Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Mar 2012
384 pages
Genre: Thrillers
Publication Information
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.
A finger-burning page-turner, filled with twists, surprises, and memorably complex characters, The Professionals marks the arrival of a remarkable new writer.
"Starred Review. A fast-moving debut thriller with enough twists to fill a pretzel bag... Let's hope Laukkanen writes more thrillers like this one." - Kirkus Reviews
"Starred Review. A few developments strain credulity, but the story's breakneck pace will carry most readers along." - Publishers Weekly
"Credulity gets strained a bit... in the attraction between a young, black, and beautiful federal agent and the middle-aged, happily married white cop from St. Paul. Nevertheless, crime fans will find The Professionals an engaging and promising first novel." - Booklist
"A real ground-floor opportunity for thriller fans." - Library Journal
This information about The Professionals was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Owen Laukkanen is a Canadian mystery writer. Laukkanen was born in Vancouver, British Columbia and raised in Windsor, Ontario.[3] He graduated from the University of British Columbia with Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in creative writing in 2006.
Laukkanen's Stevens and Windermere novels have been nominated for the Anthony, Barry, Edgar and Thriller Awards. A graduate of the University of British Columbia's Creative Writing program, Laukkanen spent three years in the world of professional poker reporting before turning to fiction. He currently lives in Vancouver with his dog, Lucy.
Link to Owen Laukkanen's Website
Name Pronunciation
Owen Laukkanen: LAU-kuh-nin. "Lau" rhymes with "ow."
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