Andres Martinez
,
24/7: Living It Up and Doubling Down in the New Las Vegas
(Villard). Journalists story of taking his book advance and putting it on the line at Vegas's gambling tables - thus creating the plot for this nonfiction tale.
Robert B Parker
,
Chance
(Berkley Books). Fictional detective Spenser keeps his head above the murky waters of Las Vegas as he delves into some very dirty business indeed.
Mario Puzo
Fools Die
(Signet). No, it's not
The Godfather
, and not especially well written either, but this tale of high-stakes gambling, casino cons, Mafioso, and the like manages to be diverting enough.
Hunter S Thompson
,
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
(Random House, US; Paladin, UK). Classic account of the drug-propelled "gonzo" journalist's lost weekend in early 1970s Las Vegas. What's really striking is how much further over the top the place has gone since then.
Mike Tronnes
(ed),
Literary Las Vegas
(Henry Holt, US; Mainstream Publishing, UK). Superb collection of book extracts and magazine articles, which provides the full flavor of the changing city over the last fifty years.
