When the Fat Man Sings

Westminster, Maryland, U.S.A.: Bantam Books, 1987. First Printing . Hard Back. Near Fine/Near Fine. 6" x 9. Crawford, Robert - Cover. 216 Pages. October 1987 Edition. When Shifty Lou Anderson arrives at the casino, the fat man is losing and losing heavily. With a couple of hours to kill between magic shows, Shifty lends the fat man his hot hand with the dice and pulls him out from under, but only temporarliy. The rotund high roller, it turns out, is Fulvio Gaspoarini, operatic tenor supreme. Overcome with gratitude, the loveable. totally spendthrift Fulvio decides that Shifty is his persoanal lucky charm. He offers to pay Shifty well to join the fat man's glorious world of celebrities and jet set travel, if he turns him into a winner at the horses and the tables. For most gamblers, Gasparini's proposition would be a dream come true, but Shifty has his magic to think about, as well as a dangerous lover affair with a beautiful, married illusionist that is just beginning to soar. Against his better insincts, Shifty finds himself in New York, where between sold-out performances at the Met he helps the tenor handicap winners. He learns quickly, though, that more risks are involved than just a bad day at the track.