The Professionals (Stevens and Windermere), by Owen Laukkanen. A Gritty Tale of Crime and consequence.

The Professionals (Stevens and Windermere)

by Owen Laukkanen.

Blurb:-

Four friends, recent college graduates, caught in a terrible job market, joke about turning to kidnapping to survive. And then, suddenly, it's no joke. For two years, the strategy they devise-quick, efficient, low risk-works like a charm. Until they kidnap the wrong man.

Now two groups they've very much wanted to avoid are after them-the law, in the form of veteran state investigator Kirk Stevens and hotshot young FBI agent Carla Windermere, and an organized-crime outfit looking for payback. As they all crisscross the country in deadly pursuit and a series of increasingly explosive confrontations, each of them is ultimately forced to recognize the truth: The true professionals, cop or criminal, are those who are willing to sacrifice . . . . everything.

Review

A gritty read of crime and consequence, full of guilt and grime. The author sets an unsympathetic backdrop of hash economic times as impetus to stray from the straight and narrow. Authur, Matt, Marie and Ben devise a seemingly harmless plan--they are not going to hurt anyone, only hold them until their well off families pay to get them back. However, abducting people is never harmless as the 'team' soon find out. The trick the author plays with his characters and his plot, that set this yarn apart, are to make the reader empathize not only with the protagonists predicament, but also with angst. Unwittingly you might find yourself hopeful for their escape, not only from their assailants, but from the nightmare situation they find themselves in. This is the 'Sundance' syndrome, and the author does it very well. His fugitives are nice, normal kids, who have stumbled onto the wrong path, we want to save them.

On the other hand the cops, are not so likable--well made characters, yes, nice, not at all--Stevens, wants fame and thrills. Windermere, loves the run of adrenaline during a case, more than closure at the end. Both officers are in relationships but find themselves more than a little enamored of each other. Also, they neglect their life partners without much regret. So, although this story pans out in a moralistically predicable way, the characters and the point they are shooting from(no pun intended) make this read unusual and engaging. If you like thrill-a-second, action packed reads, with life like heroes then this is the book for you.

Identity X by Michelle Muckley. A Book Review.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is so much a journey taken in the shoes of, Ben, the main protagonist! We are given air to all his venting angst; should he try to resurrect his tired marriage that has albeit given a final resigned sigh, or would he prefer to embark on an ill-advised romp with his gorgeous and provocative lab assistant. Has his research been driven by the ugly and untimely demise of his father, or has it been the gauge of his own unremitting ambition. Ben's world is turned violently asunder after he invents a remarkable gene altering repair mechanism that will eradicate all inborn predilection to hereditary disease. However, instead of accolade and fame he is dropped into an abyss of ignominy. Suddenly his identity is wiped off the main frame of society, his documents are invalid his existence threatened physically and figuratively.

Ben is in a very scary place; what do his assailant want, why have they stolen his life's work and possibly abducted his family. In a churning, topsy turvy world of intrigue and violence, Ben attempts to save himself, his life's work and his family form the terror of an unknown malevolence. This is a heart-felt tale of suspense, buckle up for a bumpy ride.

Unusual prose, which, at times felt a little wordy for me, but at others proved delightfully poetic; this quote for instance is delicious:
"She loved to visit the smaller districts of the city, where people courted art and culture rather than power and money. She always told him that it was those things that enriched their lives, and that made the world a better place. They would come here early on Sunday mornings when hours dwindled by unaccounted for, where they would sip coffee and eat bagels for breakfast in one of the chafes, or when the weather was fine at one of the small patio tables on the pavement. He passed the flower shop where he would buy her tulips in the spring and roses in the winter, and it reminded him of the early days of their marriage when life was simpler and happier."

All-in-all, I doubt if there would be anyone who would not enjoy this book, the action scenes are tense and dramatic, the characters well drawn and emotionally evocative, and the story well thought out and riveting. A very enjoyable read!

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn a Book Review.

Blurb:-
WICKED above her hipbone, GIRL across her heart.
Words are like a road map to reporter Camille Preaker’s troubled past. Fresh from a brief stay at a psych hospital, Camille’s first assignment from the second-rate daily paper where she works brings her reluctantly back to her hometown to cover the murders of two preteen girls. NASTY on her kneecap, BABYDOLL on her leg.
Since she left town eight years ago, Camille has hardly spoken to her neurotic, hypochondriac mother or to the half-sister she barely knows: a beautiful thirteen-year-old with an eerie grip on the town. Now, installed again in her family’s Victorian mansion, Camille is haunted by the childhood tragedy she has spent her whole life trying to cut from her memory. HARMFUL on her wrist, WHORE on her ankle.
As Camille works to uncover the truth about these violent crimes, she finds herself identifying with the young victims—a bit too strongly. Clues keep leading to dead ends, forcing Camille to unravel the psychological puzzle of her own past to get at the story. Dogged by her own demons, Camille will have to confront what happened to her years before if she wants to survive this homecoming. With its taut, crafted writing, Sharp Objects is addictive, haunting, and unforgettable.
Review:-
Sharp Objects is a read-it-now thriller that should have you turning the pages in your quest to unravel the whodunit mystery. It's Gillian Flynn's first, and her development as an author is clearly evident if you read her next two books, I'm glad I began with Gone Girl. The story revolves around Camille who has more than a few personality problems--caused, supposedly, by maternal lack of affection. She is a reporter on a little-read newspaper who is sent back to her home town to glean a high profile story on child murders. The story is well written and the character is likable despite her hang ups. I did not find the relationship between the sisters as portrayed by the author believable. The chief protagonist is in her thirties and she socialites in an illegal manner with her thirteen-year-old sister? Hey.... but it's fiction, right? So read it to get a novel spin on a family saga that is more than a little twisted and certainly interesting.

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn a Book Review

Blurb:-
I have a meanness inside me, real as an organ.
Libby Day was seven when her mother and two sisters were murdered in “The Satan Sacrifice of Kinnakee, Kansas.” As her family lay dying, little Libby fled their tiny farmhouse into the freezing January snow. She lost some fingers and toes, but she survived–and famously testified that her fifteen-year-old brother, Ben, was the killer. Twenty-five years later, Ben sits in prison, and troubled Libby lives off the dregs of a trust created by well-wishers who’ve long forgotten her..
The Kill Club is a macabre secret society obsessed with notorious crimes. When they locate Libby and pump her for details–proof they hope may free Ben–Libby hatches a plan to profit off her tragic history. For a fee, she’ll reconnect with the players from that night and report her findings to the club… and maybe she’ll admit her testimony wasn’t so solid after all..
As Libby’s search takes her from shabby Missouri strip clubs to abandoned Oklahoma tourist towns, the narrative flashes back to January 2, 1985. The events of that day are relayed through the eyes of Libby’s doomed family members–including Ben, a loner whose rage over his shiftless father and their failing farm have driven him into a disturbing friendship with the new girl in town. Piece by piece, the unimaginable truth emerges, and Libby finds herself right back where she started–on the run from a killer..
Review
I loved this book enough to read it straight through, you know what I mean--exclusively, which I don't often do. Then, at a particularly grizzly intersection, I just did not want to finish it. I was truly horrified, but then I guess if you don't want horror, don't read horror, crime fiction. I'm glad I did finish it. Kudos to you Ms. Flynn for an excellent, unfathomable plot, it was simply jaw dropping. I'll be picking up more books you write. However, please remind me, often, never to do anything to piss you off!.