Steven M. Thomas

This is a crime thriller with lots of action set in Orange County, California, and specifically the communities of Newport Beach, Corona del Mar, Santa Ana, and San Pedro. Fortunately the author is obsessed about providing detailed descriptions of the amazing locale, and unfortunately a bit obsessed with describing the protagonist's Cadillac (which trait is expanded in his next book). The main character is a small time thief with a past, and the story has him toggling between two prospective partners-in-crime as he gets enmeshed in a rivalry with a more aggressive criminal.

While portions are unbelievable and the pitch is off, Thomas shows a relentless pace and enough style and focus on guns, crime methods and innovation, and intriguing mix of demographics to let the reader ignore the faults. The book was needlessly and at times pointlessly graphic with violence and in other ways, caveat emptor.… (mehr)

Robert Rivers is a career criminal, and with his partner (and former mentor) Reggie, Robert finds out about a local woman's quarter of a million dollar diamond necklace. The setting is a very realistic Southern California that is not all millionaires and Mercedes. In the midst of a corrupt real estate development deal, a local swami with dubious spiritual footings becomes entwined in Robert's attempt to steal the necklace. Soon Robert has met and is engaging in dialogue and twists and turns with the swami, his erstwhile girlfriend, the necklace owner, criminal bodyguards, and pitiable local surfers and snitches. With an ending perhaps a little too 'can we make this into a screenplay', the book overall is solid, charming, with some unexpected heartbreak and twists.… (mehr)

Thomas’s second novel is an advance on his first thriller, “Criminal Paradise.” In this book, which takes place in Venice Beach, you get the same humorous dialogue, vivid characters, and exciting action as the first, but you also get more heart and a better story in a certain sense. Rob Rivers, the criminal narrator shows new sides of himself and ends up a sort of hero, helping the very woman that he is setting out to rob. The scenery and sense of Southern California is very strong and there is some interesting stuff about yoga and Hinduism that comes up when Rob and his partner Reggie go after a fake guru who is trying to steal the same diamond necklace they are. This book has an amazing surprise ending that I liked a lot. This is one to reread and pass on to your friends.… (mehr)