Inside Straight

by Ray Banks

Graham Ellis is reliable, efficient, focused - the best pit boss Sovereign Casinos has, even if he does say so himself. But rumours of mental instability, along with the fallout of a particularly bloody night on the tables, relegate him to day shifts at a low-rent Salford club. There he catches the attention of local gangster Barry Pollard, who has every intention of making Graham his inside man and is about to make him an offer he can't refuse...

Genres: Crime

251 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 26, 2013

Reviews

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Graham Ellis, pro pit boss and company man finds himself on the wrong side of management and ends up being transferred from a prestigious casino to one that caters to the lesser likes of gambling society. It’s a demotion showed in mystery, yet stinking of management insecurity. For Graham, the pit is his life – aside from the single guy syndrome of sci-fi-like shows and comics, it’s his only form of reality, a more meaningful way to meander through life. When the transfer comes about as a result of ‘stress’, Graham knows something is off, having been at the top of his game, with only a blip on his near perfect radar as a result of a miss timed whale, their reasoning for the transfer screams scapegoat. Yet management refuse to deal in honesty – rather overused HR buzz terms and contradictory statements. For Graham, the relegation is more than a change of scenery, and one that threatens to eventually place him behind bars instead of cards.

INSIDE STRAIGHT is a very good novel. The protagonist, Graham Ellis is likable despite his flaws. He’s an average Joe out to make an honest living...until a local gangster in Barry Pollard sets his sights on him. Before long, Graham becomes the inside man on a robbery which was meant to turn his life around, leaving him flush and without cause to stay in the hovel of a casino his finds himself This being a Ray Banks book, you can be assured that rainbows and happy sunshine endings aren’t a guarantee. Dreams of ships and wealth turn to nightmares of dismemberment and imprisonment.

I loved the way Banks keeps you guessing, is Graham Ellis victimised or ignorant of his own shortcomings? Blinded by his own perception of self; can it be possible that he really is stressed and his performances in the pit less than exemplary? Or is everyone else wrong? The answer elusive and up to interpretation – it’s great that Banks allows for this flexibility in his latest noir fiction.

There are many strong points to INSIDE STRAIGHT; it’s engaging, character driven, well plotted, and has a turn or two you wont see coming. Yet another great addition to a growing list of must read books by Ray Banks.

[Darren Sant]

Graham Ellis is a confident and assured individual. Master of his work environment, lord of all he surveys. At least that's the impression he tries to give to the outside world. In fact he is a lost little boy in a world full of grown ups. Throughout the course of this novel we see his weaknesses ruthlessly exploited by those around him and he has no more free will than a snowflake on the wind.

Ray Banks delivers yet another gripping story that you just cannot leave alone. Inside Straight sees Banks up his game. He has a Royal flush with this one. It's more considered and less brutal than some of his other works. There's violence certainly but it's a long time coming. As with all of Banks work this story is defined by strong characters and great dialogue.

The story unfolds in a casino in Salford where Graham is a pit boss. Transferred to this sleepy casino by his spiteful boss Graham soon finds he is made an offer he cannot refuse and he gambles everything on what he believes is the right decision. Banks on top form yet again.

[Ian Ayris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ray Banks is, without doubt, one of the Godfathers of Brit Grit, so when those fine chaps at Blasted Heath offered me the opportunity of taking a look at his Banks' new novel, I dropped pretty much everything.

INSIDE STRAIGHT is written in the same informal, paired down, humorous style that has made Banks so well respected in crime/noir circles. A sequel of sorts to Banks' DEAD MONEY. One of the pivotal scenes in DEAD MONEY involves a vicious beating in a casino. INSIDE STRAIGHT is narrated by the Pit Manager on the night - Graham Ellis.

A Pit Manager is a sort of Head Supervisor, an example of the casino jargon littered throughout the book. Banks once worked as a croupier himself, only adding to the authenticity of the book.

The book is narrated in the first person by Graham Ellis. Graham is a fastidious, cautious, dedicated employee, not a character easy to warm to, but one difficult not to have sympathy with. After the fracas in the casino, described in DEAD MONEY, Graham has been transferred to a less salubrious gambling establishment in a somewhat dodgy part of Manchester.

And he's not happy.

Graham's relationship with his manager is just one of a number of relationships in which he figures in a subservient role. In all well-written books, the main character makes a journey of some sort.

Graham's journey, it seems, is to challenge this subservient role, to move from a boy to a man, to stand up to the dominant figures in his life.

Standing up to his manager is one thing, but when local gangster - Barry Pollard - approaches Graham to be his inside man for a planned robbery on the casino, Graham is in all sorts of strife. You see, Graham has a certain pride in his work. He loves his job. Not perhaps the place he is working in so much, but he has the pride of a job well done.

Caught between his conscience and a psychotic gangster, Graham's vulnerability is brilliantly explored by Banks. It left me wondering what I might do in Graham's position. And to be honest, I've no idea what I would do.

Men like Barry Pollard require answers - and there is only ever one.

There are twists and turns aplenty in INSIDE STRAIGHT. I was constantly attempting to second guess what Graham might do, and what the consequences might be. And I was constantly wrong.

INSIDE STRAIGHT is a brilliant addition to the Ray Banks pantheon, and I suspect any fan of the crime/noir genre will agree.

Highly recommended.

[Derrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book further proves that Banks is a genius when it comes to writing. The book revolves around his now recurring character Graham Ellis and puts him in a situation in which he has no choice but to aid a gangster in the robbery of his casino. This book is a great example of taking the "man on the inside" theme and turing it into an original and well written piece of noir. The book was well plotted and I think Graham is a great character to set a series around. He is destined to lose, despite his belief in himself, but he doesn't go down without a fight. I have enjoyed everything that banks has put his name on and this book cements the idea that he is a must-read author.

[Paul Brazill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Self- confessed geek Graham Ellis is a top-class casino pit boss who is ‘demoted’ to a low-rent casino is Salford after an altercation with his boss. While there he encounters Barry Pollard, a local gangster, and things soon spiral way out of his control.

Ray Banks’ Inside Straight is a masterful slice of Brit Grit noir, full of richly drawn, realistic characters, cruel humour, pathos, violence and bad, bad decisions.

Marvelous stuff.

[Brandon Nagel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another winner from Ray Banks. I love everything he writes. If you like any of his previous works, I would jump on this one. Highly Recommended.