Books for New Counter Playing DD game
You are off to a good start with your reading.
Most creditable books on blackjack will cite other books for recommended reading to supplement your learing. Also, webpages often have a reading list as well. What I've found is that you will see many of the same books cited over and over again. I've followed that advice and put together quite a collection, each offering a little something extra from the others. Indeed, there are few of the frequently recommended books I haven't read (usually the lists range from 10-15 books or so).
But to answer your question, because you are playing a double deck game its highly likely you will need to use a play all approach. Thus, you will need to learn many indices, although you should focus on a limited set at first, either the "Illustrious 18" or "Catch 22". Thus, I feel the top 3 books for you would be Professional Blackjack, Blackbelt in Blackjack and Blackjack Attack.
Both Pro Blackjack and Blackbelt can be found in chain bookstores right now, and sell for about $20 each. Blackjack Attack you will need to order via phone or on-line. If you buy Attack from RGE21 for about $20 also plus you will get a couple of months free access to Trackjack and Don's Domain.
I would advise you to read the first two books first, and then get Attack. Pro Blackjack & Blackbelt are written in direct, clear style, with Blackbelt a little more conversational & a little more wide ranging (indeed if I had to choose between Pro Blackjack & Blackbelt, I would take Blackbelt). Both will teach count systems, Hi-Lo & Halves in Pro Blackjack; Red 7, Hi-Lo Lite & Zen in Blackbelt. You will need to have a system understood (preferablty Hi-Lo) before you go on to Attack, which builds upon your understanding of the game. Attack is even a little more conversational, and I found it took more time for me to absorb the information, but what a trove of treasures! Attack covers a wide range of topics, and is a complement to any count system you choose, as it covers in detail picking games to play, optimal betting ramps (of great value this), risk of ruin, cost of cover plays, backcounting techniques and many others. IMHO, these three books should be read by every player that is serious about winning at Blackjack.
Hi-Lo will get you the money, and give you a solid system to get into more powerful but closely related count systems (RPC or Halves) or other techniques, such as side counting Aces or 7,8 or 9's, shuffle tracking, or ace predicting.
Other folks may disagree with my recommendations, especially because you plan to limit yourself to double deck games. They might call for Hi-Opt II or AOII, which are perhaps the best level 2 counts available and perform about as well as any other system. But those require side counts, are level 2 systems and thus have a longer learing time. Or perhaps others may suggest a compromise system, such as Zen or Unbalanced Zen, which are level twos without side counting. All systems have their strong points, and by reading the above books you will get some direction on selecting your system.
I must say that Cutting Edge Blackjack, which I believe you mentioned in your post, I find to have little practical value. It has a number of interesting statistics, but as for helping one to play winning blackjack, I can't see any use for the book in my play. I would think most of the expert players at this site would think the same.
