Jack, if that's even his name, is a ghostman. He's a career criminal who lives completely off the grid and helps others disappear, too. He claims to have helped a hundred bank robbers escape, using disguises and fake passports, birth certificates and other identification.
When an Atlantic City casino heist goes wrong, Jack is called in to help clean up the mess. The problem is, the $1.2 million cash bounty is set to explode in only 48 hours if Jack cannot get the heist back on track. He flies in from Seattle via private jet, and is met at the airport by the FBI. Once he gets to the scene, he finds things are worse than he had imagined. One member of the heist team has been shot dead in the parking lot and another is nowhere to be found. The identity of the enemy is a mystery to everyone, and it turns out the FBI isn't the biggest issue.
Jack is hard not to like, despite the fact that he's a career criminal. He's a geeky college graduate, an intelligent loner no thanks to his ghostman lifestyle. Jack's current struggles in Atlantic City remind him of a heist five years before in Kuala Lumpur, which he boggled through a simple mistake. As a result, several of the thieves served time, and his boss's infallible reputation was tarnished.
Ghostman is writer Roger Hobbs's first novel. It was written between his junior and senior years at Reed College, when Hobbs was only 21. It was edited during his senior year, 2010-2011 and published in February 2013. Hobbs has lived a full life, despite still being under age 25 when Ghostman was published. He's previously worked as a rifle range instructor, radio host and a security guard.
"The hype on this book is exactly right. A superb example of classic heist writing - updated for the 21st century. Taut, brutal, with amazing detail, this author's debut novel is exceptional. There are no good guys here, and yet it is compulsive reading. Pace, plot, characters, authenticity are all perfectly formed. An amazing work."
—
Bebe (5 out of 5 stars)