本·梅兹里克，一九九一年从哈佛毕业后，出版了《门槛》、《丰沃的土地》、《皮》等六本畅销小说，以九种文字发行了一百多万册，其中《收获者》还被TBS电视网改编成当红影片《致命的错误》。《决胜21点》出版后，在《纽约时报》畅销排行榜上名列前茅，连续在榜五十三周。

The long-running New York Times bestseller that has become a cultural phenomenon, Bringing Down the House is an action-filled caper carried out by the unlikeliest of cons -- supersmart geeks. Gambling pervaded the M.I.T. campus, and genius kids with money and glittering futures were just as likely to be found in a Paradise Island casino as in the school library. A highly elite group of mathletes was recruited to join The Club, a small, secret blackjack organization dedicated to counting cards and beating the major casinos across the nation at their own game. As a successful ring of card savants, backed by a mysterious ringleader and shadowy investors, they infiltrated Vegas and won millions. The Boston Herald acclaimed it as "a suspenseful tale that portrays the players as Davids going up against Goliaths." And Bill Simmons of ESPN magazine exclaimed, "This book made me want to gamble! Vegas! Vegas!" Filled with tense action, high stakes, and incredibly close calls, Bringing Down the House is a nail-biting chronicle of a real-life Ocean's Eleven . It's one story that Vegas does not want you to read.