Curse of Al Capone’s Gold

Prohibition-era violence and mayhem dominate Thompson’s predictable debut. Andy Larson, a maverick North Dakota police officer who has no problem ripping off criminals, enlists four friends to hijack a truckload of bootleg alcohol coming in from Canada. The caper turns ugly when a shootout leaves all four bootleggers and one of Larson’s friends dead. The remaining hijackers quickly discover that their haul includes thousands of dollars of gold coins belonging to Al Capone. Hiding his extracurricular activities from his colleagues on the force, Larson scrambles to stay ahead of Capone’s enforcers and avoid scrutiny from his own department. There’s no real period flavor or mystery, merely a standard plot of good guys who bend the rules vs. bad guys, peppered by shootouts. (Dec.)