Liars & Thieves

This is my first book by Stephen Coonts and my favorite. It is my favorite because the main character, Tommy Carmellini is very relatable, not just to me, but I think to most men. He likes women, wants to do the right thing, is afraid of what he may have to do, has doubts, but continues the good fight. Unfortunately, his role is diminished in the next 4 book series (jake grafton steals the spotlight and I am not a fan of his character) and I stopped reading.

This is an excellent story, but save your self some grief. Buy The Traitor. It's the same book. Who knows why the different title..?

Although he was a character in the Jake Grafton novels, Tommy has come into his own. And what a ride this book takes you on. Although Jake steps into the picture as his former "boss", now retired, it is really Tommy's ride all the way. Another book that I could not put down. Read it in two days. I love these conspiracy plots. They keep you on the edge of your seat until the last minute.

Mini-Review: "Liars & Thieves" by Stephen Coonts I have many things for which I am indebted to my friend, John Byington. One of those debts is that fact that he introduced me to author Stephen Coonts - not to be confused with Dean Koontz! A few years ago, John, an Annapolis graduate and former Navy aviator, made the following observation: "You have come to know quite a few of us Navy guys who were pilots. If you really want to understand the world of naval aviation, you should read Stephen Coonts' "Flight of the Intruder." I did read "Flight of the Intruder," and vowed to read as many of Coonts' other books as I could. Last year I enjoyed reading "Liberty," and I have just completed the riveting "Liars & Thieves." Coonts is a Viet Nam combat veteran and naval aviator, who went on to earn a law degree. He writes with a rapier wit and an acerbic and sardonic view of a world inhabited with a wide assortment of "bad guys," and a few old-fashioned heroes. Here is an example of his wry gift for introducing a character and setting the right tone: "Obviously Dorsey had not considered the possibility that Willie might refuse to tell her whatever she asked. Few men ever had. She was young, beautiful, rich, the modern trifectas for females. She came by her dough the old-fashioned way - she inherited it. Her parents died in a car wreck shortly after she was born. Her grandparents who raised her passed away while she was partying at college, trying to decide if growing up would be worth the effort. Now she lived in a monstrous old brick mansion on five hundred acres, all that remained of a colonial plantation, on the northern bank of the Potomac thirty miles upriver from Washington. It was a nice little getaway if you were worth a couple hundred million, and she was." (Page 2) The plot of this book involves double-dealing all the way from the Kremlin to the West Wing of the White House, as the two heroes, Tommy Carmellini and retired Admiral Jake Grafton, lay their lives on the line to try to save a former KGB official who has defected to the West. I won't spoil the treat for you by revealing anything else about the story line. I could not put the book down. What else is there to say about a book! Enjoy.

While I truly appreciate some of the valid criticisms of my fellow reviewers on this page, I nevertheless think that this book is outstanding. It is a style change for Mr. Coonts, but why should he not be allowed to reach in different directions? And, if it is a style (first person, Spillane-like, characters not totally fleshed-out, much shooting) that doesn't appeal to a particular set of readers, I guess that's ok. I think that Coonts' main Grafton books are superb, and superbly written; this is different, and has its own merits. I think many people will find it just as much a page-turner as I did, and enjoy it for what it is....rather than be upset for what it's not.

I give this one five stars, not as a masterpiece but because it does what it set out to do and does it so well. If you are a thriller/page-turner reader, this book is for you. Especially if you like complicated, conspiratorial, fast moving , shoot-em-up style thrillers. You can read about the plot in other reviews. Yeah, some of it is not well motivated, almost silly in the circumstantial sense- that's not the point. This is a go, go, go read. In many ways it's a reverse play of that classic: "Three Days of the Condor" For example, fellow on the edge of spy business goes to country safe house, finds everyone dead and rogues just leaving, has to run for his life, eventually he will cruise the suburbs of D.C., visit the shore and come to N.Y.C. We all can see the reversed geographic progression. Now in this novel the familial entanglements motivating the crimes are enough to make even an ancient Greek or Roman comedy writer pause. But this is not the real world. It's a fictional, thriller world desigened for effect. It is about entertainment, and this book does that.