An FBI agent who is no stranger to violence is appointed to
examine suspicious activities at a Russian-owned casino in
New Jersey. She doesn't trust the eye-catching Prince who
owns it, but only time will tell if she is correct.
THE PRINCE'S GAMBLE begins with Agent Kathleen Martinez
leading a team forcing an entry to a warehouse owned by a
Russian consortium in New York. They rescue women held in
tiny rooms for white slavery. Two years later, it is a
Russian who calls her in to investigate his Atlantic City
casino and his family connection to the previous case makes
Kathleen uneasy. A young female employee called Vanessa has
vanished, and shady men and escort girls are cashing large
amounts of chips - possibly money laundering.
The casino occupies five above ground floors of a building,
what with shopping, food and entertainment, and Prince
Alexander has a penthouse on the 22nd floor. He habitually
wears designer suits and his younger sister Tatania is a
refreshingly casual young woman trying to fit in with young
Americans. We can see that casino owners, not gamblers,
make it rich, and that where there is potential for illicit
activities crooks will follow. Kathleen organises a
security team and even goes undercover to gain the trust of
a Russian mafia boss by stripping in front of him. Her
grudging admiration for the prince turns to attraction and
in a very ill-advised move she becomes his lover, exposing
herself to possible blackmail and dismissal and potentially
getting her case thrown straight out of court for
involvement with a principal. This was unconvincing - if
she wanted to become involved she should have waited until
the case was finalised.
Anyone curious about the workings of casinos will find a
lot of information in this book, which has obviously been
well researched by Caridad Pineiro. I would have liked
some scenes set among the ordinary community of New Jersey,
as almost everything takes place inside the casino premises
and we only see the shore through high windows. I did
however enjoy the descriptions of Russian-style foods,
especially one recipe cooked by Alexander. Chicken breasts
with butter and sour cream sauce, with pilaf rice flavoured
with carrots, almonds, apricots and onions. Mmm!
Prince Alexander Ivanov is scrambling to save his reputation
and his livelihood. One of the Russian Nights Casino's
hostesses has disappeared, and his business is suddenly
under investigation by the FBI for associations with the mob
and money laundering.
Special Agent Kathleen Martinez has no patience with rich,
entitled aristocrats, especially one like Alexander Ivanov
whom she believes is involved in the vicious human
trafficking ring which she'd tried—and failed—to shut down
two years earlier. With a second chance to bring him to
justice, she goes undercover in the casino, but instead of
facing the villain she expected, she finds herself battling
a sizzling attraction to the man.
Now, forced to work together to trace the source of the
illegal activities, the danger—and the passion between
them—grows out of control, and they slowly begin to realize
the biggest danger isn’t to the casino, it’s to their
lives…and to their hearts.
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