Lola on Fire

Brody Ellis, the hero of this rocket-fueled crime thriller from Youers (Halcyon), resorts to robbing a convenience store to settle debts and buy medication for his sister, Molly. As Brody flees with the money, he bumps into a young woman, and only later realizes he’s lost his wallet. He soon receives a call from Blair Mayo, the woman he ran into; to get his wallet back and keep her from going to the police, Brody will have to steal her late mother’s diamonds from her stepmother. Brody agrees, and once inside the stepmother’s house, he stumbles across a murder scene designed to implicate him. In an attempt to stay ahead of trouble, Brody and Molly hit the road, where they slowly realize they’re part of a revenge plan orchestrated by mob boss Jimmy Latzo to flush out their long-estranged mother, Lola, a onetime Latzo associate. Youers balances frenetic action with heartfelt character interactions. Fans of full-throttled cinematic action-fests of the Long Kiss Goodnight variety are in for a treat. [em]Agent: Howard Morhaim, Howard Morhaim Literary. (Feb.) [/em]