Heist

Bestsellers Swinson (Wifey) and Diamond (Desperate Hoodwives) team up for two tales abut high society, low crime, and the powerful, independent women who make ruthless use of both. When wealthy gunrunner Todd gets busted in Swinson's "The Ultimate Heist," a cell mate persuades him to rob a strip club owner—using Todd's beautiful wife as bait—so he can get money for attorney's fees. Diamond's "Robyn Banks" follows a DEA agent known as both Jordan and Robyn through a complicated drug bust and even more complicated relationship with handsome, mysterious Keston. A side plot introduces Jordan's aging father, Jonathan, a member of a now-retired robber quartet. Diamond's hairpin plot twists, snappy dialogue, sultry sex scenes, and colorful, often hilarious characters keep the pages turning; in contrast, unlikable, shallow characters and a baffling plot twist makes Swinson's contribution a slog. (Dec.)