Strip Poker

Sierra Lavotini #4

by Nancy Bartholomew

When Vincent Gambuzzo, the not-so-bright proprietor of the Tiffany Gentleman's Club in Panama City, Florida, loses his business playing poker, his headliner, exotic dancer Sierra Lavotini, faces a crisis. The new sign out front reads BIG MIKE'S HOUSE OF BOOTY, and Big Mike's new business strategy leaves a little to be desired in the class department and even less to the imagination of the increasingly rambunctious clientele.

As the dancers' unofficial leader and mother hen, Sierra leads most of her coworkers in a walkout and schemes to restore Vincent to power. But he's in jail, charged with murdering a man in a shootout at the end of that same disastrous poker game. Can Sierra prove Vincent innocent, help her fellow out-of-work dancers, and manage to make next month's trailer payment without a job?

With the help of her neighbor Raydean, her on-again boyfriend, Panama City Homicide Detective John Nailor, and her "uncle," "Big Moose" Lavotini of the New Jersey syndicate, of course she can, and it adds up to another fantastic ride in this hilarious and sexy series.

"What a game! What a dame!" - Publishers Weekly

Genres: Mystery

272 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2001

Reviews

[Wayland Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I admit, I prejudged this book on a few levels. The amateur detective thing has been done a lot, and the main character in this one being a stripper, sorry, exotic dancer seemed really gimmicky. Plus, I'm kind of nuts about starting a series from the beginning, and this one fit a challenge slot I needed, so I went in at book four.

I was pleasantly surprised.

Sierra Lavotini is the lead dancer at a club that suddenly hits a run of bad luck. The owner/manager somehow manages to both lose the club in a card game and get framed for murder on the same day. The new management has a style that doesn't at all work for Sierra, so she really has her work cut out for her.

But life rarely happens one big event at a time, so Sierra is also dealing with a relationship that's becoming more serious than she thought, a big crisis in her family, the usual stress at Christmas time, and a surprise visit from a different "relative" that's apparently been part of the series before by reputation. There's also a truly wacky neighbor that fits with the incredibly odd Florida vibe so many of us know from various news stories.

This is well written, and the characters have some real emotional depth. The plot is intricate, with a lot of twists and turns to the main story and several of the subplots. I enjoyed this a great deal more than I thought I would, and will probably track down the rest of the series.

Fun mystery with some good writing.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

First I have to say that I am disappointed that there aren't any more books in this series. I enjoy that Sierra is a stripper but not completely low class. There are many entertaining characters in the books, especially her neighbor, Raydean. In this book, Sierra's boss losses his club in a poker game which ends in a shootout. He is accused of murdering a man and stuck in jail. Meanwhile, the club is being run by its new owner who promotes the trashy part of strip clubs. The girls walk out and Sierra is determined to find the real murderer, get her boss out of jail, and get his club back. At the same time, Sierra's mother is ill and Sierra meets "Big Moose" Lavotini, the mob boss she claims is her uncle. He decides to take an interest in her life. I really wish there were more books in this series.

[bell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was looking for a series like the Stephanie Plum series. I found Nancy Bartholomew's "sierra" and feel this is BETTER then Stephanie Plum. Sierra needs help but can also take care of her self, whereas Stephanie has become somewhat weak as time goes on. The "stripper" character , I feel , is totally believable .
The mystery is also written better, there is actually a mystery. Granted shes not an Agatha Christy, it is still an easy read, but enjoyable.
Unfortunately, St. Martins, the publisher, didn't choose to continue the series and they hold the rights to the Strip series.
Please write them and beg them to bring this series back!

[Teena in Toronto · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another quick read by Nancy Bartholomew with a slew of qurky characters that I enjoyed. Was this the last in the series? What happened with Sierra and Nailor??!! Did Raydean return to the mothership?? I've gotta know!!

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am so bummed that this was last one of these books and being left with a cliffhanger - who is Moose Lavotini? will Sierra and Nailor get together? Tell us Nancy Bartholomew!!!

[Michele]

good

[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. This is apparently the last book in this series, wah. I will miss them!

[Niece · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exotic Dancer, Sierra Lavotini-funny light mystery

[Polly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good mystery with a fun character.