title: Lay the Favorite: A Story About Gamblers
author:  Beth Raymer 
description: Betting on the come in her wickedly funnydebut, Beth Raymers prose is likea virginin a sandybikini festooned with C-notes. FromVegas to Rio, from the boxing ringto the stripper's pole, sherubs shoulders and other things with the sickestcrewof action junkies since Roulettenburg. Her ear for sports bettors' patois, for the ins and outs of pleasure, self-pleasure, andgetting the best of it,makes <i><i>Lay the Favorite </i></i>a kaleidoscope of high-test debauchery. James McManus, author of <i>Positively Fifth Street</i> <br /><br />Strange as hell, wildly affectionate and very, very funny. It is a world filled with scoundrels, thieves, and gamblers. It is a world we all recognize, where everyone is looking to somehow come out on top while doing what they love. The book is wise and has a relish for life that is a treat. Stephen Frears <br /><br />Beth Raymer possesses one of the most original voices I've encountered in years of teaching, reading, and reviewing young writers. And she puts that voice to ideal use in depicting the demimonde of sports gambling, the place where she finds an unlikely but uncanny surrogate family. <i>Lay the Favorite</i> is a coming-of-age saga like no other youre ever likely to read. Samuel G. Freedman, author of <i>Letters to a Young Journalist</i><br /><br />Lay the Favorite reads more like a novel than a memoir. The rich characters are drawn in depth, yet simply and honestly.<i>Wall Street Journal<br /></i><br />[A] very funny and smart book.Robert Siegel, NPR/All Things Considered<br /><br />Seduced by her stories, we long for this strange, sleazy and alluring landscape, even as the stakes get higher and Raymer's search for the best of it turns into a worst-case scenario. With a film adaptation in the works, it's a safe bet that Raymer's memoir will find a wide audience. In fact, her engaging voice makes her a shoe-in for a sequel. I'm setting the odds at 3 to 1.<i>Los Angeles Times</i><br /><br />Raymers crackling, hilarious memoir ricochets through the gambling underwold in Las Vegas, and is peopled with all manner of lovable wack-jobs, none of whom is quite as wackyor lovableas Raymer herself.<i>Marie Claire<br /></i><br />Candid, smart, funny, wild and crazy.<i>Elle</i>, Top 10 Summer Books for 2010<br /><br />Its hard not to like the breezy, ingenuous voice of this plucky protagonist who proves shes game for any kind of new experience.<i>Publishers Weekly<br /></i><br /><br /><br /><i>From the Hardcover edition.</i>
zlib_text: Gambling on Her Dragon
  
  
  Shifters in Vegas
  
  
  by
  
  
  Anna Lowe
  
  
  Book 1
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Gambling on Her Dragon
  
  
  Copyright © 2016 by Anna Lowe
  
  
  
  
  
  author@annalowebooks.com
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner
  without the express written permission of the author except for the use of
  brief quotations in articles or reviews.
  
  
  
  
  
  This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons is purely
  coincidental.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ## Other books in this series
  
  ### [Shifters in Vegas](http://annalowebooks.com/books-
  overview/series/22?utm_source=siv01_gohd&utm_medium=ebook_kindle&utm_content=booksinseries_fm&utm_campaign=generic)
  
  Paranormal romance with a zany twist
  
  ![Shifters in Vegas](../images/00001.jpeg)
  
  [Gambling on Trouble](http://smarturl.it/civ0-bm)
  
  
  
  
  
  [Gambling on Her Dragon](http://smarturl.it/civ1-bm)
  
  
  
  
  
  [Gambling on Her Bear](http://smarturl.it/civ2-bm)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  visit
  [www.annalowebooks.com](http://annalowebooks.com?utm_sour