The Professionals

Starred review from January 9, 2012
Laukkanen’s clever debut, the first in a new crime thriller series, compares favorably to Scott Smith’s classic caper novel, A Simple Plan. Four college friends, who possess varying skills but are unable to find work in today’s grim job market, decide to make money by kidnapping bankers and other extremely wealthy men around the U.S. The gang stays below law enforcement’s radar by demanding ransoms so modest that the unharmed victims are inclined not to report their abduction. The group’s luck runs out on a Michigan job when their target turns out to be connected to the Mafia, a mistake that starts an avalanche of violence. Their crime spree leads to the involvement of FBI agent Carla Windermere and Minnesota state investigator Kirk Stevens, who race the mob to catch the kidnappers. A few developments strain credulity, but the story’s breakneck pace will carry most readers along. Author tour. Agent: Stacia Decker, Donald Maass Literary Agency.

Despite their newly earned college degrees, four friends struggle to find paychecks in a miserable job market. Soon their running joke about turning to crime becomes a reality, and they discover their skills as small-time kidnappers. Narrator Edoardo Ballerini guides listeners through the team's modest guilt and conservative payoffs so well that listeners may find themselves rooting for the crooks just a bit. Ballerini elevates the tension when the team mistakenly kidnaps a man connected to organized crime. As the team is pursued by the FBI and the Mob, Ballerini depicts both their loyalty and the friction among them. His straightforward delivery showcases the striking plot turns but occasionally renders the dialogue among the team members slightly confusing. N.M.C. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine