“The Gambler’s Apprentice is a tightly written tale of growing up violent in Texas in the World War I era . . . the characters and the land ring with authenticity. [It] is an absorbing tale that leaves readers wishing for more.” —Sunday Denver Post
"The Gambler's Apprentice is a sophisticated and deftly crafted western novel that will prove to be an enduringly popular addition to community library collections." —The Midwest Book Review
“Except once in a blue moon, when else do you find a story packed with action and adventure involving big-as-life characters in settings and situations readymade for the silver screen? What’s more, the characters already know their lines; no script doctor is needed to improve this dialogue. Moreover, the author’s powers of description rival those of Cormac McCarthy in showing that the outback of the Tex-Mex border is no country for old men, and that even young ones age quickly there.” —The New York Journal of Books
“Dialog out of the old school, as good as L’Amour, maybe even better.” —The Review of Arts, Literature, Philosophy, and the Humanities
“I found the reading extremely satisfying; I did not want it to end, and suspect that any reader of contemporary fiction would feel the same way.” —Les Standiford, author of Deal with the Dead: A John Deal Mystery
“The book is dramatic, cinematic, and broad in scope. Willy Bobbins, the apprentice of the title, is a fascinating character, an illiterate who is nonetheless brilliant with numbers and odds, and on his way to becoming a master poker player. The Gambler’s Apprentice illuminates the role of Texas gamblers and oilmen in the founding of the gambling mecca of Las Vegas.” —Lawrence Coates, author of The Goodbye House
"In the mood for a good book? Be sure to put The Gambler's Apprentice, by H. Lee Barnes on your list. It is as good as I've read in a coon's age."--Robert Lamb, Georgetown Times
~Robert Lamb, Georgetown Times
