If you're looking for a really well-written novel, keep looking. Rick Bennet's King of a Small World is messy, going in many different directions but ultimately not getting anywhere all that interesting. It's not a literary masterpiece, and it's not a real page-turner (well, I did read it pretty fast, so I guess it wasn't boring either). But if you're looking for a novel about the Maryland poker scene, written by an actual player, look no further. This is probably the only one, and it's easy reading. As a Maryland player, I especially enjoyed reading about familiar locales from a different point of view. The poker scenes are of course realistic, and it gives you a pretty good picture of what poker is like in Maryland, give or take a bit of literary license. In other words, go ahead and give it a read if you like poker writing, but don't expect it to hold up as a novel.