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!