2 from Owen Laukannen
this week, but it could just as easily be 4!
Laukkanen has had four novels published in his Stevens and Windermere series so far, with a fifth due in March - The Watcher in the Wall.
He's Canadian and there is a bit of an author biography on his Goodreads page.....
An alumnus of the University of British Columbia's Creative Writing BFA program, Laukkanen spent three years in the world of professional poker, traveling to high-stakes tournaments across the globe as a writer for www.PokerListings.com.
His website is here.He's on Facebook here.
They must be putting something in the water in Canada ..... Owen Laukkanen, Dietrich Kalteis, John McFetridge, Sam Wiebe, Rob Brunet, Mike Knowles, Howard Shrier, Michael Van Rooy, Brad Smith, Robin Spano and others, all have a place on the library shelves.
The Professionals (2012)
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.
A finger-burning page-turner, filled with twists, surprises,
and memorably complex characters, The Professionals marks the arrival of a
remarkable new writer.
Criminal Enterprise
(2013)
The new Stevens and Windermere novel from the author of the
dazzlingly acclaimed The Professionals - "one of the best debuts of the
year" (Mystery Scene).
From the outside, Carter Tomlin's life looked perfect: a big
house, pretty wife, two kids - a St. Paul success story. But Tomlin has a
secret. He's lost his job, the bills are mounting, and that perfect life is
hanging by a thread. Desperate, he robs a bank. Then he robs another.
As the red flags start to go up, FBI Special Agent Carla
Windermere homes in on Tomlin from one direction, while Minnesota state
investigator Kirk Stevens picks up the trail from another. The two cops haven't
talked since their first case together, but that's all going to change very
quickly.
Because Carter Tomlin's decided he likes robbing banks. And
it's not because of the money, not anymore. Tomlin has guns and a new taste for
violence. And he's not quitting anytime soon.
I like caper novels but they need to be convincing. These two appear to be interesting.
ReplyDeletePrashant, I think I'm going to have a lot of fun reading these.
DeleteOh, these do sound interesting, Col. I like that premise of the 'every man' drawn into things s/he never imagined, and nothing does that quite the way financial desperation does. I hope you'll enjoy these.
ReplyDeleteThanks Margot, there seems to be a lot going on with these - my kind of books I think.
DeleteCould be good - we need you to read them and tell us...
ReplyDeleteI'll try and get to one of them this year, that's how far behind I am on my reading!
DeleteThese look tremendous.
ReplyDeleteAhem: Laukkanen, not Laukannen.
Oops - I won't get a job as a proof reader! Doh....
DeleteI've corrected it, but I'm still a dick....
DeleteNow, now, no need to get upset. :)
DeleteThe thing is I get irritated beyond belief when people insert an "e" into my name, as they have a tendency to - even my own family - so I'm usually a stickler for getting names correct at least, irrespective of how all over the place the rest of my posts might be!
DeleteI have the Professionals, maybe I will get to it soon. Or maybe you will, and can motivate me.
ReplyDeleteHmm, I reckon you may have a better chance of getting to him before me, but you never know!
Delete