Review ~ The Professionals

 

The Professionals
by Owen Laukkanen

5- Moms Fried Chicken, Mashed Potatoes and Dessert. It doesn’t get any better!

 

 

 

Synopsis:  (From Good Reads)

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.

What Did I Think?  

This is a thriller that I think is not getting the attention that is deserves. I liked this story right from the first page. The characters are well written and the story is believable. 4 college friends decide to become kidnappers when they are faced with the harsh job market and piles of student loans. They have developed a great system for not getting caught and do so successfully for 2 years. This is one of those stories where you are not even sure who you are rooting for. One chapter I was all about the team getting away with their crimes because I just liked them so much and then the next chapter I understood why they had to be caught. This story is told from multiple points of view, which admittedly I am not always a fan of, but in this instance I thought it was perfect. It really allowed us to know what was going on with the team and with the agents responsible for their capture.

The action is pretty much nonstop and I kept thinking how can there be so much book left, surely they have messed up now or surely they are getting away now. The FBI agent and the state agent trying to find them have an interesting dynamic between them and for the most part I liked it. However, my one small complaint is that I think I could have done without the flirtatious part of their relationship. I think that men and women are perfectly capable of working together and genuinely liking each other without it crossing the line into flirting. That is just one tiny blip in this fabulous story though. Everything else about it, I loved.

I have seen some reviews saying that they felt the team gained skills they did not formerly posses as the story gets towards its end but I feel that it a bit unfair. I think as the story goes on and the heat is turned up on the team they just start fighting harder to survive. I also think they start drawing on their own personal skills and personalities where before they were very much functioning as a unit. I really had no clue how this story was going to end up. When I read the last page though, I was left feeling satisfied and not frustrated. If you like thrillers like Lee Child and John Sandford, I think you will like this story as well. Even if you have not read those authors, I urge you to give this one a chance.

BOTTOM LINE: Excellent crime thriller, I loved it!

Buy it Now: (Clicking the cover below takes you to Amazon)

Source: Received copy for review from the publisher.