by Tim Powers
First published 1993
Scott Crane lost everything twenty years ago in a floating card game on Lake Mead. He wagered his body and soul against mysterious opponents and walked away empty-handed, missing an eye and forever changed. Now the winner has returned to Las Vegas to claim what Crane owes. The city itself has transformed since Bugsy Siegel's death unleashed dark magic across the desert wasteland. A new lord rules where the Fisher King once held power. Crane must navigate this supernatural landscape where gambling debts carry deadly consequences and the house always collects. The stakes involve more than money or pride. Ancient forces move through the neon-lit streets, and Crane's past threatens to destroy any future he might salvage from the ruins of his former life.
Genres: mystery, fantasy, horror, supernatural
Vibes: dark, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, supernatural-debt
Setting: Las Vegas, Lake Mead
Period: 20th-century
535 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Avon
Content warnings: violence