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Review of Silent City

Posted: 11 Jun 2022, 04:27
by Blessing E
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Silent City" by Mike Bennett.]
Book Cover
4 out of 4 stars
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Silent City is an intriguing novel written by Mike Bennett. The book revolves around the intricacies of gambling, specifically as it occurs in casinos. The author commenced writing by describing the setting of a casino. They included the structure of the surveillance area, table game sections, slot machines, and the description of the celebration of the winners and disbelief of losers, just to mention a few. Also, the writer gave background information on the strategies used by professional cheats. He did this by revealing the different members of a cheating crew, which are a mechanic, a decoy, and occasionally, a runner. He went further to disclose the roles played by each to ensure a successful mission.

In the next chapters, Mike Bennett fleshed out the characters who played the roles of professional cheats and the various casinos they visited across Europe. Due to the prevalent nature of cheating in casinos, there were individuals trained to catch them. Who were they? What strategies did they employ to detect the defaulters?

Silent City was largely an informative piece for me, as I understood what goes on in casinos. I frequently watch movies that feature gambling scenes in casinos. However, I found it difficult to relate to most of them. Thankfully, after reading this book, many of its aspects already make sense to me. Furthermore, I must also commend the author for dedicating a chapter to explaining the technicalities of casinos. This gave me a proper insight into the meanings of terms used and the overall occurrences that are constant in them. The writing style employed by the author was simple, such that anyone who does not have an idea of the concepts can easily follow through without difficulty. The humorous conversations between the characters, Goodbook and Cliff Door, were a perfect fit. This is because they eased the tension and gave more life to the book.

Even though this did not reduce my rating of this book, I believe the author made a weak attempt at incorporating romantic scenes. I understand that the author may have done this in order not to drift away from the core concepts of the book. Regardless, it would have been better if he had painted them realistically.

I did not discover any grammatical or punctuation errors while reading. Hence, I can state that Silent City was an exceptionally well-edited book. The absence of errors added to the smooth flow of the novel. I must commend the author for ensuring that his book went through thorough editing.

Due to my level of appreciation for this book, I have no other option but to give it a rating of four out of four stars. I did not deduct any points because nothing distracted me from understanding the essential parts of the novel.

This novel will appeal to readers who love stories about gambling in casinos or those who want to learn more about it. As such, I recommend it to them.

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Silent City
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Re: Review of Silent City

Posted: 13 Jun 2022, 09:03
by Damis Seres Rodriguez
Looks interesting, thanks for the review!

Re: Review of Silent City

Posted: 13 Jun 2022, 10:18
by Oluwasogo Familusi
Good review. Although I'm not interested in gambling, this book will be a good read for those interested in gambling.

Re: Review of Silent City

Posted: 13 Jun 2022, 11:53
by Mary Ndirangu 1
I always want to know what goes on behind casino doors and it's awesome that I can read this book to understand. I appreciate your detailed review on the book.

Re: Review of Silent City

Posted: 13 Jun 2022, 11:59
by Amy Luman
My husband andI are not hard-core gamblers like some we know, but we have occasionally gone to casinos. We know that winnings are heavily weighted toward the business. I think would find this interesting except for the romance.

Re: Review of Silent City

Posted: 14 Jun 2022, 09:09
by Frank Mutuma
Having recovered from gambling I don't think this is a book. Great review

Re: Review of Silent City

Posted: 14 Jun 2022, 09:33
by Jane Ogwang
The casino concept is quite interesting and I'd probably like to read more about it. Thanks for this detailed review.

Re: Review of Silent City

Posted: 15 Jun 2022, 11:36
by Peace10
It sounds interesting and feels like a breath of fresh air from what we've always read. Great review!

Re: Review of Silent City

Posted: 15 Jun 2022, 13:51
by Ruthwriter
Gambling is not my way. I will recommend it to interested people. good review

Re: Review of Silent City

Posted: 16 Jun 2022, 22:16
by Aneeka Shamnaz
A casino, something I've never thought of, but to know how it is set up and how the professional cheats get their job done? Now that sounds interesting. Feels like it would be very action packed and nerve-wrecking after all it is a risky attempt. The review did a wonderful job and you should definitely read this

Re: Review of Silent City

Posted: 26 Jun 2022, 13:20
by Azubike Richard
Thank you so much for sharing this, I will skip this book because I don't like it from your review. Bravo!!!

Re: Review of Silent City

Posted: 28 Jun 2022, 02:25
by Kyrian007
I was drawn to the review because of the book's cover, and I'm impressed by how well it has been received. I'm excited to read the book. I appreciate your positive review.

Re: Review of Silent City

Posted: 11 Jul 2022, 09:38
by Madu Abigail
From my experience, this book is going to be a great read. Thank for this wonderful review.

Re: Review of Silent City

Posted: 24 Jul 2022, 04:44
by Goodness C N
I also see movies where casino scenes are featured. I love and look forward to those parts too. This is a great book that gives proper knowledge about the casino and gambling world.

Re: Review of Silent City

Posted: 30 Jul 2022, 11:13
by Sandy Maxey
I am looking forward to reading this based on your review. I don’t frequent casinos often, but I am always looking to understand how things work, whether businesses, restaurants, even amusement parks or circuses. So I know I will like this book. I am adding to my next read bookshelf.