Taking Chances

"Taking Chances" by Clarence Louis Cullen is a book that explores the exciting but dangerous lives of those involved in horse racing and gambling during the late 1800s. The book kicks off by drawing in readers familiar with betting, whether on horses or cards, and then immediately throws them into a detective's story about escorting a swindler back to Pittsburg, setting a stage filled with themes of fortune, lies, and the problems that come with wagering. One of the stories describes a gambler with color blindness making a bad bet because he mixed up a signal, which causes him to lose a lot of money and face serious trouble with his partners. Overall, these narratives draw readers into the high-stakes universe of horse racing where fortunes are won and lost, and one wrong move can have a big impact on the characters in the story.