The Risk of Fortune

On Thanksgiving Day, Dr. Risk's dad loses big at the world's largest casino on America's smallest Indian reservation. James Denny, aka Dr. Risk, writes a weekly column on everyday risks for a New York tabloid, and must win the money back and solve two murders, in this the final novel of the canceled Dr. Risk Mystery series (The Risk of Murder and The Risk of Heaven were originally published by Dell). The setting, based on Foxwoods Casino and the Pequot tribe, is Bearforest Casino in Connecticut. Called by his mom to help, the columnist tries to force his dad to face a gambling addiction that seems to mock his profession. When the second murder of a tribe member occurs, the Indian nation hires Dr. Risk to solve the killings; they'll wipe clean his dad's debt if he does. But Dr. Risk's investigation stirs up a hornet's nest. Everyone in Connecticut has the motive to do harm to the now wealthy tribe: the local townies, the State Police, a gubernatorial candidate running on an anti-gambling platform, and a rival Indian tribe down the road. Indeed, only through his deductive skills, risk theory expertise, tai chi talents, and advanced degree in being a smart-aleck, is Dr. Risk able to find the real culprit. And in so doing, to confront the lumps and bumps of his own heritage.