Full Circle

February 15, 2018
They were a variation on the Odd Couple. Here was Alex DeCubas, a high-school wrestler gifted with drive, energy, and a body of solid muscle. Then there was Kevin Pedersen, also a wrestler but scrawny, gangly, seemingly born to be a bookworm. Both attended Palmetto High School outside Miami, where the big guy became the little guy's guardian angel. The two never disclosed the key to this curious relationship, and author Malkus doesn't speculate. Rather, in supple prose with strong forward momentum, he follows them from triumph to triumph. They became state champions and were featured in Sports Illustrated. Then paths diverged. Kevin went to West Point, Alex to the University of Georgia. Out of nowhere, Alex is asked to deliver a mysterious package. He's paid a lot of money, and who really needs higher education, anyway? Suddenly we're off into Scarface, with shoot-outs, chases, helicopters, kidnappings, jail, andto bring this drama home to what seems a foreordained conclusiona confrontation with Kevin. He's now a DEA agent, and his former guardian angel is now in his sights. A compelling, character-rich spin on true crime.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)