The Digger's Game

A riveting George V. Higgins masterpiece about Jerry Doherty and his trip to Vegas that puts him eighteen grand in the hole.

Jerry "Digger" Doherty is an ex-con and proprietor of a workingman's Boston bar, who supplements his income with the occasional "odd job," like stealing live checks or picking up hot goods. His brother's a priest, his wife's a nag, and he has a deadly appetite for martinis and gambling. On a trip to Vegas, the Digger finds himself in the sights of a loan shark known as “the Greek.” Luckily—if you call it luck—the Digger has been let in on a little job that can turn his gambling debt into a profit, if only he can pull it off without getting himself killed.

“Another bullseye for Higgins!” —The New York Times

“Digger is so real that the next time you order a drink from a bartender, you’ll look at him hard, wondering what he does on his days off.” —Los Angeles Times

"Higgins is one hell of a writer." —Newsday

"Aspiring writers of any genre, not just legal suspense, would be wise to read lots of George Higgins." —John Grisham

“Higgins deserves to stand in the company of the likes of Chandler and Hammett as one of the true innovators in crime fiction.” —Scott Turow

"Higgins can plot a whole book like one long chase scene. He can write dialogue so authentic it spits." —Life

“One of the great crime writers of the twentieth century.” —Kansas City Star

“Higgins writes about the world of crime with an authenticity that is unmatched.” —The Washington Post

“A uniquely gifted writer . . . who does at least as well by the Hogarthian Boston he knows as Raymond Chandler once did for Southern California.” —The New York Times