Last Chance in Vegas

Last Chance in Vegas
First edition
Author	Jonathan Pinnock
Cover artist	kid-ethic
Language	English
Publisher	Farrago Books
Publication date	2022
ISBN	978-1-78842-429-5
Preceded by	Bad Day in Minsk
Followed by	The Code of the Vavasors

Last Chance in Vegas is a book by Jonathan Pinnock. It is the fifth in the Mathematical Mystery series and was published by Farrago Books in October 2022.

Blurb

On the trail of a couple of missing alpacas, disaster-prone Tom Winscombe has somehow ended up at an online gambling convention in Las Vegas.

With the assistance of his mysterious new companion Ada, his quest takes on a dangerous turn as he finds that this time he has some hungry wildlife to contend with, as well as a cast of disreputable and downright dangerous human characters.

As the stakes get higher and his chances of survival drop lower, Tom finds the only solution may be to forge an unexpected alliance with someone from his past. Will he end up with a winning hand, or will everything fall apart like a house of cards?

Critical Reception

The reception to the book was generally extremely favourable.

Summary of Plot

Following the events of Bad Day in Minsk, Tom has retreated to his father's static caravan to lick his wounds and look after Dolores and Steven, the alpacas. One day, he receives an unexpected phone call from Ali asking him to be the donor for her and Patrice's baby. He agrees, but a more urgent problem arises when he realises that the alpacas have been stolen. The only clue as to the thief is a key, attached to a small rubber duck.

Tom visits Ali and Patrice to discuss donor arrangements and while he is there, he asks Ali if she can track down where the key fob might have come from. She manages to trace it to the Luxxy Duxxy Corporation, a defunct manufacturer of novelty rubber ducks, one of whose properties - in Basingstoke - is also occupied by Merritt Foods, owned by the American billionaire and Institute for Progress and Development donor, Robert J Merritt III. Tom resolves to go to Basingstoke to find out what's going on. He also asks about Dorothy and it turns out she is currently on an extended visit to Third Uncle in Macau.

While attempting to break into the Luxxy Duxxy offices in Basingstoke, Tom encounters the mysterious Ada, who is doing something similar. Tom and Ada manage to find out that there is something unusual going on there involving Robert J Merritt III and some dodgy software but then they are discovered and they have to make their escape via Ada's high-performance motorbike. Ada drops him off back at the caravan and disappears into the night without explaining anything about who she is or why she was there.

Tom finds out that there is a cyber gambling convention coming up next week at the Robert J Merritt III Convention Center in Las Vegas the following week, so he decides to go there to tackle the mystery at its source. After checking in at the Heartbreak Motel, he inveigles himself into a temporary job at the convention center, working in a team under boss Jolene alongside Maria and Jésus. It turns out that Merritt himself is in town, staying at the presidential suite at the top of the El Gran Pelícano hotel and casino across the road. Unexpectedly, there is a need for someone to do some electrical work up there and Tom volunteers, despite knowing nothing about electrics.

Tom is introduced to Don as the man in charge in the suite. Eventually he manages to gives Don the slip and goes exploring, ultimately finding himself inside an artificial jungle, where he finds a small building that appears to house the main computer system. The jungle is also home to a big cat, which Tom escapes just in time, only to find himself face to face with Don once again. He explains to Don that he was looking for a particular tool and Don drives him out towards the desert to find one. It soon becomes apparent that Don in fact intends to dispose of Tom, but he is unexpectedly saved by the arrival of Ada on a Harley Davidson. Ada sets fire to Don's vehicle and leaves him there, taking Tom back into Las Vegas. Ada drops Tom off back at his motel, bit not before mentioning that she is actually Ada Vavasor.

Tom finds that his room has been ransacked, although nothing is actually missing. He goes out and kills time in a bar whereupon he is spotted by Jolene and Don. He escapes by diving through the bathroom window and eventually makes his rendezvous with Ada, who is staying at El Gran Pelícano. They go out for a meal and she reveals that she is the daughter of Isaac Vavasor and Margot Evercreech, and that she is in Las Vegas because her electric bike got infected with ransomware which she traced back to the Luxxy Duxxy offices in Basingstoke.