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Strip Rules
A down-and-out card counter gets the chance to turn his life around by putting together a blackjack team to take down a ruthless Vegas casino boss in this raucous, big-hearted novel by the critically acclaimed author of Jade Lady Burning.
Blackjack pro Ronnie “the Technician” Redfield, the “most feared card counter between Vegas and Reno,” has his life blown up when a casino owner decides to take him down. Card counting isn’t illegal—since thinking isn’t illegal, yet—but the court battle costs Ronnie, a Vietnam vet, his livelihood, his sobriety, and his family. His wife is dead and his teenage daughter Margot has disappeared. Ronnie has failed her so badly he doesn’t know how to begin looking for her.
Now, three years later, he’s just about dug himself out of his hole. He’s living in a trailer outside Vegas when his old army buddy “Wild” Bill Grimsley, now a casino handler for high rollers, shows up in a limo to drag Ronnie back to into the action. Bill has a revenge plot to take down Rodrigo Gwynne, the nastiest, most exploitative casino owner on the Strip. Bill’s grudge is personal, but Ronnie’s involvement will be strictly professional, what he does make money off the house. If he succeeds, Ronnie’s share of the take will be enough to get his life back on track—and hire a detective to track down Margot.
To infiltrate Gwynne’s casino, Ronnie assembles a team of misfit geniuses, blackjack pros who excel at role-playing or flying under the radar. The plan is off to a raring start, the card counters evolving their strategy through every new setback, when intimidation erupts into deadly violence. Ronnie could yet lose everything—was his comeback worth the risk?
Cult favorite crime novelist Martin Limón, author of the Sueño & Bascom series, delights in his first-ever standalone, drawn from his own experiences card-counting at the blackjack table.
Blackjack pro Ronnie “the Technician” Redfield, the “most feared card counter between Vegas and Reno,” has his life blown up when a casino owner decides to take him down. Card counting isn’t illegal—since thinking isn’t illegal, yet—but the court battle costs Ronnie, a Vietnam vet, his livelihood, his sobriety, and his family. His wife is dead and his teenage daughter Margot has disappeared. Ronnie has failed her so badly he doesn’t know how to begin looking for her.
Now, three years later, he’s just about dug himself out of his hole. He’s living in a trailer outside Vegas when his old army buddy “Wild” Bill Grimsley, now a casino handler for high rollers, shows up in a limo to drag Ronnie back to into the action. Bill has a revenge plot to take down Rodrigo Gwynne, the nastiest, most exploitative casino owner on the Strip. Bill’s grudge is personal, but Ronnie’s involvement will be strictly professional, what he does make money off the house. If he succeeds, Ronnie’s share of the take will be enough to get his life back on track—and hire a detective to track down Margot.
To infiltrate Gwynne’s casino, Ronnie assembles a team of misfit geniuses, blackjack pros who excel at role-playing or flying under the radar. The plan is off to a raring start, the card counters evolving their strategy through every new setback, when intimidation erupts into deadly violence. Ronnie could yet lose everything—was his comeback worth the risk?
Cult favorite crime novelist Martin Limón, author of the Sueño & Bascom series, delights in his first-ever standalone, drawn from his own experiences card-counting at the blackjack table.
195 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 18, 2026
About the author
Martin Limón
38 books114 followersMartin Limon retired from U.S. military service after 20 years in the Army, including a total of ten years in Korea. He and his wife live in Seattle. He is the author of Jade Lady Burning, which was a New York Times Notable Book, Slicky Boys and Buddha's Money.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
January 11, 2026
⊱ ۫ ׅ ✧ 🂡 ARC review
This book was like a movie. It flowed smoothly, it was easy to follow and for someone who knows absolutely nothing about blackjack that was greatly appreciated. The characters were fun and easy to keep track of.
ᯓ➤ Ronnie (“The Technician”)
A likable but also flawed character. Had everything at one point and lost it all. His wife and daughter, his nice house. He’s clearly very intelligent but made questionable career choices.
I do wish we got more exposition and introductions on Ronnie’s work partners, Nikki, Al and Lenny. Especially when they all met up and started working together.
By ch. 9 things really started picking up, the pieces all clicked into place and the plot started to fully reveal itself.
The twist at the end of ch. 15 ----➢ GOOD
➥ Genuinely, did not see that one coming.
➢ ch. 14 Everybody says they’re going down, and Rodrigo Gwynne with them. “What’s that go to do with me.”
Spelling error? “go” should be “got”
♛ ♢ 🃜🃚🃖🃁🂭🂺 ♢ ♛
If you like heists, casino settings, good twists and thrill you’ll eat this book up. I would love to see a sequel to this.
This book was like a movie. It flowed smoothly, it was easy to follow and for someone who knows absolutely nothing about blackjack that was greatly appreciated. The characters were fun and easy to keep track of.
ᯓ➤ Ronnie (“The Technician”)
A likable but also flawed character. Had everything at one point and lost it all. His wife and daughter, his nice house. He’s clearly very intelligent but made questionable career choices.
I do wish we got more exposition and introductions on Ronnie’s work partners, Nikki, Al and Lenny. Especially when they all met up and started working together.
By ch. 9 things really started picking up, the pieces all clicked into place and the plot started to fully reveal itself.
The twist at the end of ch. 15 ----➢ GOOD
➥ Genuinely, did not see that one coming.
➢ ch. 14 Everybody says they’re going down, and Rodrigo Gwynne with them. “What’s that go to do with me.”
Spelling error? “go” should be “got”
♛ ♢ 🃜🃚🃖🃁🂭🂺 ♢ ♛
If you like heists, casino settings, good twists and thrill you’ll eat this book up. I would love to see a sequel to this.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Gratitude to Soho Press and NetGalley for the ARC.
Strip Rules is a fun, fast one-day read that keeps the chips moving and the cards turning. Officially, the book closes with the disclaimer: “Do not use this book as a primer on how to play blackjack.” Unofficially… it often feels exactly like that. A surprisingly detailed blackjack guide cleverly disguised as a Vegas semi-noir.
The rhythms of the casino floor, the psychology of the table, and the little calculations behind every decision are woven so naturally into the story that readers might occasionally catch themselves focusing on the strategy as much as on the plot. Whether that is a feature or a side effect probably depends on how much you enjoy the game.
This is Martin Limon’s first novel outside his popular series about Sergeants Sueno and Bascom, and it was also my first encounter with his writing. It turned out to be a very pleasant introduction. The style is smooth, pacing adequate, and the late-night Las Vegas atmosphere comes through convincingly.
If there is a downside, it is that the book feels a bit like leaving the table just when things were getting interesting. Many of the characters are intriguing enough that it would have been nice to see more of them or learn a bit more about their backstories.
In the end, Strip Rules is an entertaining read that plays its hand well.
Strip Rules is a fun, fast one-day read that keeps the chips moving and the cards turning. Officially, the book closes with the disclaimer: “Do not use this book as a primer on how to play blackjack.” Unofficially… it often feels exactly like that. A surprisingly detailed blackjack guide cleverly disguised as a Vegas semi-noir.
The rhythms of the casino floor, the psychology of the table, and the little calculations behind every decision are woven so naturally into the story that readers might occasionally catch themselves focusing on the strategy as much as on the plot. Whether that is a feature or a side effect probably depends on how much you enjoy the game.
This is Martin Limon’s first novel outside his popular series about Sergeants Sueno and Bascom, and it was also my first encounter with his writing. It turned out to be a very pleasant introduction. The style is smooth, pacing adequate, and the late-night Las Vegas atmosphere comes through convincingly.
If there is a downside, it is that the book feels a bit like leaving the table just when things were getting interesting. Many of the characters are intriguing enough that it would have been nice to see more of them or learn a bit more about their backstories.
In the end, Strip Rules is an entertaining read that plays its hand well.
August 7, 2026
‘Strip rules’ was a 3.5 star read for me.
I found this plot line really entertaining and completely up my alley. The world building was written really well in terms of the description and the inner thoughts of the main character. This really sucked me into the fun, action packed story whilst also understanding the struggles of a gambling addiction.
The characters throughout the book were easily distinguishable, with each character having their own unique quirks. I do also believe the audiobook helped in regards to this as it was really engaging and the accents were really well done.
My favourite character has to be Betsy, she was quite funny and came across as cute, yet quirky.
However, I will admit the plot lost me and I did get quite confused at times, perhaps it’s the writing style I’m not used to or how quick the plot escalated at times? The plot felt like it jumped about very quickly at certain moments, for example the transition from a slow and intricate description of interesting gameplay to a more action packed scene. Having such a sharp transition can come as a bit of a shock.
But saying that the storytelling was also really intricate, including the description of gameplay and technique, which I found really fascinating!
Overall, I think this book is so fun and so fascinating with good character creation and not to mention a really eye catching cover. The only negative was that I did get lost a few times and confused as to what was happening in the plot. Also regarding the ending I would’ve liked more about his daughter. Especially with the ambiguous ending!
Thank you NetGalley for providing me with this arc, it was such a fascinating and enjoyable book to listen to!
I found this plot line really entertaining and completely up my alley. The world building was written really well in terms of the description and the inner thoughts of the main character. This really sucked me into the fun, action packed story whilst also understanding the struggles of a gambling addiction.
The characters throughout the book were easily distinguishable, with each character having their own unique quirks. I do also believe the audiobook helped in regards to this as it was really engaging and the accents were really well done.
My favourite character has to be Betsy, she was quite funny and came across as cute, yet quirky.
However, I will admit the plot lost me and I did get quite confused at times, perhaps it’s the writing style I’m not used to or how quick the plot escalated at times? The plot felt like it jumped about very quickly at certain moments, for example the transition from a slow and intricate description of interesting gameplay to a more action packed scene. Having such a sharp transition can come as a bit of a shock.
But saying that the storytelling was also really intricate, including the description of gameplay and technique, which I found really fascinating!
Overall, I think this book is so fun and so fascinating with good character creation and not to mention a really eye catching cover. The only negative was that I did get lost a few times and confused as to what was happening in the plot. Also regarding the ending I would’ve liked more about his daughter. Especially with the ambiguous ending!
Thank you NetGalley for providing me with this arc, it was such a fascinating and enjoyable book to listen to!
April 3, 2026
Starts out interesting, than it got boring than good again then boring . The whole story was this way. What was the point .
Thanks NetGalley for advance copy
Thanks NetGalley for advance copy
August 30, 2026
At the end of STRIP RULES, Martin Limón has provided a brief caveat: “Do not use this book as a primer on how to play blackjack.” The warning concludes with the explanation that if you are going to participate in the game, be sure to familiarize yourself with the rules governing play. In the blackjack world, there is only one firm rule: The house always has the advantage.
Limón is best known for his series featuring Sergeants George Sueño and Ernie Bascom as they solve crimes involving American soldiers and civilians in 1970s South Korea. He served in the military for 20 years and attempted to earn some extra money by playing blackjack and engaging in the practice of card counting. That strategy is used by players to keep track of high- and low-valued cards in the deck. Theoretically, knowing this number reduces the house advantage. While there are no laws that prohibit card counting, many casinos strongly frown upon it. When card counters are observed, they are escorted off the premises.
In the opening chapters of STRIP RULES, readers are introduced to Ronnie “the Technician” Redfield, a Vietnam War veteran who now resides in Las Vegas. He has a well-earned reputation as one of the most feared and recognized card counters in Vegas. After one evening of successful gambling, he is accosted by casino authorities who convince the local legal system to charge him with criminal activity related to his blackjack playing. After lengthy court proceedings, Ronnie is found not guilty. It is a pyrrhic victory, though, as the legal fees and notoriety have destroyed his life, and he becomes estranged from his daughter. Ronnie is a beaten man, resorting to picking up lost chips in casinos and on the street.
As with any good hero, though, Ronnie recovers. Bill Grimsley, a friend from his past who deals with high rollers at local casinos, approaches him with a proposal to take revenge on Rodrigo Gwynne, a despicable casino owner on the Vegas strip. But this will not be accomplished by an Ocean’s Eleven technological campaign. Instead, Ronnie is asked to recruit a professional team of blackjack players who will use their talents to win money from Gwynne’s casinos. To make the plan even more enticing to Ronnie and his players, they will be bankrolled and share in any of the enterprise’s profits. It’s a win-win situation for them.
The team is assembled and introduced to readers. There is a great deal of discussion about blackjack strategy, which only serves to reinforce the notion that you will not find me at a gambling table anytime soon. The plot is fascinating because it involves guile rather than guns, and no member of Ronnie’s crew resorts to violence to achieve their goals. Along the way, we learn that Ronnie has some ulterior motives in his quest to regain financial security in his life.
Martin Limón is an entertaining storyteller. Anyone who has ever visited Las Vegas or sat at a blackjack table will find STRIP RULES to be a fine reading experience. And you won’t need to follow any strategy other than turning pages.
Reviewed by Stuart Shiffman
Limón is best known for his series featuring Sergeants George Sueño and Ernie Bascom as they solve crimes involving American soldiers and civilians in 1970s South Korea. He served in the military for 20 years and attempted to earn some extra money by playing blackjack and engaging in the practice of card counting. That strategy is used by players to keep track of high- and low-valued cards in the deck. Theoretically, knowing this number reduces the house advantage. While there are no laws that prohibit card counting, many casinos strongly frown upon it. When card counters are observed, they are escorted off the premises.
In the opening chapters of STRIP RULES, readers are introduced to Ronnie “the Technician” Redfield, a Vietnam War veteran who now resides in Las Vegas. He has a well-earned reputation as one of the most feared and recognized card counters in Vegas. After one evening of successful gambling, he is accosted by casino authorities who convince the local legal system to charge him with criminal activity related to his blackjack playing. After lengthy court proceedings, Ronnie is found not guilty. It is a pyrrhic victory, though, as the legal fees and notoriety have destroyed his life, and he becomes estranged from his daughter. Ronnie is a beaten man, resorting to picking up lost chips in casinos and on the street.
As with any good hero, though, Ronnie recovers. Bill Grimsley, a friend from his past who deals with high rollers at local casinos, approaches him with a proposal to take revenge on Rodrigo Gwynne, a despicable casino owner on the Vegas strip. But this will not be accomplished by an Ocean’s Eleven technological campaign. Instead, Ronnie is asked to recruit a professional team of blackjack players who will use their talents to win money from Gwynne’s casinos. To make the plan even more enticing to Ronnie and his players, they will be bankrolled and share in any of the enterprise’s profits. It’s a win-win situation for them.
The team is assembled and introduced to readers. There is a great deal of discussion about blackjack strategy, which only serves to reinforce the notion that you will not find me at a gambling table anytime soon. The plot is fascinating because it involves guile rather than guns, and no member of Ronnie’s crew resorts to violence to achieve their goals. Along the way, we learn that Ronnie has some ulterior motives in his quest to regain financial security in his life.
Martin Limón is an entertaining storyteller. Anyone who has ever visited Las Vegas or sat at a blackjack table will find STRIP RULES to be a fine reading experience. And you won’t need to follow any strategy other than turning pages.
Reviewed by Stuart Shiffman
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
If you were to guess what the most important card in the game of blackjack is, would you say the ace? Well, it’s not. It’s the 5. Ronnie “the Technician” Redfield knows that, and he knows all the other tricks of the trade, too. They just don’t always work for him.
Right now he’s a down-on-his-luck, Vegas card counter who’s aiming for a comeback, a way to make enough to get back on his feet and find his daughter. Right on cue, an old buddy brings him a offer he can’t refuse, one that could be just the thing to set his world right. The only thing is, it’s slightly shady, and it could land him and his team of blackjack geniuses in jail or in the morgue.
This book has an Ocean’s Eleven feel, and the characters in Strip Rules are just as interesting. There’s no heist here, but there’s plenty of shady situations, double dealing, and one of the most novel murders I’ve ever read.
The plot, studded with esoteric gambling info, is not the only draw in this book. So are the people. Most are flawed and slightly crooked, but the reader roots for them anyway. They drive a plot that unfolds at a snappy pace with no superfluous details to slow the reader down. I breezed through the whole thing in a couple of mornings of housework and gardening.
The narrator does a fine job of capturing Ronnie’s hapless dissolution, but he doesn’t attempt too much distinction among the other characters’ voices and inflections. That doesn't matter. I never got confused about who was talking.
Strip Rules doesn’t break new literary ground, but it doesn’t need to. It’s just lots of fun. I hope Martin Limón writes us another installment soon just to see how far Ronnie and his crew can stretch their luck or break a few rules.
Thanks to NetGalley and RBmedia for providing a copy of this audio book for review.
The release date for Strip Rules is August 18, 2026.
Right now he’s a down-on-his-luck, Vegas card counter who’s aiming for a comeback, a way to make enough to get back on his feet and find his daughter. Right on cue, an old buddy brings him a offer he can’t refuse, one that could be just the thing to set his world right. The only thing is, it’s slightly shady, and it could land him and his team of blackjack geniuses in jail or in the morgue.
This book has an Ocean’s Eleven feel, and the characters in Strip Rules are just as interesting. There’s no heist here, but there’s plenty of shady situations, double dealing, and one of the most novel murders I’ve ever read.
The plot, studded with esoteric gambling info, is not the only draw in this book. So are the people. Most are flawed and slightly crooked, but the reader roots for them anyway. They drive a plot that unfolds at a snappy pace with no superfluous details to slow the reader down. I breezed through the whole thing in a couple of mornings of housework and gardening.
The narrator does a fine job of capturing Ronnie’s hapless dissolution, but he doesn’t attempt too much distinction among the other characters’ voices and inflections. That doesn't matter. I never got confused about who was talking.
Strip Rules doesn’t break new literary ground, but it doesn’t need to. It’s just lots of fun. I hope Martin Limón writes us another installment soon just to see how far Ronnie and his crew can stretch their luck or break a few rules.
Thanks to NetGalley and RBmedia for providing a copy of this audio book for review.
The release date for Strip Rules is August 18, 2026.
August 21, 2026
Spoilers ahead. I'm a big fan of Martin Limon's Sueno and Bascom series (US Army detectives in S. Korea) and thought this was one of their new books but this is actually a new stand alone book. As the blurb says, it's a "raucous, high-stakes heist novel". Unfortunately, the only true word there is novel. It's not raucous, high-stakes or a heist novel.
So Ronnie Redfield was a successful blackjack counter until the casinos ruined him and threw him out for card counting and his life fell apart after that. His Vietnam War buddy, Bill Grimsley, now a high stakes gambling guide for Asian high rollers hires him to take down the Bacchanal, one of the Strip's successful casinos.
Ronnie puts together "the best" blackjack counting gang and wins some money (under $100K). They also eventually figure out that the reason was because an Asian triad gang wanted to put Bacchanal's owner out of business and take over the casino. Apart from Ronnie's group, they also encourage the casino's workers' unions to go on strike and cause general mayhem.
The general plot idea is ok but the story lacks focus and is disjointed. First of all, the book is very short and doesn't have enough meat. It feels like half of the book was brutally cut out in order to save space. And it had too many side plots that took up the much needed space, for example Ronnie's backstory of his wife and daughter, Bill's wife, Betsy's dad, the triad angle, etc. This actually feels like a movie script where a book has to be condensed to fit into 1.5 hours.
The general story of the card counters was good. I learned a lot about blackjack, blackjack at the casinos, Nevada's gaming industry, card counting and the mechanics of the game. That should have been 80% of the text instead of 60%. The side plots were just superfluous.
So Ronnie Redfield was a successful blackjack counter until the casinos ruined him and threw him out for card counting and his life fell apart after that. His Vietnam War buddy, Bill Grimsley, now a high stakes gambling guide for Asian high rollers hires him to take down the Bacchanal, one of the Strip's successful casinos.
Ronnie puts together "the best" blackjack counting gang and wins some money (under $100K). They also eventually figure out that the reason was because an Asian triad gang wanted to put Bacchanal's owner out of business and take over the casino. Apart from Ronnie's group, they also encourage the casino's workers' unions to go on strike and cause general mayhem.
The general plot idea is ok but the story lacks focus and is disjointed. First of all, the book is very short and doesn't have enough meat. It feels like half of the book was brutally cut out in order to save space. And it had too many side plots that took up the much needed space, for example Ronnie's backstory of his wife and daughter, Bill's wife, Betsy's dad, the triad angle, etc. This actually feels like a movie script where a book has to be condensed to fit into 1.5 hours.
The general story of the card counters was good. I learned a lot about blackjack, blackjack at the casinos, Nevada's gaming industry, card counting and the mechanics of the game. That should have been 80% of the text instead of 60%. The side plots were just superfluous.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Blackjack pro Ronnie “the Technician” Redfield is the “most feared card counter between Vegas and Reno,” or at least he was. Now a down-on-his-luck Vietnam veteran, his old army buddy “Wild” Bill Grimsley, now a casino handler for high rollers, shows up in a limo to drag Ronnie back into the action that got him in this mess to begin with.
Bill has a revenge plot to take down Rodrigo Gwynne, the nastiest, most exploitative casino owner on the Strip. While Bill’s motive is personal, Ronnie's remains strictly professional. If he succeeds, Ronnie’s share of the take will be enough to get his life back on track – and to hire a detective to find his daughter, Margot.
To infiltrate Gwynne’s casino, Ronnie assembles a team of misfit geniuses, blackjack pros who excel at role-playing or flying under the radar. The plan is brilliant - it has to be - or the next house Ronnie and his crew will infiltrate is the morgue.
Overall, this is a fun read laced with gambling info. The characters are interesting, but a little one-dimensional: flawed and slightly crooked, but the reader roots for them anyway. They drive the fast-paced plot and add flair to an otherwise “run of the mill” mystery.
However, the main issue is the narrator, Jonathan Todd Ross. He made no effort to distinguish one character from another through voices, prose, or inflections, which makes the plot seemingly more mundane. With that being said, it’s an objectively good, fast read, but it just wasn’t my cup of tea.
🎰 Ocean’s 11 x Molly’s Game
🎰 Murder Mystery
🎰 Casino Setting
🎰 Misfit Characters
🎰 1st Installment
Thank you to NetGalley, RB Media, and the author for the early ALC in exchange for my honest opinions!
Bill has a revenge plot to take down Rodrigo Gwynne, the nastiest, most exploitative casino owner on the Strip. While Bill’s motive is personal, Ronnie's remains strictly professional. If he succeeds, Ronnie’s share of the take will be enough to get his life back on track – and to hire a detective to find his daughter, Margot.
To infiltrate Gwynne’s casino, Ronnie assembles a team of misfit geniuses, blackjack pros who excel at role-playing or flying under the radar. The plan is brilliant - it has to be - or the next house Ronnie and his crew will infiltrate is the morgue.
Overall, this is a fun read laced with gambling info. The characters are interesting, but a little one-dimensional: flawed and slightly crooked, but the reader roots for them anyway. They drive the fast-paced plot and add flair to an otherwise “run of the mill” mystery.
However, the main issue is the narrator, Jonathan Todd Ross. He made no effort to distinguish one character from another through voices, prose, or inflections, which makes the plot seemingly more mundane. With that being said, it’s an objectively good, fast read, but it just wasn’t my cup of tea.
🎰 Ocean’s 11 x Molly’s Game
🎰 Murder Mystery
🎰 Casino Setting
🎰 Misfit Characters
🎰 1st Installment
Thank you to NetGalley, RB Media, and the author for the early ALC in exchange for my honest opinions!
August 3, 2026
When I looked at the description of this book, I thought wow, this is going to be good. Ocean's 13 kind of vibes but with card counting? I think that's my speed.
I think I would have given this book 2 stars, but I think this is one of those books that needs to be actually read or have a different narrator. This narrator was not doing it for me. I felt like the cadence was wrong, tone was off, and it sounded more like non-fiction.
The characters seemed very one-dimensional, it seemed like it didn't have much of a direction at moments, and when I look back after finishing the book, I don't even know what I just read. So, I honestly think for me, it was the narration that got me in the end. So could this be an excellent book, potentially. Should it be read instead of listened to, in my opinion, absolutely. But what is great about opinions, we all have them, and they're all different. Maybe you'll love this narration, but for me- it was a no.
At the end of the day, I think this could have been much better than it was. Don't get me wrong, I think writing is a difficult endeavor and I don't know if I could do it- with that being said, I do think this book was just not the one for me and lacked something in the end.
A thank you to Netgalley and RBmedia | Recorded Books for the advanced audio copy of this book. All my opinions are my own.
I think I would have given this book 2 stars, but I think this is one of those books that needs to be actually read or have a different narrator. This narrator was not doing it for me. I felt like the cadence was wrong, tone was off, and it sounded more like non-fiction.
The characters seemed very one-dimensional, it seemed like it didn't have much of a direction at moments, and when I look back after finishing the book, I don't even know what I just read. So, I honestly think for me, it was the narration that got me in the end. So could this be an excellent book, potentially. Should it be read instead of listened to, in my opinion, absolutely. But what is great about opinions, we all have them, and they're all different. Maybe you'll love this narration, but for me- it was a no.
At the end of the day, I think this could have been much better than it was. Don't get me wrong, I think writing is a difficult endeavor and I don't know if I could do it- with that being said, I do think this book was just not the one for me and lacked something in the end.
A thank you to Netgalley and RBmedia | Recorded Books for the advanced audio copy of this book. All my opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Strip Rules combines two of my favorite things: reading and gambling. This is the story of a group of blackjack players who are hired to help take down a casino on the Las Vegas Strip. Bringing Down the House and the movie 21 introduced card counting to the masses, and this book does a wonderful job of explaining the concept in a much simpler way. While I wouldn’t recommend using this book as a textbook for learning how to count cards, it certainly makes the idea seem like a lot of fun.
Fast paced and filled with fun characters, this book was an entertaining listen from start to finish. The narrator, Jonathan Todd Ross, does an excellent job bringing the story to life and keeping the characters consistent throughout.
I enjoyed this book very much and plan to check out more of this author’s work soon.
Thanks to RBmedia, Recorded Books, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Fast paced and filled with fun characters, this book was an entertaining listen from start to finish. The narrator, Jonathan Todd Ross, does an excellent job bringing the story to life and keeping the characters consistent throughout.
I enjoyed this book very much and plan to check out more of this author’s work soon.
Thanks to RBmedia, Recorded Books, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Ronnie "The Technician" Redfield was the most feared card counter between Vegas and Reno... until a casino owner takes him down. While being a card counter isn't illegal, Ronnie--who is a Vietnam vet-- loses his career, sobriety, and family. Flash forward three years and he's almost gotten his groove back. His old army buddy "Wild" Bill Grimsley shows up and brings Ronnie back into the the game. Bill plans to take down Rodrigo Gwynne, the worst casino owner on the Vegas Strip. All Ronnie has to do is make money off the casino. He assembles a team for this plan. Things are going great until intimidation tactics turns deadly.
2.75/5 stars. The summary read promising but quickly fizzled out for me.. I think this could have had potential but it became more of a blackjack 101 book than anything.
2.75/5 stars. The summary read promising but quickly fizzled out for me.. I think this could have had potential but it became more of a blackjack 101 book than anything.
July 5, 2026
Thank you NetGalley and soho press for allowing me to review this book for my honest opinion.
I need to read more casino books!! This book had me intrigued by the first chapter. This book gave me ocean 13 vibes I am not a gambler but I found this book very interesting and learned a lot about black jack 😂 I would recommend this book
I need to read more casino books!! This book had me intrigued by the first chapter. This book gave me ocean 13 vibes I am not a gambler but I found this book very interesting and learned a lot about black jack 😂 I would recommend this book
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This is a ride. Everyone loves a good con story, and this book delivers. Looking through the eyes of our main character Ronnie, you are taken to the highest highs and the lowest lows of being a card counter in Vegas. The cast of characters are highly intelligent lovable oddballs. You definitely won't see all the twist and turns.
August 12, 2026
This was a quick low stakes read. For someone who doesn’t gamble it was helpful to explain the technique of card counting but at times I felt it was too much. The plot was somewhat predictable and wished it had a little more action. Overall if you like gambling and a quick heist this is for you.
August 11, 2026
Later this month I will post a review on Bookreporter.com
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
*This is a review of the audiobook.*
Thank you to RB Media/Recorded Books and NetGalley for the advanced audio copy. All opinions are my own.
DNF at 16%
I was intrigued by the premise of this story. I love a good heist novel or movie and was excited to check this one out. Unfortunately, I had a really hard time getting into the story and ultimately decided to DNF at 16%. This felt more like blackjack 101 than a casino heist novel, and I just wasn't feeling it. It's entirely possible the story picked up later, but I didn't have the patience to find out.
I also had a hard time connecting to the narrator. He was pretty subdued which did nothing to help liven up the technically dense reading material.
Since I stopped at 16%, I can't speak to whether the heist aspect of the story picked up or not. However, if you really love blackjack, especially the technical side of things, this book may be a great fit. Unfortunately, there wasnt enough else in the story to keep me engaged and I didn't care enough to find out if things picked up or not.
Thank you to RB Media/Recorded Books and NetGalley for the advanced audio copy. All opinions are my own.
DNF at 16%
I was intrigued by the premise of this story. I love a good heist novel or movie and was excited to check this one out. Unfortunately, I had a really hard time getting into the story and ultimately decided to DNF at 16%. This felt more like blackjack 101 than a casino heist novel, and I just wasn't feeling it. It's entirely possible the story picked up later, but I didn't have the patience to find out.
I also had a hard time connecting to the narrator. He was pretty subdued which did nothing to help liven up the technically dense reading material.
Since I stopped at 16%, I can't speak to whether the heist aspect of the story picked up or not. However, if you really love blackjack, especially the technical side of things, this book may be a great fit. Unfortunately, there wasnt enough else in the story to keep me engaged and I didn't care enough to find out if things picked up or not.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
🍸 𝗛𝗲𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺!
I don't usually enjoy heist movies, so I wasn't expecting to enjoy a heist novel this much. Without the cheesy montages and dramatic music, the focus is on the planning, teamwork and all the clever tricks at the blackjack tables—and that completely worked for me.
I know how to play blackjack, but not all the finer points, so I really enjoyed learning more as the story unfolded. Jonathan Todd Ross's narration was fantastic too. A really fun, quick listen that kept me entertained from beginning to end.
Thank you to Martin Limón, RBmedia / Recorded Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this ALC. All opinions are my own.
🎉 𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗗𝗮𝘆, 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻 𝗟𝗶𝗺ó𝗻! 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝗥𝗕𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆'𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲! 𝗜 𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗲.
I don't usually enjoy heist movies, so I wasn't expecting to enjoy a heist novel this much. Without the cheesy montages and dramatic music, the focus is on the planning, teamwork and all the clever tricks at the blackjack tables—and that completely worked for me.
I know how to play blackjack, but not all the finer points, so I really enjoyed learning more as the story unfolded. Jonathan Todd Ross's narration was fantastic too. A really fun, quick listen that kept me entertained from beginning to end.
Thank you to Martin Limón, RBmedia / Recorded Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this ALC. All opinions are my own.
🎉 𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗗𝗮𝘆, 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻 𝗟𝗶𝗺ó𝗻! 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝗥𝗕𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆'𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲! 𝗜 𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗲.
December 25, 2025
Strip Rules by Martin Limón is not yet available to request as an advanced read though you can add it to your wish list. Thank you Soho Press (Soho Crime), and NetGalley, for granting the wish and opportunity to read and review this novel.
Blackjack card-counter, Ronnie Redfield, is down on his luck from being charged, though acquitted, for counting cards. He has already lost his wife to cancer and his daughter also left in the aftermath of the trial.
He is approached by one of his Vietnam vet buddies, Bill Grimsley, to assemble a team of card-counters to take down the ruthless owner of Bacchanal Casino amidst a strike.
Ronnie assembles a team of card-counting renegades and infiltrates the casino with substantial success. The supporting cast of characters were interesting in their own ways and were pretty likeable.
This was simply written and easy to read in a single sitting. The technical information as it relates to Blackjack was easy to follow even if it was over the reader’s head. It was a fun concept and you learn quite a bit about Blackjack. Though the ending felt anti-climactic, it was effective.
Blackjack card-counter, Ronnie Redfield, is down on his luck from being charged, though acquitted, for counting cards. He has already lost his wife to cancer and his daughter also left in the aftermath of the trial.
He is approached by one of his Vietnam vet buddies, Bill Grimsley, to assemble a team of card-counters to take down the ruthless owner of Bacchanal Casino amidst a strike.
Ronnie assembles a team of card-counting renegades and infiltrates the casino with substantial success. The supporting cast of characters were interesting in their own ways and were pretty likeable.
This was simply written and easy to read in a single sitting. The technical information as it relates to Blackjack was easy to follow even if it was over the reader’s head. It was a fun concept and you learn quite a bit about Blackjack. Though the ending felt anti-climactic, it was effective.
April 30, 2026
I received this ARC thanks to NetGalley & Soho Press.
Strip Rules was an interesting read for me, but also a bit confusing 😅
I’ve seen casino scenes in movies a million times, but I’ve never really understood the rules of the games, I just vibe with the plot. So reading a book that’s heavily casino-themed (Las Vegas, cards, blackjack terms, all of that) was definitely… an experience.
If I’m being honest, I didn’t fully understand most of the casino terminology, but I could still follow the general plot. In my head, it felt like an Ocean’s Eight or Danny Ocean-style heist story, and I enjoyed imagining the characters moving through that world.
That said, I think my biggest issue was the ending. I was expecting a bigger payoff — that dramatic “heist high” moment — but it felt underwhelming. I also expected more emotional depth, especially regarding the main character’s relationship with his daughter, since that was supposed to be the heart of the story.
Overall, it wasn’t a bad book. I think readers who enjoy casino settings and understand that world more might have a better time with it.
Strip Rules was an interesting read for me, but also a bit confusing 😅
I’ve seen casino scenes in movies a million times, but I’ve never really understood the rules of the games, I just vibe with the plot. So reading a book that’s heavily casino-themed (Las Vegas, cards, blackjack terms, all of that) was definitely… an experience.
If I’m being honest, I didn’t fully understand most of the casino terminology, but I could still follow the general plot. In my head, it felt like an Ocean’s Eight or Danny Ocean-style heist story, and I enjoyed imagining the characters moving through that world.
That said, I think my biggest issue was the ending. I was expecting a bigger payoff — that dramatic “heist high” moment — but it felt underwhelming. I also expected more emotional depth, especially regarding the main character’s relationship with his daughter, since that was supposed to be the heart of the story.
Overall, it wasn’t a bad book. I think readers who enjoy casino settings and understand that world more might have a better time with it.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
“Strip Rules” was a fun little novel, almost novella size, that was easy to read in one or two sittings. The cast of characters are fun, and the group dynamics are enjoyable.
The style of this novel reminded me of some of the standalone novels of Lawrence Block and Donald Westlake. A down on his luck protagonist, taking on a too big to conquer bad guy, etc. Now don’t get me wrong, it would take a miracle for anyone to be able to write as well as those two legends, but the feel of this novel reminded me of their work.
Some of the details of how to play blackjack from a card counter’s perspective were a little over my head for a novel I’m just trying to enjoy, but the subject matter did make it fun to read.
I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review.
The style of this novel reminded me of some of the standalone novels of Lawrence Block and Donald Westlake. A down on his luck protagonist, taking on a too big to conquer bad guy, etc. Now don’t get me wrong, it would take a miracle for anyone to be able to write as well as those two legends, but the feel of this novel reminded me of their work.
Some of the details of how to play blackjack from a card counter’s perspective were a little over my head for a novel I’m just trying to enjoy, but the subject matter did make it fun to read.
I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Unfortunately, this book was absolutely not for me. This read like a introduction to Blackjack 101 or something of the like. Which... I hated. I feel like at some point you need have trust in your audience to know the basics of one of the most popular card games in the world.
Not a single character in this book stuck with me, they all fell extremely flat and eventually all blended into one another, with no defining qualities except for Lady Hsiang.
The stakes of this book plot also felt like nothing - at no point did I feel intrigued enough to care if the characters were about to be caught or get into trouble.
Also the random bird plot? Girl what is going on...
Thank you so much to NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for this honest review.
Not a single character in this book stuck with me, they all fell extremely flat and eventually all blended into one another, with no defining qualities except for Lady Hsiang.
The stakes of this book plot also felt like nothing - at no point did I feel intrigued enough to care if the characters were about to be caught or get into trouble.
Also the random bird plot? Girl what is going on...
Thank you so much to NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for this honest review.
March 14, 2026
Thank you Soho Press and NetGallery for the ARC.
Overall 4/5 ⭐️.
Coming from someone who likes to gamble and lived in Vegas, this was a fun read for me, I can see it being confusing if you never sat at a Blackjack table. It was giving “Ocean’s 13”, basically a group of misfit card counters are trying to stack up cash from a big casino at blackjack tables because the owner has wronged so maybe people.
The book was more about the Blackjack game, and very minimal on the plot, but it has blended together very well. This read as a standalone, and it was a quick read.
Overall 4/5 ⭐️.
Coming from someone who likes to gamble and lived in Vegas, this was a fun read for me, I can see it being confusing if you never sat at a Blackjack table. It was giving “Ocean’s 13”, basically a group of misfit card counters are trying to stack up cash from a big casino at blackjack tables because the owner has wronged so maybe people.
The book was more about the Blackjack game, and very minimal on the plot, but it has blended together very well. This read as a standalone, and it was a quick read.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
It was hard for me to get into this. It would be okay, then quickly get boring. After a certain point, it just became one of those books that I read while partially zoned out. It wasn't engaging to me, but I have no doubt that someone else would probably find this book interesting.
I obtained an ARC from NetGalley through my job.
I obtained an ARC from NetGalley through my job.
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