“Dex” Dexter’s sister dies mysteriously after confronting a casino boss for cheating her of a big win. Having promised her to seek revenge, Dex rushes headlong into a dangerous world of powerful casino bosses in London and Las Vegas. Their new multi-billion casino in Vegas is soon to open and Dex has vowed that will never happen. Suddenly, he is trapped in a world of money-laundering, murder and corruption as he races against the clock to keep the promise.
Born in Scotland, Douglas was brought up in England and became a London based international lawyer, later living in Las Vegas. In tandem, he developed a successful career as a widely read author of mystery thrillers and non-fiction with a chart-topper and a W H Smith Paperback of the Week to his credit.
He has written 4 books in a series of international mystery thrillers based on Det. Insp. Todd "Ratso" Holtom, a London detective. Ratso also featured in a short story contributed to Capital Crimes, an anthology, which became a number one bestseller. They are available individually or as a box set of 4.
HARD PLACE, The first in that series was hailed as the best British crime thriller the reviewer had read in 2024.
His 18th book released on 18th November 2025 is DEADLY DESCENT is the second in the series involving Finlay "Dex" Dexter. The first was the acclaimed DEADLINE VEGAS.
Douglas is a member of International Thriller Writers (ITW) of the USA. His true crime book Terror at Sea was regarded as the benchmark on modern day piracy and crime at sea.
His series of three mystery books originally published under the pen-name of Cameron Ross are now available under his own name.
When not travelling,Douglas now lives on the Isle of Man - very different from Las Vegas!
Lady Luck crapped out. Again. Not tonight honey i have a headache. Bad story telling. That's it in a nutshell.
I was reading this as i was watching the Belmont Stakes with no people in the stands. What a strange world we live in.
In the first chapter Beth lost one million dollars on the spin of a roulette wheel. Hmmm. When someone makes a bet that large you know how many eyes are watching? She wins but they cancel the bet because it was put on too late. Then they erase the tape so there's no evidence. Hmmm. No. A poorly developed plot. Beth looks for revenge by exposing the casino as a money laundering front. They kill her to silence her then her brother Dex looks to avenge her by bringing down the casino. The End.
This is the story of Dex and how he copes with the many issues facing him. The characters, both friends and enemies, are well-described and realistic. The story revolves around his efforts to avenge the death of his sister after she ran afoul of a nasty casino manager. Dex eventually learns he is dealing with a psychotic killer. As he deals with the many issues facing him, he has remarkable interactions with a wide variety of people. Many extremely tense moments are interposed with a slowly developing romance. The style of writing is very clear, despite the majority of the action taking place in London. I became very engrossed in this story and found it hard to put down.
4.5 stars raised to a 5! Dax is independently wealthy, a sort of recovering alcoholic and pretty much of a mess. His wife and child were murdered by an unknown assailant a few years earlier and he has not recovered. Growing up he, his mother and sister were all abused by his father and he has had little or no contact with him in years. Dax’s sister contacts him and asks for his help in exposing and prosecuting the dishonest people running a London Casino and involved in the creation of a new Casino in Las Vegas. He refuses because it is inconvenient and would interfere with his fishing. Then his sister is killed and his father incapacitated in an automobile accident that appears staged. He decides to learn what his sister discovered and to follow through on her plans. I won’t go into what happens as he and the crew he puts together go through these challenges because of spoilers, however I will say the novel is not only well plotted and well written. It is also engrossing and will keep the reader pursuing the climax. Thanks to Net Galley and Chewton Books for an ARC for an honest review.
Gambling, corruption, money laundering and murder. Dex is drawn into his sister’s investigation into casino cheating and corruption after she dies in a car accident. Dex’s own investigation leads him to believe that his sister Beth’s death was not an accident but that she was murdered. He sets out to fulfill his promise to her that if something happened to her, he would bring down the casino and it’s corrupt owners.
The book blurb sounded interesting but this ended up being just an ok read for me. I found it to be a bit slow and by the time things really got moving I just wanted to be done. There was too much detail and not enough action to move things forward fast enough.
I took a chance on #deadlinevegas by Douglas Stewart and am glad I did. This thriller is full of twists and turns and great detailed information about the casino life. I found the hero, Dex, to be a well-defined character and while basically a good guy, a flawed human but with a heart of gold. I would read more books featuring him and his ex-journalist/author love interest, Tiffany. If you like fast-paced, action-filled thriller give this a try. A thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this to read and review.
After threatening to expose a casino for cheating, Dex's sister is murdered. After vowing to never gamble, Dex is thrown back into that life. He is hoping to live long enough to prove what his sister was trying to expose. With the help of his friend Adam and a new recruit Billy, an ex card counter,, Dex will risk his life to prove his sister as right and hopefully win back the $1,000,000 that she was cheated out of. Thanks netgalley.
The story shows the seedy side of corruption dealing with casinos and money laundering. A man gets involved when his sister mysterious dies after a confrontation with a casino boss after winning a big pay out.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley.
This book was...ok. Some parts kept me glued, and others slowed it down. Finlay Dexter is living a fairly tragic and unexciting life, before he decides to revenge on a casino magnate for his sister's death. How will he do it?
Want to get a fly on the wall look inside the dark arts of casinos and organized crime? Deadline Vegas is an edge-of-your-seat read that tells us among much else about the Griffin List shared between casinos on gamblers who win too much and Reverse Labouchère which at first glance doesn’t make sense. -- With two of you playing roulette, one bets on red and the other on black. One bet will always lose. So, what’s the point? Douglas Stewart, who knows his stuff vividly explains. We may think we know about casinos from our James Bond movies. Stewart takes us to the underbelly of the trade while keeping us transfixed with gripping pace and great characters.
This book started out with a bang as Beth Dexter won a million dollars at a Roulette table but was unable to collect her winnings because the casino owner said the tapes showed her placing her bet too late. Beth is a good gambler and she usually wins, So when she challenged the casino's story, she finds that the tape has been erased. Something fishy is going on here! She asks her brother to look into the situation for her, and when he gets involved, Beth and her extremely wealthy father are in a car accident, she dies and her father is in a coma. Her brother, Dex, steps in to avenge her death. So far, the story is pretty good - will Dex make the corrupt casino owner pay for Beth's death? How can he prove that the casino cheated her out of her winnings? Who are the real players? Unfortunately for me, there were too many inconsistencies in the story which I just couldn't tie together to reality. This added to the stereotyped characters - the wealthy godfather, retired bank chairman, who spends his days betting horses and losing at blackjack; the down and out addict who "happens" to become partners with the godfather in a scheme to use a betting system; and the slimy casino owner with a sadistic fetish. I know that this is too far out to develop into a tightly woven story. Oh, and did I mention the cross Atlantic trips that these characters take? They fly from London to Mexico or Las Vegas (on private jets, no less) like I go to the grocery store! I think that a lot of the story got lost in the details and circumstances of the characters rather than provide a good whodunit. Thank you Netgalley for providing me with this book.
A lot of us have unanswered questions about the gambling scene, especially about casinos. Are they as sinister as often portrayed? Are there secret rooms where cheaters get painful reminders that cheaters never prosper? Douglas Stewart, an impeccable writer that uses prodigious research as background for his books, answers those questions and more in his thriller, “Deadline Vegas.” I enjoyed it very much and feel confident that you will as well.
A young man, Dex, promises his sister, Beth, before her death, arranged by ruthless casino boss, Pepe Camino, that she will be avenged is anything happens to her. A patron at Dukes, a gambling casino in London, Beth is a cheater, and discovers that the proprietors of Dukes are cheaters as well. Dukes is highly profitable, with a sterling reputation, and is slated to open a mega casino in Las Vegas but if Beth’s information gets public, all bets are off and the project is doomed.
Camino is a slimy character, as well as a ruthless killer, who grunts and groans in ecstasy as he disassembles his victims with a huge knife. He can’t help himself, he’s so loathsome and unbalanced that disemboweling is a delightful pastime he enjoys. What has Beth discovered about Camino’s past in Panama? Can Dex uncover enough evidence to put Camino away for a long time? Can he scuttle both the London and Vegas casinos? He’s adamant about his intentions. Casino is just as determined to send Dex to join his sister in her grave. The author is amazingly talented blending all the elements of a legal thriller, murder mystery, and crime drama into a single engrossing story with many twists and turns that will surely thrill aficionados of this type of book.
Stewart develops each character with skill and careful attention to detail. The reader is not likely to stumble over all the information because it is so carefully detailed. The dialogue is realistic and engrossing making the connection with the characters all the more relateable. Camino’s character is so unpredictable, and he is such a brilliant antagonist that the reader always feels concerned about Dex’s future as he develops his plans. The storyline is well developed so the reader should find his way without confusion. Although somewhat profane in certain instances, it’s not excessively so, but more a realistic journey through a world of tough guys and hard women.
I strongly recommend this novel for those who enjoy mystery and crime thrillers.
"Deadline Vegas" was a decent book. Finlay Dexter (Dex)'s quest to avenge his sister's death and bring down Dukes casino and Pepe Carmino, the proprietor of Dukes, as well as prevent the opening of Space City, the Vegas casino project that Carmino was helping fund, made for a good plotline. Pepe Carmino is a particularly nasty character and made for a great villain; however, the references to his S&M fetish could have been left out, as it did not really advance the plotline or add anything valuable to the reader's understanding of him that was not evident from other information in the story. The author has created a very eclectic group of characters. As Carmino notes when trying to figure out Dex's scheme, Billy Evans (down-and-out coke addict and gambler) is not someone that Adam Yarbury (Dex's godfather, retired bank chairman, wealthy, spends his days playing the horses, losing at blackjack, attends high society events) would normally associate with, but yet they are seen hanging out at the blackjack table together. The story has plenty of action and intrigue, with some pretty good surprises. I particularly liked how Dex goes about winning back the money that Pepe/Dukes Casino stole from his sister (as well as winning significantly extra, that he will be put toward charitable causes).
However, Dex has enough wealth that he is able to purchase essentially whatever he needs to complete his revenge scheme, including access to private financial information that practically no one else would be able to obtain. While his wealth and resources do not protect him and those he cares about from the danger that Carmino and his associates pose, his ability to essentially buy his way to success detracts from the overall appeal of the story.
I received a copy of the e-book via NetGalley in exchange for a review.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
It's no secret that I really love gambling and Las Vegas. Throw those elements in with some murder and career criminals, and I'm immediately interested. The thing I loved most about this story was how quickly it moved. It started off quickly and didn't let up. I initially thought the main character was kind of a dope, but he definitely got better. I also learned a lot about roulette strategy, so that was a bonus. If I had to change one thing, I'd say some of the chapters ended in weird places (like, in the middle of a normal conversation sans-bombshell) and probably could have been combined. Bottom line, I would recommend this page-turner to others.
Amazing! First book I read by this author. Will read more. A great thriller
"Brilliant exciting book?"Stewart’s writing is a fast read and his British sarcasm comes very effortlessly. Vety hard ti put to put down.” Dexter’s sister dies suddenly after confronting a casino boss for cheating her. He promised her to get revenge, Dex rushes into a dangerous world of casino bosses in London and Las Vegas. A multi-billion casino in Vegas is soon to open and Dex swore it will never happen. He e is trapped in a world of money-laundering, murder and corruption and trying to keep the promise he made to his sister.loved it
Good blend of characters and plot. Lots of action as Dex attempts to gain revenge. Very educational regarding casinos. Lots of good guys and bad guys, deceit, and betrayals. I received an advanced digital copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
A real page turner! I took the day off to read the book. So much action and emotion. I will never look at a casino in the same way again. This was an excellent story.
A million dollars. That's what Beth won at the London casino where she was investigating the casino and it's owners. Without warning, Beth's win is declared invalid and she is asked to leave. Soon after she challenges the decision and accuses the casino of cheating, she and her father are in a serious car crash where Beth dies. Enter her big brother, Dex. He will bring his considerable resources to the challenge of proving the casino was cheating and that Beth's death was no accident.
This story introduces us to a Bond type character that uses his brain, his money and his crew of seriously talented friends to move through a very well detailed back story of casinos and crime bosses who make their livings and take their pleasures by cheating and sometimes killing anyone who threatens their world. Douglas Stewart details many of the means and ways of insuring the "house" wins most of the time. The casino world is a fascinating background for the action and thrills Dex's mission to avenge his sister's death and close down as much of the illegal activity he can. The story, the characters and the exciting trip from London to Vegas all made this a great read.
Deadline Vegas is a new book by Douglas Stewart that uses characters he created for a 2007 book Late Bet. Deadline Vegas takes place immediately before the events in Late Bet and sets up that book quite well. The main character, Finlay "Dex" Dexter, is on a revenge mission against Dukes Casino of London, and more specifically casino boss Pepe Camino, for killing his sister. His means? Beating the house at roulette and blackjack by using strategies like Reverse Labouchère to give him an edge. I wouldn't advise you to try this yourself but it works well as a plot device in this fast moving and fascinating glimpse into the world of casino gambling. It's obvious that Stewart really knows this world well as he gives the reader insight into what's happening behind the scenes and why, while at the same time having Dex maneuver his way into some very sticky situations. Getting out of trouble, with the help of a very odd group of accomplices, keeps the plot moving with a good deal of suspense and more than a little sizzle. Great read.
This book is impossible to put down; I should know because I tried. High stakes gambling and corruption are common bedfellows. Corruption often leads to murder, but was Beth Dexter murdered or the victim of an untimely accident?
DEADLINE VEGAS takes you from a posh gambling club in London, to the Strip in Las Vegas, with a stopover in Panama. The only character I felt sure about was Finlay Dexter, known as Dex. He's human and flawed but no doubt the good guy. Likewise, you know that Pepe Carmino, owner of Dukes, said posh club, is a bad guy and a psychopath. All of the other characters serve as lynchpins drawing the two to their inevitable showdown.
A good thriller, whether it is a book, a movie, or a TV series, contains no fat. Everything is relevant. British author, Douglas Stewart has done a brilliant job of storytelling using believable characters and settings so real you can see the streets. I will be looking for other books by this accomplished author.
DEADLINE VEGAS will make you laugh a little, cry a lot, and keep you reading well past your bedtime.
Beth is an investigative journalist looking into corrupt casinos and how they go about cheating customers and laundering money. Her brother Dax is a recovering alcoholic, taking a break and fishing after the loss of his wife and son a year earlier. When Beth is killed in an auto accident after accusing the casino of cheating her out of her money, Dax comes back to London to find out what happened not only to Beth but, also their father who was severely injured in a suspicious accident. Dax studies the csino and how the games work and goes about avenging his sister in his own way. This story was full of suspense, corrupt characters, an eclectic group of friends helping Dax, making it a very interesting story. Thank you to NetGalley, Douglas Stewart and Chewton Publications for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Dex’s sister is a gambler. She places a bet which the casino declares is too late and erases the tape that would prove her assertion. She asks Dex for help in proving that the London casino is a money laundering front, and they plan to open another casino in Las Vegas.
When his sister is killed and his father injured in what appears to be a staged accident, Dex finally becomes involved. He and his crew put together a plan to bring down the casino operation.
The plot moves swiftly and is filled with clever plans. There are plenty of twists that will keep you reading. The action is non-stop. If you enjoy crime novels that are well plotted this is a good one.
I received this book from Net Galley for this review.
When I read the blurb for Deadline Vegas, I expected a fast-paced, edge of your seat story. That's not at all what I found, which is a shame because all the elements are there - gambling, corruption, money laundering, murder... I think this one suffered from a little too much detail and not enough momentum, and by the time things finally started picking up, I was kind of over it. I had put this one aside so many times and then picked it back up to try to get into it, that it reached a point where I just wanted to finish it. Maybe it was just me, but this one wasn't what I was hoping for and ended up being a disappointment.
Deadline Vegas by Douglas Stewart. The underbelly of casinos is exposed in this story of revenge. Beth is a good gambler and loves to win. When she is cheated out of a million-dollar win by an unscrupulous casino owner She called her brother Dex to ask for his help in getting her winnings. Dex stopped gambling over 40 years ago and is hesitant to get involved, but with Beth is murdered, he steps up to avenge his sister. The author is very familiar with casinos and gambling and brought that knowledge to the story. It was a fast read, and I learned a lot!
Deadline Vegas by Douglas Stewart was good. This about revenge. Beth is a gambler and enjoys winning by any means at a Casino. When she is murdered, her brother, Dex goes after the Casino. There are mobsters, slimy bad guys, and an assortment of bad guys. I did think the storyline did wander around a bit and could have been cleaned up a bit. But all and all a good story with twists throughout. Thank you, Net Galley, for an advanced copy for an honest review.
Dex did not want to get involved but with his sister's murder and his father in a coma he has no choice. Beth found that they were cheating at the casino in London to cover the cost of building the casino in Las Vegas. The story takes many twists and turns as Dex looks at the background of the man who runs Dukes. Can he find out what they are doing without losing his own life, that is the challenge. A book that will take you to Vegas, Panama and London.
The characters, and the writing in general, are very good. This is a rather long story, so if you want words for your money, this is a good book. I prefer faster books, but this is entertaining enough. The only real problem I have with the book, is that the plot doesn't pass my "WHY" test. Why is the main character doing things this way, when there are safer and simpler options?
Interesting book. I have to admit I didn't finish it, mostly because I wasn't in the mood for a book about gambling and murderous casino owners. This book, however, will appeal to a lot of other people. The incredibly short chapters made for choppy reading and I just couldn't get past this. Hopefully, I'll get back to it, persevere, and find out if the brother was able to exact revenge or not.
5.0 out of 5 stars Great story about revenge and casinos! Reviewed in the United States on November 4, 2020 I really enjoyed this fast-paced action-packed thriller. Plenty of twists and turns to keep me guessing to the end. I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher and this is my honest opinion