishing, Inc.. Kindle Edition.

"Instantly" seemed to be the word of the day. And the adjective "cloying" seems out of place when discussing the smell of rotting flesh.

Anyway, I have a decision to make on how to best use the finite time I have on Earth: A) slog through and finish the book or B) clip my toenails. I like to give everyone a chance, but then again, my toenails are rather long.

[Christopher Taylor · Rating 2 out of 5]

The set up and concept of this book is very interesting: retired police detectives who meet for poker every week dig into and solve cold cases (police cases that were never solved but are still open). Ok so far, that's great.

But, the execution just is not very effective at all. There's nothing distinctive about any of the characters. The romance feels very forced and all tell with almost no show whatsoever. The case... we have to believe that these detectives (two of which worked on the original case, separately) were so incompetent that they didn't bother digging into or following any leads whatsoever. It takes them about 3 days to uncover everything just by following basic, super simple, obvious police procedure.

At no point do any of them seem clever or capable, nor does the case seem especially challenging. Its just they did basically NOTHING the first time around, then used common sense and basic detective work this time around.

For example; the body was found in a warehouse with 3 gunshot wounds. Only upon later looking at photos of the crime scene does anyone notice that there are no bullet holes in the clothing corresponding with the wounds on the body. This isn't some advanced high intelligence observation, its something even the dullest and most inexperienced viewer would immediately notice.

Great concept, very poor execution, very disappointing.

[Bob Bransdon · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a short, easy read but was not overly well written. It seemed the author wanted to pad the story with repetitive comments. The two main characters, retired detectives Bayard Lott and Julia Rogers were obviously attracted to each other, it was mentioned numerous times throughout the book. As was mentioned that Lott had still not gotten over the death of his wife Carol three years earlier. Lott conducted a weekly poker game at his home and Rogers had recently joined the group at the recommendation of Lott's daughter Annie.
Rogers turned up early one Tuesday for the game and asked Lott if he would be interested in opening a cold case from 1992, 20 years ago. The case involved the death of Stan Rocha, who happened to be Rogers' husband back then. Lott agreed and enlisted fellow card player, retired detective and Lott's best friend Andor Williams. Investigations began from a completely cold case 20 years earlier with Lott, Anders and Rogers suddenly finding clues that were amazingly unknown way back then. After travelling to Utah and Idaho the missing links started to fall into place.
It was a very simplistically written story with answers falling into place too easily and the ending was very weak.