Book Review: Bank Job

Reviewed By: Cheryl - RAM

Bank Job     Amazon US HC Amazon Canada HC
Steve Brewer
Class/Genre:   Mystery

The myth of the heroic outlaw dies hard in America, but Leon and Junior Daggett and their friend Roy Wade are doing what they can to kill it off. These men range from gormless to truly vicious, and none of them are particularly bright or brave. Unfortunately, their limitations do not make them harmless any more than their criminal activities qualify them for 'famous outlaw' status.

Their most recent crime spree has been inept, unproductive and even boring. Fleeing from a calamitous attempt to hold up a liquor store, they find themselves holding a harmless elderly couple prisoner, and think they have won the lottery. The old man was a bank robber - perhaps not quite a world-famous outlaw, but nevertheless a more successful criminal than the Daggetts and Wade have ever been. The men see an opportunity - and Vince, no fool, knows that if he and his wife Maria are to survive and remain free, they must outwit both the police and the criminals.

I enjoyed the clever plot, comedy and interesting characters. While less slapstick than some other mystery novels, 'Bank Job' contains a great deal of humour as well as quite realistic characters. Some of the characters are very sympathetic as well as realistic, particularly Vince and Maria, and Debra, the deputy who knows there is something a bit odd about the liquor store holdup and that nice elderly couple in the cabin in the woods, and doggedly tries to figure out what it is.

Cheryl - RAM

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Cheryl - RAM