The Gambling Bug by Dan Graffeo

Great Old Ones Publishing, 2015

ISBN-13: 978-0692532294

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition

“My name is Lance, and I’m a gambling addict.” A chorus of five voices call out a welcome in unison at the weekly meeting of Gamblers’ Anonymous, held in the small back room of St. Reese’s Church. Lance, Eve, Isabelle, Everett and Suzanna are conflicted gamblers that have dug themselves in deep. They are led by Cliff Ronicah, the only gambler of the bunch who has beaten “The Bug”. They need all the help and support they can get. The Gambling Bug will not let go without a fight. No one is safe from his tools of temptation. He wants them all back in his fold. It is a fight for their lives!

I thought this story had a really interesting premise: a group of gambling addicts trying to get help and reform are tempted by Satan to continue to slip. Unfortunately, this work was just not up to the task of telling the story. I only read to page 120 of 281 before calling it quits. Each page had at least two errors in either grammar, spelling, or style. The author did too much “telling” and not enough “showing”, the pacing was sluggish, and the plot was not going much of anywhere. The book did have some good points. The characters were distinctive and easy to keep separate from each other. The Gambling Bug/Satan in particular was a strong, well-written character. While The Gambling Bug has a promising idea behind it, and some interesting characters, the book needs a lot of editing before it is readable and ready for public consumption. I have not read any of this author’s previous work. Not Recommended.

Reviewed by Aaron Fletcher