ISBN 974-92942-5-4
Trade paperback 6" - 9 1/4"
2005, 320 pages
Gambling on Magic is set in Bangkok where life is more than good for Joey Balfour, ex-patriot gambling king, former TV personality, and the current owner of the mysterious and exotic Feng Shui Flower Shop in downtown Bangkok. Then ex-chief of security arrives in Bangkok to reopen an old unsolved Las Vegas casino theft. The thief has disappeared in Thailand and the conventional wisdom has it that Balfour holds the key to tracking him down. Caught in a web of deception and betrayal, Balfour discovers that other forces – more sinister and deadly – are slowly entangling him. The stakes are high, the odds are long, and for his greatest gamble, Balfour bets his own life on winning.
Set in the steamy, erotic underworld of Bangkok, Gambling On Magic is a thinking person’s thriller and a brilliant literary portrait of contemporary life inside Southeast Asia’s most famous city. The rogue's gallery of whacky, wonderful, and original characters will stick with you long after you finish this page-turner.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Author's Research note: The world of professional sports gambling is an insider's world. Roxy Roxborough is one the legendary figures who created a highly influential American online college sports odds making website tha ignited online gambling. Roxy was way ahead of the pack. The infrastructure he developed is still used by professional gamblers. I interviewed Roxy over a period of months to explore his colorful life inside the sports gambling world. His stories, theories, and predictions assisted me greatly in creating the world of gamblers inside Gambling on Magic.
Available in eBook and print formats:
Praise
“Set in the steamy, erotic underworld of Bangkok, Gambling On Magic is a thinking person’s thriller and a brilliant literary portrait of contemporary life inside Southeast Asia’s most famous city. The rogue's gallery of whacky, wonderful, and original characters will stick with you long after you finish this page-turner.”
—Paul Bishop, author of Penalty Shot
“Moore’s most mature work.”
—The Bangkok Post
“[Moore’s] attention to detail that gives his writing the believable immediacy, which in turn keeps you turning pages. And turn pages you will. This is another of those books that will hold your attention right to the last page. An excellent read.”
—Pattaya Mail
“Moore is a religious student of human nature and it shows.”
—Thai Day
“Original, contemporary and extremely inventive.”
—Hua Hin Observer
“A complex novel ... The [characters] are well developed. The setting ... is carefully shaped. The information about gambling rings true, as does the portrayal of the city of Bangkok and the community that surrounds the story ... Well worth reading.”
—Alex McGilvery, Armchair Interviews