Neon Hustle
Neon Hustle is book 5 in the Billy Cunningham heist crime series by James Swain. The story picks up after Sin City, with Billy and Maggie hiding in Mexico after stealing five million dollars from the Glee! Casino. They should be enjoying their escape, but Billy misses Las Vegas and Maggie wants to return for her daughter’s wedding. Then Nevada Gaming Board agent Frank Grimes offers them a way home.
He wants Billy and his crew to cheat a new casino, split the money with him, and in return Billy and Maggie could return home without being arrested. Billy knows the offer sounds too good to be true, but agrees because he is afraid Maggie will try to cross the border without him. Once he’s back in Las Vegas, he realizes that things are far too simple, but now that’s he back anyway, he’ll do a last con and give Grimes a taste of his own medicine…
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
It’s only cheating if you get caught.
The last time we saw Billy Cunningham, he was hiding out in Mexico with his girlfriend Maggie Flynn after having scammed Glee! Casino in Las Vegas for a cool five million dollars. For a pair of professional cheats, that’s a happy ending, only Billy and Maggie are both miserable. Billy misses and action of Las Vegas, while Maggie fears she won’t be able to return to the states to attend her daughter Amber’s wedding.
An unlikely savior appears. Special Agent Frank Grimes of the Nevada Gaming Board approaches Billy in a Mexican casino and offers him and Maggie a chance to wipe the slate clean and return to Las Vegas. But there’s a hitch: Grimes wants Billy and his crew to scam a brand-new casino in town and split the proceeds with Grimes, who plans to retire with the loot and drive off into the sunset. The deal sounds too good to be true, but Billy agrees anyway, fearful that Maggie will sneak back into the country on her own and get caught.
Billy returns to Las Vegas and realizes he’s fallen into a trap. Grimes didn’t bother to tell him that Special Agent Ray Lopez – who helped Billy scam Glee! – is trying to kill him, nor did Grimes mention the dead mobsters appearing all over town. Billy decides to get out of town with his girlfriend and crew, but not before pulling the biggest scam of his career while paying Grimes back for the double cross.
Part of the Billy Cunningham series – see the full reading order on the James Swain Books in Order page.
