In the heart of the neon-soaked desert, James McManus pens a masterful saga that is "Positively Fifth Street," a riveting blend of high stakes, personal ambition, and the dark underbelly of American dreams. Dispatched by Harper's Magazine to the vibrant chaos of Las Vegas, McManus is tasked with a seemingly straightforward assignment: to document the World Series of Poker and the burgeoning presence of women in a dominion ruled by dollars and daring. Yet, as the shimmering Vegas veneer begins to fade, McManus finds himself drawn into a whirlpool of temptation, propelling him to stake his own claim at the tables, an odyssey fueled by the raw pulse of survival and the captivating allure of a life-altering jackpot. Beneath the surface of this glittering spectacle lies a tale as compelling as it is cautionary, intertwining McManus's personal battle of wits and will at the poker table with the sinister shadows cast by the murder of Ted Binion, the tournament's charismatic yet troubled patron. "Positively Fifth Street" delivers more than just a suspense-filled account of a gamble against the odds; it plunges the reader into a meticulously painted portrait of a world where the thrill of the game becomes a metaphor for the human condition, our ancient instincts played out on the green felt battlefields of modern existence. McManus crafts a narrative that is at once a celebration of the singular American ritual of poker and a deeply human story of ambition, risk, and the eternal quest for a second chance.