The Last Act

Inspired by the real-life case of Wachovia Bank, which failed to apply proper controls on Mexican money exchanges, this crime novel from Shamus Award winner Parks (Closer Than You Know) offers an intriguing setup but few thrills. A childhood friend approaches struggling stage actor Tommy Jump and tells him that the FBI will pay him handsomely to go to prison and befriend Mitchell Dupree, a banker who worked for the New Colima cartel. If the feds can get documents that Mitch has hidden, they can destroy the syndicate. When Tommy learns that his fiancée is pregnant, he agrees to take the job and the money. Under a false name, he pleads guilty to a nonexistent bank robbery and gets sentenced to the Federal Corrections Institute in Morgantown, W.Va. The action slows as Tommy leads a boring life in the minimum-security prison, where he’s never in peril and threats to others feel minimal. He makes little progress in getting close to Mitchell. Much of the plot depends on coincidence or surprise revelations. Hopefully, Parks will return to form next time. [em]Agent: Alice Martell, Martell Agency. (Mar.) [/em]