The Front

Lee, Mal, Ged and Sam are old friends and are all miscreants of one degree or another. They decide to hold up a grocery store. Their plan appears to be relatively solid with the chance of few complications. Little could they have known how many problems would be unleashed upon them. They have women problems, drug dealer problems, fighting among themselves and, of course, the law always one step behind them. As we get to know these hapless anti-heroes, we soon note that they don't appear to be able to anything right. The question is, not only how long can they stay ahead of the law but also how long can they stay alive. Mandasue Heller has written an original and engaging character study with an element of crime. All the characters are unsympathetic figures, yet Ms. Heller imbues them strongly with the breath of life. Their trials and tribulations have a strong sense of immediacy to the reader. The plot, itself, does get a bit bogged down as the various subplots, at first disjointed, begin to come together for the confrontational climax. Nonetheless, the plot remains quite clever. This is a remarkable debut and well worth reading for the character portrayals alone.