Consequence

The lives of two hit men, two con men, and a wealthy businessman collide in London, with devastating results, in this relentlessly bleak crime thriller from British author Yance (House 23). Hit men Darren Morris and James Roach work for a drug boss, but they dream of more than the crumbs he provides. Con men Michael Richards and Johnny Phillips are tired of small scores and want one big enough to open a betting shop. Howard Price has made a huge success of a software business, has a beautiful wife, and dotes on his seven-year-old daughter, Lisa. Morris and Roach are brutal and direct, and Richards and Phillips are quick to run simple cons or devise on-the-spot scams when opportunity arises, but planning ahead is not a skill either pair possesses. A newspaper article about Price, which includes a photo of him and his daughter, gives Morris the idea of kidnapping Lisa. Grabbing the girl is easy, but getting the payoff isn’t when Richards and Phillips stumble into the picture and (almost) everything goes to hell. The action careens to a smashing ending. (Nov.)