Ryan Wick

Review of Uncorrected Digital Galley

The target of Michael Maven’s carefully-planned heist is a 1343 Edward III florin. But his plans go awry and he loses the coin. Then the lady responsible for derailing his attempt to steal the coin slashes his throat. You’d think things couldn’t get any worse than that.

You’d be wrong.

Things rapidly deteriorate when Luis Alvarez, the sadistic leader of a drug cartel, insists that Michael retrieve something from a rival cartel leader . . . or his family and friends will pay the ultimate price. How will Michael pull this off? And if he does, will he still face certain death at Alvarez’s hand?

Michael Maven, thief extraordinaire, keeps himself out of jail by being careful . . . and by being thoroughly prepared. He doesn’t champion unnecessary violence and he lives ethically [thefts not considered]. He’s charming and readers are sure to find themselves rooting for him to succeed, especially in light of some of the gritty, gory violence dished out by the opposition.

The fast pace of the narrative makes this intriguing tale a quick read. It’s entertaining; it pulls the plotlines together, and ends with a doozy of a cliffhanger. The well-developed characters are realistic; their behaviors believable.

There’s non-stop action, turmoil, heart-stopping plot twists, and a truly sinister [evil] adversary. There are a few surprises along the way, the turmoil never lets up, and the reader will find it difficult to set this one aside before turning the final page. They’re sure to find themselves rooting for the good guys in this intriguing thriller.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this eBook from St. Martin’s Press/Thomas Dunne Books and NetGalley
#Safecracker #NetGalley… (mehr)

In a word: thrilling. If you love thrillers, Safecracker is one you won’t want to miss. Ryan Wick has written a compulsively-readable page-turner filled with explosive action and characters you won’t forget.

This book grabbed me from the opening sentence, when Michael Maven rather casually mentions having his throat slit in Alastair’s Pub at exactly 9p.m. And then calls it both infuriating and unfortunate, because his BFF Jimmy owns Alastair’s and Michael considers it a second home. All he was doing was watching a Cardinals game when the cuckoo clock chimes and his would-be killer takes a knife to his throat.

Somehow the words “infuriating” and “unfortunate” seem like an understatement for attempted murder.

From this attention-grabbing first chapter, Wick backs up to twelve days earlier when what should’ve been an easy theft turns deadly. From that point on, Wick slowly turns up the tension, little by little, until the harsh, bloody climax.

CHARACTERS

Michael Maven is a complex character. Though he’s a professional thief, he has moral guidelines for his behavior: never leave someone’s place a mess after stealing their possessions, don’t sleep with married women, and don’t tolerate violence against women. He’s not opposed to violence, but he’s not a killer. He loves his friends, too.

Like all good thieves, he prepares for his crimes with almost OCD-level preparation, knowing that he’ll have to adapt to whatever unexpected things happen during his heist. He uses his ill-gotten wealth to indulge in his other passion: keeping his beloved movie theater afloat.

He’s met his match in Katarina Georgiu, though. She’s beautiful but deadly, of course; that’s a given in this genre. Yet of all the femme fatales I’ve read about recently, she’s one of the most compelling. An intelligent and ruthless trained fighter, she’s a worthy opponent for Michael.

Surrounding them is a cast of memorable, almost unscrupulous people of varying levels of evil. I say almost because all of them have some moral code they adhere to. These aren’t people I want to cross paths with in real life. But on the page, I couldn’t keep my eyes off them. From an ex-intelligence officer-turned-hacker to two bloodthirsty crime bosses out for revenge and everything in between, these characters both fascinate and horrify.

POINT OF VIEW

Wick immerses us in the mind of a professional thief. Through Michael’s eyes, we see as he casually swipes a beer mug to obtain a fingerprint, picks locks in under a minute, and searches a wealthy man’s empty house for valuable property.

Reading about these professional thieves makes me wonder why I bother to lock my doors. On the other hand, I don’t have the type of property these pros would want. No rare coins, valuable jewelry, one-of-a-kind art. No connections with drug cartels, either.

PLOT

The story unfolds like one of Michael’s beloved movies, always with an eye toward the visual effects. The action scenes are as carefully choreographed as any action flick and obviously written by someone trained in martial arts. With the snappy dialogue, the plentiful action sequences, and compelling cast of characters, this book feels like a blockbuster in the making.

Ryan Wick ratchets up the tension to an unbearable level–and then cranks it up some more. During his attempted heist, Michael has every imaginable problem (and then some!) thrown at him. It takes all his ingenuity and strength to overcome each one, and as Wick makes clear, failure is always a possible outcome. So is death.

By the climax, I was breathless with anticipation, not knowing how events will play out and hoping that the outcome would fulfill the promise of all the previous chapters. I wasn’t disappointed.

Recommended. Thanks to St. Martin's/Thomas Dunne books and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.… (mehr)

Ryan Wick's debut novel was well-written and full of that cliff-hanging, scary suspense so beloved by fans of the Lawrence Block style of writing (consult the Matt Scudder novels, if you will). The opening sentence in Safecracker certainly grabs your attention. The chief protagonist, Michael Maven, coolly describes an attack where his throat is slit. And thus the reader falls into a staccato-paced tale that is all action and relatively surface-only characterizations.

Obviously, grisly chronicles with hardly-credible escapades are not my thing but there will be many readers who enjoy such vengeful tales involving organized crime and the oxymoron of an honourable thief.… (mehr)

Aside from some confusion over the title (the ARC I recieved wasa titled "Lawbreaker", which I assume will be the published title, although I much prefer Safecracker) I very much enjoyed this rollicking thriller in what I hope is the beginning of a series featuring Maven. Without giving away too much, Maven is an expert thief, especially skilled at breaking into impenetrable safes. Stumbling upon a murder while on a job, he's marked for death by the killer with whom he ends of having to partner when forced to by a particularly vicious gang leader. (A note to the squeamish: the book has some rather detailed descriptions of violence. not for the faint-hearted. Unlike many thriller wannabes, this book is quite well written and moves along briskly. I look forward to a long series, especially if Katrina makes another appearance.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in advance of publication.… (mehr)