Taking Chances

A witty, first‑person chronicle launches readers onto the dusty tracks of Kentucky and the smoky backrooms of early‑20th‑century poker halls. The narrator—a hard‑boiled detective—recounts a chance partnership with a charismatic, color‑blind con‑artist who’s just been caught up in a check‑kiting scheme. Their train journey is peppered with banter about “horse bug” and “poker microbe,” while the con‑artist drops hints of a larger, clandestine world of wire‑tappers and high‑stakes skullduggery.

The stories, originally penned for a newspaper column, blend dry humor with vivid snapshots of gambling culture and the peculiar obsessions that drive its participants. Listeners will enjoy the colorful dialogue, sly observations about the folly of gamblers, and a glimpse into a bygone era where a simple misreading of color could cost a fortune. The opening act sets a tone of light‑hearted intrigue, inviting you to linger on each twist of fate before the mystery deepens.