The Motif of Gambling

In A Line to Kill, gambling is used as a motif to suggest that Charles’s death was in some way related to his internet gambling business. The literary festival is sponsored by Spin-the-Wheel, an internet gambling site owned by Charles. Charles received a playing card on the windshield of his car the day he died. A coin was found on the floor of the Snuggery where he was killed. Both coins and cards are items that are frequently used in gambling.

Gambling is first mentioned in the novel when Horowitz learns that the gambling company, Spin-the-Wheel, will be sponsoring the literary festival on the island of Alderney. Helen shares with Horowitz how out of character it is for Charles to sponsor a literary festival since he does not even read. The reader later learns it was the fact that Spin-the-Wheel sponsored the...