Most people think a professional poker player rolls out of bed at noon, grabs a beer, and heads straight for the nearest casino.

Yeah, no.

My day starts when a wet nose bumps my elbow around six a.m. That would be Peefur—one hundred-plus pounds of shaggy enthusiasm who firmly believes walks should happen before sunrise. I try to argue. He wins. Every time.

The world is quiet at that hour. I like it that way. It gives me time to think. Not about cards, oddly enough, but about the two people who matter most: my wife, Danni, and our son, Gordie. My side hustle might be unconventional—I play poker—but “husband” and “dad” are the roles I never bluff my way through.

After Peefur and I make our rounds, I head back to the kitchen. Danni says my coffee could strip rust off a car. I call it “motivation in a mug.” While the pot gurgles, I check overnight messages from friends, other cardplayers, and the occasional person who wants to tell me how I “should” have played a particular hand they saw on TV. (Funny thing about armchair quarterbacks—they never seem to be the ones posting the buy-ins.)

Most days, if I’m not in a tournament, I treat poker like an office job with very strange hours. I review hands, study opponents’ patterns, and run numbers. It’s a lot less about luck than people think. You learn to read people the way other folks read spreadsheets. A tap of the finger, a twitch at the corner of the mouth—those tiny movements are like subtitles for what they don’t say out loud.

But life isn’t all felt and chips. There’s grocery shopping, leaking faucets, and the never-ending saga of what to pack for school lunch that isn’t noodles or nuggets. When Danni is working, I’m on dad duty. I swap my poker face for my “let’s find your other sneaker” face.

Every once in a while, though, the skills from the card room come in handy outside the casino. You notice when someone is lying. You sense when the stakes are higher than they look. In All In, what starts as a seemingly simple favor—checking on a situation that doesn’t feel quite right—turns into the kind of real-life gamble I can’t walk away from.

At the tables, I play for money. At home, I play for keeps. And when the people I care about are in danger?

That’s when Brick Lansky stops counting chips…and pushes his whole life into the pot.

ALL IN
Series Name: A Brick Lansky Mystery / Kiki Lowenstein Companion Novel
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release: January 2026
Format: Digital, Print
Purchase Link

A warm, character-rich mystery from the world of Kiki Lowenstein—featuring family, loyalty, and one unforgettable dog.

After helping Kiki and Cara in Florida, Brick Lansky is ready for a quiet life back home in St. Louis. He’s looking forward to everything he treasures most: the smell of fresh coffee in the kitchen, Danni’s lovingly chaotic laundry mishaps, Shabbas dinners with family, and the comforting thump of Peefur’s tail against the floor. But when a mysterious handwritten letter arrives from Chicago—carrying the faint scent of the past—Brick realizes trouble may be closer than he thinks.

What begins as a typical cozy weekend of family meals, gentle teasing, and Peefur’s oversized devotion soon unravels into something deeper. A secret from decades ago is stirring, threatening Brick’s business, his home, and the people he loves most. And when old loyalties collide with new dangers, Brick discovers that the biggest gamble in life isn’t played at a poker table—it’s the one you take to protect your family.

Filled with humor, heart, gentle suspense, and the warm domestic moments fans of Joanna Campbell Slan adore, ALL IN is a cozy-friendly companion to Resort, Two, Murder—perfect for readers who love mysteries that blend emotional depth with the comforts of home.

About the author
Joanna Campbell Slan is the New York Times, USA Today, and Amazon bestselling author of the Kiki Lowenstein Mystery series and multiple spin-off novels, including All In, a companion book that shines the spotlight on fan-favorite poker pro Brick Lansky. Known for her warm-hearted cozies filled with family, friendship, crafts, and lovable pets, Joanna has written more than eighty books and numerous short stories. When she’s not plotting murder (on the page), she enjoys crafting, travel, and spoiling her own four-legged family members.