This book is really part of Deadman's Poker, and really, sadly, was like coming in halfway through a televised mini-series. I strongly recommend that you read Deadman's Poker BEFORE this one, because this book does a poor job of summing up what happened in the other book. The highlight of the book was indeed, Old Rufus Steele, a hustler of grand proportion, who always has a trick or two up his sleeve. Otherwise, the characters in the book don't matter much. The book is much more about cheaters and the myriad of cheating schemes people use. There is no real mystery offered her. That doesn't mean that this is not a rich and satisfying read-- just that it isn't quite as compelling as other books in this series.