A Dandy Little Game

Professional gambler Johnny Sharansky is experiencing a losing streak when his luck takes an even worse turn - he falls in love.She is out of his league, respectable, young, an engaged. She is also a gangster groupie. In order to impress her, Johnny pretends to me more connected than he is and plans a "heist" to give her the excitement he craves. Things go horribly wrong and Johnny finds himself deking and weaving for his life.

I liked Johnny but I didn't get his attraction to Margaret. She was a spoiled princess who defied her father at every turn but expected Daddy to handle any problem she got herself into. Perhaps it was an early midlife crisis on Johnny's part. Johnny's world was interesting and I enjoyed those parts. I get that show more Margaret was needed to cause the trouble Johnny had to overcome but she really wasn't worth it. More Johnny, less Margaret. show less

With action, suspense, and delightful characterizations, Bill McCulloch has written a dandy novel in his book, "A Dandy Little Game", set in Chicago during the years of World War 2. Main character Johnny Sharansky is 44, unmarried and totally addicted to all forms of gambling. He and best friend Joh Bermann have not worked at a job 23 years. Instead, they have gambled, sometimes losing, sometimes winning. But now, in 1944, Johnny seems to have come upon a losing streak that doesn't end. And he finds himself attracted to upper-class Margaret Turner who admits to being a "mob hound". Punctuated by dialogue that is filled with street lingo, "A Dandy Little Game" portrays Chicago's underside as it was years ago.

A Dandy Little Game by Bill McCulloch is an interesting story set in Chicago during WW II. The story follows Johnny Sharansky, a small time gambler. The story starts off with him on a long losing streak and how he eventually goes bust. During this streak, he meets a classy society dame at the bar in the Palmer House that grabs his interest. The only problem is that she is engaged to a lawyer that work in her father's law firm. She is also interested in something to liven her life up and the thrill of cheating on her fiancee with a professional gambler is something she is looking for.

The story revolves around Johnny breaking his losing streak and his attempts to capture the attention of this dame. He makes her think he is a little more show more than a small time gambler by planning a heist and carry a gun. This is when the story gets going. The early part of the story was a little slow as the author got all of the characters introduced and sets the plot up.

I would like to tell you more about the story at the end but it would spoil the plot.

If you are interested in a crime/love story set in the early 40's in Chicago, this is the story for you. It is also a good entertaining read for a vacation where you don't want anything heavy and very involved. show less

A Dandy Little Game is set in 1940's Chicago. It is about a never married 40's professional gambler named Johnny and his best friend from childhood, Joe. Johnny met a woman named Margaret that is engaged and has a lawyer father. Johnny and Margaret meet in secret until an event happened and things got interesting. I did not find this book interesting until about the last third of the book. The first two-thirds was pretty dry but got interesting when Johnny got into trouble.

An engaging book which fires the passion for cards and poker. A good read for anyone who loves playing poker. Recommended.

"Where's this going?" I wondered after many pages. Then, I realized the main character is going to do something stupid. And he does. But there's a mystery involved in the stupid thing, which the main character tries to solve.

Whilst in some places, I liked the book in others it was a bit slow. The story is okay but there are better books out there. The story is slow to start with and I nearly gave up but I am glad I stuck with it as it got better as time went by and that is why I am giving it a three star.