Caught

Set in the late 1970s, Moore’s (February) latest is a smartly crafted novel about David Slaney and his two goals: first, to break out of prison and not get caught; and second, to move millions of dollars’ worth of marijuana from Colombia to Canada and not get caught. It will be his second attempt, and he’s sure that he’s going to be successful this time. After escaping from prison in Nova Scotia, Slaney must travel to Montreal and reach his close friend and partner in crime, Hearn, to finalize their plan. The book’s title, of course, brashly reveals the ending, yet Moore lets the plot unfold little by little, and it’s gripping. And Moore’s prose is as engaging as her skillful plotting. Dialogue is at once crystal clear and elliptical, and descriptive passages pulse with life, as in this sentence about mosquitoes: “They settled on his skin and put their fine things into him and they were lulled and bloated and thought themselves sexy and near death.” (Feb.)