Goodreads says: "One unexpected twist after another follows as we watch a fierce, unapologetic Maud play the most important poker hand of her life. The stakes? To take down her enemies and get justice for their victims. Her success depends on her continuing ability to bluff. "

My notes say "Whip smart and fast moving, a giant poker game being played for revenge. Highly recommended. A few F bombs." and 4.5 stars ( )

I've said more than once that I'm a character-driven reader, and when I picked up Jane Stanton Hitchcock's Bluff, I hit the jackpot. Main character Maud Warner's witty, satirical voice grabbed me on the very first page, and the story she told enthralled me. How deep was I under Maud's spell? I stayed up until 5:30 AM to find out how it all came down, that's how deep.

The unfolding of Bluff's plot is delicious. Part comedic heist, part social commentary, Maud's voice makes readers feel as if they're right in the heart of the action... but they're not. Maud's a poker player, and she plays her cards close to her chest. One surprise after another lays in wait, and I'm pretty sure I had a smile on my face most of the time as I read this book.

As we read, we hear Maud being called "Mad Maud," "the D.B. Cooper of little old ladies," "Grandma Moses," and an "AARP pinup," but Maud is simultaneously telling us her side of the story, so we know those epithets are the furthest thing from the truth.

Burt Sklar is the villain you want to tie to the railroad tracks. From his overuse of adverbs (that made me want to slap him each time he did it) to the repetition of his name... Sklar, Sklar, Sklar... I came to think of him as a festering wound on the rump of humanity. I was completely invested in Maud's plan for bringing him down. To continue the railroad analogy, once Sklar was tied to the tracks, I would gladly shovel coal into the boiler while Maud blew the whistle and aimed straight for this despicable excuse for a human being.

From the brilliantly designed cover to the very last word on the very last page, I loved Jane Stanton Hitchcock's Bluff. My advice? Get your hands on a copy, get your nest made, and start reading. ( )

Bluff, by Jane Stanton Hitchcock, gives new meaning to the idea that revenge is a dish best served cold. Maud, the main character, not only serves it up cold but in a big heaping portion! Full of intrigue, wonderful characters and a nasty plot of revenge to pay back the bad guys, this book is absorbing from page one all the way through to the end.
Maud is a 50ish divorcee who is primed and ready for a fight. She has always suspected that Burt Skylar, an accountant to the rich and famous in NYC, swindled her mother out of over 100 million dollars. She has spoken against him for years and has earned the nickname “Mad Maud”. However, she has never been able to prove anything.
Finally all the right cards are in her hand and she sees her chance for revenge. She enters The Four Seasons, one of the swankiest restaurants in the city, and pulls the trigger and shoots Sun Sutherland, a wealthy and prominent businessman, who is dining with Skylar. Did she miss or is there more to this story than meets the eye?
Love, love, loved the character of Maud. She has a brilliant mind and is downright devious. I also loved how she played people like she played poker. Most everyone is totally taken in by the frumpy middle-aged woman act that she carried off better than a Broadway actress. I would hate to get on her bad side and can only pity those she plays poker against. The supporting characters also hit the mark with me. They helped round out the revenue plot nicely.
The plot has more twists than the Mississippi River and it was fast paced. I really appreciate the balance the author was able to achieve between pace and character development. I find that in this type of book one or the other is lacking. Brilliantly done!
I highly recommend this book to readers of mystery and thrillers. In addition, if you love strong female characters you will enjoy Maud and her story.
I received a copy from the published in exchange for honest review. For more of my book reviews, and author interviews, see my blog at www.thespineview.com. ( )

Bluff is a great story that establishes a feeling at the beginning and continues all of the way through to the end. It has everything that a good tale requires, believable characters, deceit, murder, chance meetings, money, society, low lifes, attorneys all in a beautifully told tale. It is highly entertaining and above all else deserves a solid five star rating. ( )

Maud Warner, a skilled poker player, decides to kill the man who swindled her mother out of her fortune and is responsible for the death of her brother. Her hatred of this man has been festering for years and has now matured into an implacable resolve. The murder itself will be simple; walk up to the man and shoot him in plain sight. After all, she notes, the best place to hide something is in plain sight. Getting away with the murder will require the intricate planning skills and finely-honed ability to deceive, that she has developed through years of practice at the poker table.

But the plan falls apart the minute Maud moves from planning to action. The wrong man is murdered, and the unexpected discovery that the murdered man was a bigamist leave her at the mercenary of an ambitious District Attorney. He thinks Maud is clearly nuts, but his only interest is a “murder one” conviction.

Is Maud going to spend the rest of her life in prison, or are these developments all part of an elaborate, high-stakes bluff?

Jane Stanton Hitchcock has created a minimalist murder mystery that sets out at a snappy pace. The story is populated with exaggerated, humorous characters, each one bigger than life. The depictions of the characters and situations are little more than sketches, but what fun sketches they are.

Sadly, after a good start, the forward movement of the story is interrupted by numerous, non-sequential flashbacks. A flashback to a recent time may be followed by a brief return to the present and then a flashback to the more distant past. These reduced my enjoyment of the book.

On balance, however, “Bluff” tells an enjoyable story of an intricately planned, diabolically clever murder, planned and executed by an idiosyncratic cast of characters, and of their efforts to game the system. ( )