THE AMATEURS by Marcus Sakey

THE AMATEURS by Robert Crais

First sentence…

LATER JENN LACIE WOULD SPEND a lot of time trying to pinpoint the exact moment.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Every Thursday night for the last decade Alex, Ian, Jenn and Mitch have met for drinks.  A decade ago they were young and had dreams.  Now none are where they thought they’d be.

Ian is day trader stuck in a job going nowhere.  Mitch isn’t doing any better working as a doorman at the Continental Hotel.  Jenn is a travel agent who longs for adventure.  Alex is bartending for a jerk named Johnny Loverin aka Johnny Love.  He dresses fancy and flaunts his money.  Everyone is sure Johnny Love is into some illegal stuff.

So when Alex overhears about one of Johnny Love’s drug deals, he tells his friends.  Alex’s idea is to get to the meet before the thugs with the drugs show up.  They’ll rip off Johnny Love for his cash.  Then a clean getaway and a four way split with no one being the wiser.  If all four work together, they’ll provide each other with an alibi.  Alex says no one will suspect them.  Easy money and no one gets hurt.

The friends reluctantly agree.

Of course the ripoff goes sideways.  People are killed.  It wasn’t drugs that were being dealt.  Something much worse.

Now the cops are closing in.  So are the gangsters.  Friendship only goes so far when survival is at stake.

+++++

Marcus Sakey has created another winner.

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