Millard Lacouvy is a short, plain, fiercely independent prodigy in the male world of poker. She learns her craft in Depression-era Vancouver and then graduates to high stakes games on the Canadian Pacific Railway. When the trains fail to satisfy either her ambition or her need for security, she goes to Bugsy Siegel's Las Vegas. There she is haunted by the handsome conman she has known all her life, and learns that love can also be a game of chance. Along the way, Pasold gives us a richand convincing historical portrait of Vancouver and Vegas in the '40s.

Lisa Pasold's profile page

Lisa Pasold is a journalist and travel writer who divides her time between Paris and Toronto. She is the author of two books of poetry, Weave and A Bad Year for Journalists.

"Toronto-;based Lisa Pasold's debut novel is as enticing as the lit-up Las Vegas strip and as satisfying as a winning hand at poker. . . Rats is charming, original, and rich in historical detail." - Winnipeg Free Press

"This book has lots of poker references in it but it's not a book about poker. It is a window into a world of high stakes gambling and all the "rats" that one can meet along the way. It's Pasold's first novel and looks like it's going to be a big hit." - Bodog Canada online poker website

"Rats of Las Vegas is first and foremost a good yarn about a solitary woman asserting herself in a man's world- not through glamour or sex but through sheer wits and determination." - Prairie Fire

"Millard is a fascinating character. . . This original, spirited novel is the work of a gifted writer." - Lauren B. Davis, author of The Radiant City

"As compulsive as a gambler, as propulsive as a transcontinental train Rats of Las Vegas is an irrisistible read." - Ellis Avery,author of The Teahouse Fire