An aging but formidable strip club owner, Claudiu "Manco" Kapak, has been robbed by a masked gunman as he placed his cash receipts in a bank's night-deposit box. Enraged, he sends his half-dozen security men out to find a suspect who is spending lots of cash and is new enough to Los Angeles not to know he was robbing a gangster. Their search leads them to Joe Carver, an innocent but hardly defenseless newcomer who evades capture and sets out to make Kapak wish he'd chosen someone else. Meanwhile, the real culprit, Jefferson Davis Falkins, and his new girlfriend, Carrie, seem to believe they've found a whole new profession: robbing Manco Kapak. Lieutenant Nick Slosser, the police detective in charge of the puzzling and increasingly violent case, has his own troubles, including worries about how he's going to afford to send the oldest child of each of his two bigamous marriages to college without making their mothers suspicious. As this odd series of difficulties explodes into a triple killing, Carver finds himself in the middle of a brewing gang war over Kapak's little empire, while Falkins and Carrie journey into territory more strange and violent than either had imagined.
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"To start, I like all Thomas Perry books and I'm working my way through his catalog over this year and last. I do find that his one of stories tend to be weaker than the series stories. This one, honestly, started to wear on me just a touch. I couldn't really root for anyone in it, and a lot of characters were missing motivations that just weren't evident to me. Would I read it again, sure, I do like all his work, it's just not top of the list. "
— Yogi (4 out of 5 stars)
“Perry’s exquisite timing and finesse provide near perfect endings to the multiple story lines and make this escapist reading at its best.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)“Perry’s talent in weaving together seemingly loose strands makes the book an unqualified success…intriguing, action-oriented characters…The action is packed, and the denouement is a small masterpiece.”
— Bookmarks MagazineMichael Kramer clearly appreciates and plays along with the author's sense of humor, and he understands the characters' gray-area approach to morality.
— Publishers Weekly Audio Review" Great performance by Kramer (as usually). Funny and engaging story. "
— Commuter, 2/18/2022" Very interesting ending -- not what I expected. Definitely readalike for Elmore Leonard, little bit Hiaasen but not as funny, noir-ish "
— Coki, 2/19/2014" In "Strip", Thomas Perry tries to take the crime novel into a different direction, but for me, it left me mainly puzzled. I found that the characters were not that interesting or believable, nor were the situations particularly intriguing. "
— Serge, 2/10/2014" Joe Carver is never explained very well. "
— Victoria, 2/10/2014" Not boring, and particularly interesting for fans of twisty crime thrillers in the "Get Shorty" Elmore Leonard vein. But why is every woman in this universe either a mirthless unyielding judge, a scheming gold digger, a hapless victim, or just completely insane? "
— Rosa, 2/2/2014" Was entertaining, but pretty derivative "
— Eli, 1/27/2014" I thought this was a good read but it wasn't a great read. It kept me interested but it will not leave any lasting impression in my mind. "
— Tif, 1/24/2014" Mediocre summer read. Good start. The end was too tidy. "
— Norm, 1/19/2014" This was a decent little book, but it was a bit too masculine for me. It was very macho. I probably wouldn't read any more of these, but this one was decent. This is another one I heard recommended somewhere, but I don't remember where. The library actually had it, so I gave it a shot. "
— Jenn, 1/12/2014Thomas Perry is the bestselling author of over twenty novels, including The Butcher’s Boy, which won the Edgar Award, and Metzger’s Dog, which was named a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. He received a BA degree from Cornell University and a PhD in English from the University of Rochester.
Michael Kramer is an AudioFile Earphones Award winner, a finalist for the prestigious Audie Award for Best Narration, and recipient of a Publishers Weekly Listen-Up Award. He is also an actor and director in the Washington, DC, area, where he is active in the area’s theater scene and has appeared in productions at the Shakespeare Theatre, the Kennedy Center, and Theater J.