Three Card Monte, The Martian Alliance Book Two by Gini Koch

Science Fiction/Space Opera

In Three Card Monte the crew of the Hummingbird is back.  When we saw them last they had just completed a “complicated con for the Andromeda Royal Family.”  Now they are drawn into another con and Roy, Dee Dee, Dr. Wufren, Doven, Kyle, Bullfrog, Ciarissa and Willy are all back in action.

It seems that Monte the Leech has sold part interest in his Palace casino on Roulette  and opened a new casino on Polliworld taking on another partner.  It is the partners that have captured the crew’s interest.  He has sold to the Diamante Families and to the Polliworld Underground.   Both groups are dangerous.  It doesn’t make sense so the crew decides to visit and find out what is going on.  From the moment they land on Polliworld they are drawn into an intricate plot and con.  Look for lots of action and surprises.

My big complaint about the first Martian Alliance story was that it was just too short.  Three Card Monte is still a short read but this time the story is a little longer and there is more information about the crew.  Dee Dee is still the main character.  Her ability to shape-shift does place her in the center of anything that happens.  The plot was exciting and kept me reading.  Look for some of the same surprises that were in the first story.

I really like this group of characters and I hope that there will be new stories about the Hummingbird and her crew.  The world building has great possibilities for additional tales.

Musa Publishing released Three Card Monte by Gini Koch in 2012.