POCKET KINGS

This blisteringly satirical comparison of two obsessions—writing and gambling—masquerades as the memoir of Frank Dixon, a self-described loser. Frank, as “Chip Zero,” takes a cab, with the meter running, from New York to Vegas, along with two fellow losers nicknamed "Toll House Cookie" and "Second Gunman." Narrator William Roberts inhabits the other characters in the same way that he inhabits the protagonist—with an unerring sense of ironic poise. The story gives Roberts a large canvas onto which he paints the many colorful and hilarious heartaches of an unforgettable character. Roberts is so convincing, and the text so full of opportunity, that by the time Dixon says, "Listener, it's all true, every word," one wants to hear Roberts speak them all again. J.L. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2012]