"mˈɛnɪəv bˈælɑːɹdz nˈɑːvəlz ɑːɹ sˈɛt... ɪn lˌɑːs vˈeɪɡəs, ænd hiː ˈɔːlweɪz dˈʌz ɐ kənvˈɪnsɪŋ dʒˈɑːb ʌv poːɹtɹˈeɪɪŋ ðɪs fˈæsᵻnˌeɪɾɪŋ, sˈɛldəm jˈuːɾɪlˌaɪzd dˈɛzɚt loʊkˈæl wɪð ɪts wˈaɪdˈoʊpən kɐsˈiːnoʊz, ɪts mˈɔːɹəl ˌæmbɪɡjˈuːɪɾi, ænd ðɪ ʌnˈiːzi ɐlˈaɪəns bᵻtwˌiːn ɡˈæmblɚz ænd pəlˈiːs."
"Many of Ballard's novels are set... in Las Vegas, and he always does a convincing job of portraying this fasinating, seldom utilized desert locale with its wide-open casinos, its moral ambiguity, and the uneasy alliance between gamblers and police."