Fans of Vito Zuppardo’s “True Blue Detective” series will enjoy this story, which takes readers back to Mario DeLuca’s rookie year on the beat and Zack Nelson in action as a NOLA PD homicide detective, as well as the early days of the infamous Cornerview Gang and the other unsavory characters that prowl the colorful, charming French Quarter. Grab a beignet and a cup of chicory coffee and get your copy now!
REVENGE: CLICK HERE
The legend of Voodoo Lucy lives on as Lucinda Jones continues her life of intrigue in New Orleans in the heart of the historic French Quarter. Her interesting, unique relationships are interwoven with drug dealer Felipe Cruz, New Orleans Detective Mario DeLuca, and Stella James, an on-again, off-again romance, as Lucy seeks to right the wrongs in her life.
Her nightmares are getting worse until she discovers the reason for them. She seeks out the perpetrator, intent on revenge, as she engages her voodoo skills by creating a doll to send a message that chills the man to the core. Lucy receives help and cuts deals with unlikely associates, doing what she has to do get justice.
Lucy also seeks to give back to the New Orleans community, helping abused women by renovating a neighborhood and creating a safe haven for others. She might have somewhat crossed the line, involving money laundering, making deals with politicians, and walking a fine line of legal activities.
But it’s all pure Voodoo Lucy, as she continues her legacy in Revenge, Book 2 of the Voodoo Lucy series.
ALLURING LADY LUCK: CLICK HERE
If you like New Orleans and Las Vegas you'll love the places this book takes you.
“My adventures took me around the world as I made sure the most extravagant high rollers on the planet got everything they wanted: plush suites, private jets, and limousines. Every luxury and amenity you can imagine (including various unmentionables). And, of course, I made them pay dearly for it. Their compulsion was my opportunity, and I fed their addictions like a drug dealer.”
ALLURING LADY LUCK features PETER FRANZELLA, a casino hotshot who begins playing cards when he’s only 9 years old. By the time he’s of age, Peter knows every gambler in town: doctors, lawyers, judges, politicians, and bookmakers. And he knows he’s going to capitalize on it.
Peter’s first big break comes from the Stardust Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Unbeknownst to him, it is operated by mob bosses, and he directly worked under FRANK “LEFTY” ROSENTHAL (the inspiration for NICHOLAS PILEGGI’S book “Casino”).
Then Peter’s luck change.
Nevada Gaming calls Peter one of the most successful agents in Vegas when he produces 60 million+ in revenue in just three short years. But allegations of unethical mafia associations put his business and marriage in jeopardy—and one of Peter’s friends and business colleagues, a fellow gambler named Julie, has just gone missing.
Peter’s wife CLAUDIA isn’t excited about the gaming business at first. Her priority is family, but she too is lured into the lifestyle of private jets, hotel suites as big as a house, and everything else Las Vegas had to offer. All she must do is keep the high rollers’ wives happy while the casino empties their husband's pockets.
Nobody’s luck lasts forever.
JULIE KAPPERMEN, a charter airline broker, leases Peter airplanes and is a gambler herself. Peter quickly learns that she has Mob connections in New Jersey but isn’t concerned since it is benefiting him and he has no contact with them. But things go astray when Julie, who owes the New Jersey Mob a lot of money, disappears, causing Peter concern and making him scramble for airplanes to cover his flights.
Out of desperation, Peter’s trusted bodyguard/associate MOE CAPELLA comes up with an idea to replace Julie’s airplanes. But that plan backfires and causes another investigation into Peter’s operation. This time, spearheaded by Nevada Gaming Control and the FBI. Peter faces more scrutiny after a man that owes the casino money is found shot to death. And, yet again, when another gambler is found dead, hanging from a bell high above a church cathedral.
Peter has always lived a high-stakes life, flush with luxuries like five-star hotels, private jets, and limousines. But now his addiction is taking over his life, and it might be too late to win it back.
There are more twists and turns than a roller coaster in the final showdown with Peter, his wife, and the powers that be in Las Vegas.
TALES OF LADY LUCK: CLICK HERE
Tales of Lady Luck are stories during my twenty-five years in the gaming business.
The opportunity I had in 1975 was enormous. There were no casinos on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi, and nothing in Louisiana other than horse racing. The Louisiana lottery didn’t get voted in until sixteen years later. We had people hungry for gambling, and they came in droves once the word got out.
What I saw as I got into the business was the need for the little guy with maybe five hundred dollars to gamble with. So I developed programs that touched everyone, from the player with five hundred to the high roller with a hundred thousand dollars. Of course, the more you gambled, the more perks you got: large suites, better restaurants, and private jets. I had it all covered, and flew from eighteen cities, moving over twelve hundred people a month, and made a statement so big in Las Vegas that Nevada Gaming Control had me on their radar.
Published in the Las Vegas
