Dear Reader, Love Doug Cooper

Dear Reader,

Have you ever been to Vegas? Do you remember the trip, or was it one of those three-day-minimal-sleep-high-octane benders when you pour yourself into the seat on the airplane ride home and don’t quite feel like yourself again for about three days? Well this book isn’t that. Of course there is a little of that. It couldn’t be a book set in Vegas without some excess and self-medication. But The Investment Club focuses on people who live there. What brought them there? What keeps them there?

Told from the perspective of a seasoned blackjack dealer, The Investment Club tells the stories of self-destructive, dwarf entrepreneur Max Doler, drug-addicted musical performer-turned-stripper Crystal Moore, retired, widowed New Jersey policeman Bill Price, a bereaved, divorced female sportscaster Penny Market, and card-counting, former Catholic priest Les Banks before and after their fateful meeting at the El Cortez Casino in downtown Vegas.

Don’t worry. If you’ve never played blackjack or don’t care for gambling, that’s OK. I explain the basic strategy and the former Catholic priest is an advanced player, so if you want to learn the basics of card-counting, you can, but the rules are not integral to the story. It’s just another theme to reinforce the contrast of gambling and investing from a personal sense rather than a financial one. This book is more about people and how the greatest return we get in our lives comes from investing in one another.

I don’t know about you, but I sometimes get caught up in what I want or have or don’t have and need a reminder that life isn’t about this. It’s about what we do for and how we help each other. That’s why I created these characters and wrote this story.

I hope you enjoy it and visiting Vegas and getting to know these characters and the dealer telling the story. Take your time and don’t be afraid to stop and contemplate the symbolism weaved throughout the story. From the character names to opening every chapter with the Dow Jones open and ending with the Dow Jones close and so much more, there are a lot of subtle nods and references that are worth taking a chance and gambling on to gain a deeper meaning of not only the characters but ourselves as well.

Warm Regards,

Doug

About the Author

Doug Cooper is the author of the award-winning novel Outside In and The Investment Club available October 2016. He has a BS in Mathematics Education from Miami University and a MA in American Studies from Saint Louis University. Always searching, he has traveled to over twenty countries on five continents, exploring the contradictions between what we believe and how we act in the pursuit of truth, beauty, and love. Originally from Port Clinton, Ohio, he has also called Cleveland, St. Louis, Detroit, New York, and Oslo, Norway home. He now lives in Cleveland working on his third novel Focus Lost.

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About the Book:

Title: THE INVESTMENT CLUB
Author: Doug Cooper
Publisher: Rare Bird Books
Pages: 362
Genre: Literary/Upmarket Fiction

Forty million people visit Vegas every year but most never get past the strip. What about the people who live there? What brought them there? What keeps them there?

Told from the perspective of a seasoned blackjack dealer, The Investment Club tells the stories of a self-destructive, dwarf entrepreneur, a drug-addicted musical performer-turned-stripper, a retired, widowed New Jersey policeman, a bereaved, divorced female sportscaster, and a card-counting, former Catholic priest before and after their fateful meeting at the El Cortez Casino in downtown Vegas.

As the five learn the greatest return comes from investing in one another, their lives stabilize and take on new, positive directions. But their love and support for each other can take them only so far before they must determine the meaning and value of their own lives.

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