Review: Vegas Knights by Matt Forbeck (Angry Robot)

Let me say right from the top that I feel as if I had sat at a happy hour with Matt Forbeck one night and we talked about some of my favorite things; great books, magic, Las Vegas, caper movies, zombies and then he turned up the next day with THIS!  VEGAS KNIGHTS is one of the best Urban Fantasy books I've read in a long time; it's cleverly written, fast paced and wonderfully fresh.

Jackson and Bill are two college students who come to Las Vegas on spring break to try to win big at the casinos; the difference here is that they want to do it using magic.  

Of course, they get caught.  And from here Matt Forbeck lets us in on the biggest secret of Las Vegas, that it's not the Mob that runs the city but is in fact several factions of magicians.  Forbeck reveals this secret history of Vegas bit by tasty bit while keeping the action coming fast and furious.

For me, VEGAS KNIGHTS succeeded on so many levels; the writing is breezy and natural, the chareacters are likable, the pace of the novel moves at a fast clip and I can see why several reviewers have mentioned the cinematic quality of Forbeck's writing; the neon and glamour of Las Vegas jump off the page and you can hear every bell and whistle from the casinos.  Yes, VEGAS KNIGHTS is begging to be a big, splashy Hollywood blockbuster.

I think the only quibble I have is that the story wrapped up too soon for me; but again, that's a minor complaint since I found the book to be so damn good!  It is my sincere hope that Matt Forbeck will continue Jackson and Bill's excellent adventures in Vegas, since I think he's come across a goldmine here with plenty of stories left to plumb from it.  And if he does, I will be all in!