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wendy_cathcart's review against another edition
4.0
The premise of The Professionals really intrigued me. A group of friends who are graduating from college in an economy where they are unlikely to find high-paying jobs jokes about turning to kidnapping to make a living. The more they think about it, the more they think that they just need to go out and try it to see if they can pull it off. One kidnapping turns into many, each carefully plotted to stay under the radar of law enforcement. The targets are carefully studied, ransoms are kept low and spouses are scared into not reporting the crime for fear of future retaliation. Everything is on track until a kidnapping goes bad. They are forced to scramble for another target and that replacement target changes everything.
I thought the book was well written and quite suspenseful. I found it interesting how the author wrote both the kidnappers and law enforcement as sympathetic characters. You could understand both sides. There were some great plot twists and I did not want to put the book down. I wanted to know what was going to happen next to the characters. It is one of those plots that seemed like once things were set in motion, nothing could be done except to see it through to it's conclusion and yet I was surprised along the way by several unforseen twists. I would recommend The Professionals to anyone who likes a nicely paced, suspense-filled thriller. Very good first effort by Owen Laukkanen.
I thought the book was well written and quite suspenseful. I found it interesting how the author wrote both the kidnappers and law enforcement as sympathetic characters. You could understand both sides. There were some great plot twists and I did not want to put the book down. I wanted to know what was going to happen next to the characters. It is one of those plots that seemed like once things were set in motion, nothing could be done except to see it through to it's conclusion and yet I was surprised along the way by several unforseen twists. I would recommend The Professionals to anyone who likes a nicely paced, suspense-filled thriller. Very good first effort by Owen Laukkanen.
ellie_gonzalez's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
1.5
oxnard_montalvo's review against another edition
2.0
Really liked the premise. Got the zeitgeist, and a lot of sympathy points. Not such a fan of the execution, though these kinds of thrillers aren't my thing. Couldn't put it down at the time, but recall was very low. Not a book that stuck with me, so losing points on that front. Enjoyable enough.
Read it as part of my internship. No regrets.
Read it as part of my internship. No regrets.
tobinlopes's review against another edition
4.0
Once more it's a first novel. I don't know what it is but it seems I read a LOT of these. As with many in the past I liked this one. It was evenly plot and character-driven. Although I realized I never got really invested in any but one of the characters.
The originality of the plot coupled with it being believable - the author stayed away from people leaping from 3rd flr window and living with hardly a scratch. People were killed, were hurt, and very few were the same at the end.
I consumed it quickly and I definitely plan on reading the next one.
I gave it an 8/10 on my personal scale.
-tpl
The originality of the plot coupled with it being believable - the author stayed away from people leaping from 3rd flr window and living with hardly a scratch. People were killed, were hurt, and very few were the same at the end.
I consumed it quickly and I definitely plan on reading the next one.
I gave it an 8/10 on my personal scale.
-tpl
stevem0214's review against another edition
5.0
Great book! Laukkanen let's you understand the bad guys (kids in this case) thought process and you start to feel for them just a little bit. Then he brings you back around to see how tragic their decisions were. I'm looking forward to seeing how Stevens and Windermere progress as a team...maybe more than a team...I can't tell yet!
emckeon1002's review against another edition
4.0
A damned good crime novel. I read this in two days, which for me is incredible. It's definitely a "can't put it down" story, and Laukkanen knows how to write. Short chapters, believable characters, and a new team of crime solvers. Laukkanen makes the criminals in this one very sympathetic, which leaves the reader with the odd feeling of rooting for both the criminal and the crime-solvers.
I'm already nearly through the follow-up, Criminal Enterprise, and I'm feeling the same about it.
I'm already nearly through the follow-up, Criminal Enterprise, and I'm feeling the same about it.
tittypete's review against another edition
4.0
Good relatable crime story. I rooted for the villains and the cops. Supposedly this guy is writing another featuring the same two cops. Should be cool.
sandin954's review against another edition
2.0
While this thriller was not terrible I was fairly underwhelmed. The plot became less plausible as the book went on and I never did really warm to any of the characters. Listened to the audio version and the reader, Edoardo Ballerini, was quite good and was the main reason I finished the book.
lkp's review against another edition
4.0
Great first thriller. The original crime plot is interesting in itself but when it goes bad for the perpetrators the story unfolds in interesting ways. Looking forward to future books.
jshel10's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. Great, great book. Reminded me of Chuck Hogan's Prince of Thieves in a lot of ways. Great characters, great tension, great story.