Title: Queen of SpadesAuthor: Michael Shou-Yung ShumPublished by: Forest Avenue PressPublication date: 10 October 2017 Genre: General Fiction, SuspenseISBN:  19424363319Mareli’s rating: 3.5 starsRecommend to: If you have a gambling problem – stay clear. This book reveals the ‘magic’ of a casino and the luck of the card. Description: Queen of Spades revamps the classic Pushkin fable of the same name, transplanted to a mysterious Seattle-area casino populated by a pit boss with six months to live, a dealer obsessing over the mysterious methods of an elderly customer known as the Countess, and a recovering gambler who finds herself trapped in a cultish twelve-step program. With a breathtaking climax that rivals the best Hong Kong gambling movies, Michael Shou-Yung Shum’s debut novel delivers the thrilling highs and lows that come when we cede control of our futures to the roll of the dice and the turn of a card. Forest Avenue Press “We can never know anything for sure”, the Countess replied. “for what we speak of is gambling” What an intriguing tale involving gambling, casinos, card dealing, taking high stake chances and card games I never even heard of……I’m still not much the wiser, but I was mesmerized by the magical and oh so addictive turn of the cards.  Hard to believe that this was Michael Shou-Yung Shum’s debut novel. […]