Off Rock

April 15, 2017

Life on the mining facility Kardashev 7-A is made up of boring routine punctuated only by rumors that the site is going to be shut down. Jimmy Vik is supposed to be doing maintenance in a mine shaft when he comes across an unexpected vein of gold. With the help of local black marketeer Jock, he schemes to steal the gold and smuggle it back to Earth. What he doesn't anticipate is the attention his actions attract from his shift supervisor (and former girlfriend) Leela, and the crime syndicate operative who is after his partner in crime. While Shea's debut, Koko Takes a Holiday, and its sequel, Koko the Mighty, were fun, profane sf adventures, this caper fails to jell. The relationship between Jimmy and Leela makes no sense, with no particular reason given for their initial breakup and Leela's disappointing willingness to forgive Jimmy. VERDICT This heist plot never quite generates the tension needed to hold readers or make them care about the outcome.--MM

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2017
Jimmy Vik is tired of his luck never changing, so when he finds a fortune in gold just lying around waiting to be thrown away unnoticed, he decides he has to take matters into his own hands and change his luck himself. Thus begins Shea's fast-paced, high-energy story, which has all of the elements one would expect in a futuristic heist caper. Jock, the greasy criminal partner who knows someone for every questionable task, knows exactly the palms to grease when he needs someone to turn a blind eye. There's a beautiful assassin, come to collect on defaulted loans to the vast criminal network of the galaxy. And what good swindle would be complete without the miffed ex-girlfriendoh, did we mention she's now Jimmy's boss? Things get complicated fast, and everyone has his or her own self-interests firmly on the top of the list as things start to go predictably sideways during the job, in more ways than you would expect. A great tale that is part space thriller and part classic gold heist.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)