KIRKUS REVIEW from New York/ July 2024

In Newton’s novel, a London gambler dedicates his life to avoiding the regular nine-to-five grind.

West London’s Mayfair club and casino is known for offering its clientele a ready and reliable source of culinary delights. Their food plays an integral role in bon vivant Jonathon Burne-Jones’ freewheeling but quietly desperate lifestyle. He’s the subject of Newton’s intimately drawn character study, and he spends as much time indulging in the Mayfair’s daily repast as he does contemplating the next spin of the roulette wheel. His preoccupation with the club’s five-star lunches and desserts reflects his hunger for connection and meaning. Jonathan doesn’t want to strike it rich; he just wants to make a living. Nevertheless, he feels compelled to hold all his casino pals at arm’s length, treating occasional outings as just another way to keep his solitary circadian rhythms in tune: “You were not expected to find your ‘best friend’ in this place. Conversing and chatting were not a priority: thinking was and scheming, coveting, observing and furtive glances, oblique responses and measured humour.” In Jonathan’s strictly regimented view of the world, straying too far from routine could lead to disastrous results at the Mayfair’s gaming tables. Such a schedule also prevents unwanted self-reflection at bedtime. Over the course of this novel, Newton presents readers with a finely paced narrative with sharp, well-crafted dialogue that recalls the erudite pleasures on display in mystery author Lawrence Block’s novels starring the crafty thief, Bernie Rhodenbarr. Jonathan may only be a mid-life plonker” (as he calls himself) who’s trying to make his way through life with some measure of dignity and grace; however, he also comes across as a heroic figure who’s capable of delighting in life’s absurdities. Readers will find this solitary soul worth rooting for.

An illuminating and amusing collection of vignettes in the life of a gambling man.

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Kirkus Review