Stealing Second

Rating:
Summary: Steal this book?
Review: "STEALING SECOND" is more than a finely woven
mystery with brash and subtle plot twists to hold this
reader's interest. Told in first person narrative, it
is an unsentimental confession of a life lived outside
the norm devoid of the "glamour" and cliche often
attributed these days in novels and on screen. Tom
Cassidy, the protagonist and professional thief,
treats his career like anyone else: it's a job.
Meaning it has high points scattered through hours and
days of drudgery and aspiration. Cassidy infuses this
"downtime" with cultural insights and self-deprecating
comedic insights that belie the lethal circumstances
that surround his situation. The cast of characters
includes a high-powered fence, an abusive Irish mob
boss, a ruthless Mexican arms dealer, an engageable
Latino sidekick named Juan Alfaro, a sage and
irascible bookseller, and Tom's girlfriend, the
principled and dedicated social worker he refers to
only as "H." to protect her true identity. They all
like Tom even if some of them want him dead. In
"STEALING SECOND" the family anecdotes are priceless
and the "real place, real time" pacing captivating.
As the price of survival rises and the options wane
for Tom Cassidy, I found myself rooting for him as one
of the most believable characters to come along in
this genre in a long time.