Shades of Gray

Readers first encountered the Pemberton Bridge Club, along with the 'Jay's Nest' bridge columns, in Ken Allan's first novel, Deadly Endplay. This time there is no mysterious death involved, but perhaps worse than that (for the bridge players) is the growing suspicion that someone in their midst is systematically cheating. As some of them begin to look for evidence, they confront the issues: When does dubious ethics become cheating? Can you prove cheating from hand records? And if you can, what should the consequences be? Finally, why do people cheat at duplicate bridge, a game that offers no monetary rewards? There are no easy answers, and the reader will appreciate the aptness of the book's title.