Strip Book

If you're looking for a single main character working his/her way through a straight line narrative, then just keep on walking. If you're in the mood for a large cast of well-defined characters scheming their way through a web of theft, double-crosses, mistaken identity, misguided revenge attempts, bigamy, money laundering, strip clubs, night clubs, arson, murder and the destruction of a couple of Hummers, then this is definitely the book for you.

The book opens with Joe Carver on the run and sleeping in a construction site. Joe is new to L.A. and had been throwing money around as he sampled the night life in an attempt to impress women. Unfortunately for Joe, strip club owner and money launderer Manco Kapak was recently robbed while making his night deposit, and he's had his thugs asking around about who has been flashing a lot of cash. Manco doesn't really care if they're blaming the right guy or not, he just has to punish somebody so as not to show weakness to his drug dealing partner.

Joe turns out to have his own checkered past and isn't a pushover, but as he's trying to convince Kapak that he didn't rob him, the real thief, Jefferson Davis Falkins, and his new thrill seeking girlfriend, Carrie, decide that robbing Manco Kapak is both profitable and fun so they find new ways to get to his money. Kapak keeps blaming Joe for the new robberies. A police lieutenant with his own secret is getting very curious about all the activity around Kapak. Kapak's enforcers are starting to think that their bosses luck has run out and start plotting against him. And Kapak's insane drug dealing partner is getting impatient.

A summary of the plot makes it seem like a pure action story in which Kapak is the evil villain who picked the wrong guy to pin a crime on. That isn't the case at all. All the characters are fully fleshed out with their own histories and motives. Even Kapak doesn't come across as a villain, he's more like a tired and aging man who actually cares about his employees and is just trying to hold on to what is his.

The story zigzags in unexpected directions, and has an ending I never saw coming. I really enjoyed this intelligent story about how one robbery can set off a chain of unexpected events that impacts many lives. I'll be checking out more books by Thomas Perry.