Product Description

When Vincent Gambuzzo, the not-so-bright proprietor of the Tiffany Gentleman's Club in Panama City, Florida, loses his business playing poker, his headliner, exotic dancer Sierra Lavotini, faces a crisis. The new sign out front reads BIG MIKE'S HOUSE OF BOOTY, and Big Mike's new business strategy leaves a little to be desired in the class department and even less to the imagination of the increasingly rambunctious clientele. As the dancers' unofficial leader and mother hen, Sierra leads most of her coworkers in a walkout and schemes to restore Vincent to power. But he's in jail, charged with murdering a man in a shootout at the end of that same disastrous poker game. Can Sierra prove Vincent innocent, help her fellow out-of-work dancers, and manage to make next month's trailer payment without a job? With the help of her neighbor Raydean, her on-again boyfriend, Panama City Homicide Detective John Nailor, and her "uncle," "Big Moose" Lavotini of the New Jersey syndicate, of course she can, and it adds up to another fantastic ride in this hilarious and sexy series.AUTHORBIO: Nancy Bartholomew is the author of three previous Sierra Lavotini mysteries and two Maggie Reid mysteries. Born and raised outside Philadelphia, she now lives in Greensboro, North Carolina, where she is a practicing psychotherapist. END

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #805585 in Books
• Published on: 2001-11-02
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 272 pages

From Publishers Weekly
What a game! (Note the title.) What a dame! Sierra Lavotini, the gutsy, busty, blonde exotic dancer who moonlights as a catcher of bad guys, is back for her fourth raunchy and amusing adventure (after 2000's Film Strip). Sierra, along with her fellow dancers, is out of a job after Vincent Gambuzzo, the dim owner of Tiffany Gentleman's Club, loses it in a poker game. When a gang of hoods bursts into the room to seize the take, in the ensuing fracas one player, Denny, is killed and the bouncer is badly injured. The police, including Sierra's boyfriend, John Nailor, arrest Vincent for murder, since the fatal bullet came from his gun. At Denny's wake, Sierra literally stumbles on another corpse. And so it goes. This girl is a magnet for trouble, as one of her friends points out. But with the help of her familiar supporting cast of characters, notably Raydean, her lovable but certifiable trailer-park neighbor, and Fluffy, her hairless Chihuahua, you can count on Sierra to sort it all out. Sierra displays her usual uninhibited candor and bad grammar, neither of which can be attributed to Sister Frances, a former teacher, whose advice she often gives herself. Sierra and Nailor, now an established couple after a long flirtation, enjoy steamy sex, but unexpected competition enters in the person of "Big Moose" Lavotini, a New Jersey mobster whom Sierra has long claimed sight unseen as her uncle to impress others of his ilk. While the murders are satisfactorily resolved, the author leaves a lot of loose ends that need to be tied up and soon! (Nov. 12)(Your Cheatin' Heart).

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
After losing his strip club in a poker game, Sierra Lavotini's boss soon finds himself accused of murder. Sierra sexy, smart, and hilarious proceeds to clear his name while still keeping tabs on her out-of-work co-workers. Very entertaining.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Sierra Lavotini, the reigning queen of northwest Florida's exotic dance industry, is back in all her sensible, sexy, sarcastic glory. Her boss, Vinny, loses the Tiffany Gentleman's Club in a poker game that is interrupted by an attempted robbery. In the ensuing chaos, one of the players is shot. Vinny is accused of the crime, and Sierra--backed by crazy neighbor Raydean and Chihuahua Fluffy--endeavors to clear his name and rescue the club before its reputation is destroyed by the new owner (who promptly renames it Big Mike's House of Booty). Meanwhile, a family crisis takes her back to Philadelphia for Christmas and away from her faltering relationship with Detective John Nailor. And New Jersey mobster "Big Moose" Lavotini, whose name Sierra has dropped several times in tough situations, shows up to see who's been calling herself his niece. The plot loses a bit of momentum near the end, but the laughs make up for the missteps in this tart read, the fourth in the series. Carrie Bissey
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Customer Reviews

Getting down to business
In the first three books of the series, Nancy Bartholomew introduced us to Sierra Lavotini, the headliner of the Tiffany's Gentleman's Club in Panama City. Sierra is book smart, loyal and no nonsense. She controls her boss, Vincent Gambuzzo, by hinting to her (non-existent) familial connections to a New Jersey Mafia boss known as `Big Moose' Lavotini. Ms. Bartholomew's books are filled with funny situations, a great supporting cast and a nice, cozy mystery. The author never makes her characters demeaning or condescending but after writing those fun books the writer decides to get a bit serious this time.

It is December and Christmas is just around the corner. Vincent Gambuzzo has lost the club during a poker game and is then accused of killing one of the players. Sierra is exploring her relationship with Detective John Nailor wondering if she has finally found true love. She is unhappy with the club's new management after changing its name to Big Mike's House of Booty that she decides to stage a walkout with the other dancers. Just when everyone needs her to help Vincent and save the club she has to fly to her hometown of Philadelphia to deal with a family emergency. This event will demonstrate how strong Sierra can be with herself.

In STRIP POKER, Sierra Lavotini has matured as a character after her adventures in the previous three books. We get to appreciate how she interacts with her entire family throughout their personal crisis and see the love that they share with each other. With the sole exception of Sierra's kooky neighbor Raydean, the comedy in this book is not so strong but that is all right. We get to see a major change in Sierra's life at the end of the novel making us wish that the next novel comes out soon. I guess it is time to read Ms. Bartholomew's other two novels that introduces Maggie Reid. It should be good.

"Uncle" Moose Lavotini, Come On Down
The beautiful and classy Sierra Lavotini is back in her fourth page-turning adventure. The action is fierce and the stakes are high in this hysterically funny book.

Nancy Bartholomew is quickly becomming a stand-out mystery writer with a nice collection of books. In STRIP POKER, exotic dancer Sierra Lavotini's boss, Vincent, has gambled away the club, and is arrested for murder. While Sierra and the girls walk-out on the new owner, she must find a way to clear Vincent's name so she can make next month's trailor payment. During her escapades, she has to deal with a life-and-death family crisis, her boyfriend's ex-wife, and the infamous New Jersey crime boss, Moose Lavotini.

The book flies by at a blistering pace, peppered with humor, witty dialogue, and some of the strangest settings you could ever imagine. All of the regular characters are back, including the ever-popular, alien-hunting, machine-gun-carrying Raydean. Her off-the-wall, wacky humor is unmatched, and helps make the book one incredibly enjoyable read.

The storyline is fantastic, and the suspense factor is wonderful. Bartholomew keeps you guessing right through to the explosive ending, in which you are still left wondering if what you read really happened. This excellent book is a can't miss. STRIP POKER will leave you "royally flushed."

Nancy Bartholomew is #1
In my opinion, Stip Poker shot Nancy Bartholomew way past Janet Evanovich! I love this series and the characters. If you want action, humor, tears, all out enjoyment for a couple of hours - read any one of Nancy Bartholomew's Sierre Lavotini's books. This one was fantastic - her best yet and I can't wait for the next. It was definitely worth paying for the hardback and is now sitting in the honored spot on the bookshelf. Thank you, Nancy, for the enjoyable time and for bringing in Moose Lavotini.... he added a touch a spice and mystery!