Billy Cunningham Books in Order

Billy Cunningham gives James Swain a chance to tell casino stories from the other side of the table. Billy is not the cop or consultant spotting the scam. He is the scam. A professional cheat from Providence, Rhode Island, he leads a seasoned crew that makes its living ripping off Las Vegas casinos with carefully staged plays, fake identities, and nerves that almost never crack. That shift in perspective is what makes the series stand out.

Billy lives by a cheater's code, but it is still a cheater's code.

The books, Take Down, Bad Action, Super Con, and Sin City, are caper thrillers built around the mechanics of the con. Swain is clearly interested in how the scams work, how much rehearsal they need, what roles each crew member plays, and how a first impression can fool even suspicious casino staff. Las Vegas is essential here. The hotels, gaming floors, high roller suites, sports books, and endless churn of money are not just scenery. They are the machine Billy is always trying to outsmart.

Each novel gives Billy a big score and then piles on reasons it might collapse. In one book he is trying to stop a legendary family of thieves while quietly running his own play. In another he needs his crew to pass as wealthy gamblers long enough to land the scam of their lives. Super Con adds crime lord pressure and football sized stakes. Sin City pairs Billy with an FBI agent whose gambling habit makes him both useful and dangerous. The fun is in watching a smart plan meet other smart, desperate people.

What links the series is Billy himself. He is charming, calculating, loyal to his crew, and never as simple as he first appears. He is also not a clean handed antihero. He lies for a living and survives by staying ahead of everyone around him. But Swain gives him enough rules, enough care for his people, and enough cool under pressure that readers can follow him without mistaking him for a saint. That balance keeps the books moving between suspense, dark humor, and the low level panic of a plan going off the rails.

The fun is in the setup.

These are not police procedurals, and they are not redemption stories in disguise. They are fast Vegas capers about planning, nerve, betrayal, and the tiny mistakes that can get people killed. If you enjoy thrillers that love the details of the hustle as much as the consequences, Billy Cunningham is probably Swain's most purely entertaining criminal series.