The Professionals
by Owen Laukkanen
- Percentage of approved critics who have given this book a positive review.
Critic Rating
72%
Critic Reviews: 10
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- User rating from iDreamBooks & iTunes
Reader Rating
62%
Reader Ratings: 147
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Synopsis
Introducing a dazzling new thriller talent and his “high-octane, adrenaline-fueled rocket ride” (C. J. Box) of a novel.Four friends, recent college graduates, caught in a terrible job market, joke about turning to kidnapping to survive. And then, suddenly, it's no joke. For two years, the strategy they devise—quick, efficient, low-risk—works like a charm. Until they kidnap the wrong man.Now two groups they've very much wanted to avoid are after them—the law,... more
About Owen Laukkanen
Published: March 29, 2012 by Penguin Press
Genre: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense, Crime. Fiction. 384 pages
- All Critics: 10
- Positive: 8
- Negative: 2
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Publishers Weekly | 9 Jan 2012
A few developments strain credulity, but the story’s breakneck pace will carry most readers along.
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Book Reviews by Elizabeth A. White | 23 Mar 2012
Owen Laukkanen has crafted The Professionals with such attention to character that the reader will find a connection on some level with everyone involved.
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Curious Book Shop | 5 Apr 2012
Laukkanen's outstanding effort features likable, well-developed characters, excellent storytelling and a corkscrew plot.
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Kirkus Reviews | 19 Dec 2011
A fast-moving debut thriller with enough twists to fill a pretzel bag... Let’s hope Laukkanen writes more thrillers like this one.
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Crimespace | 30 Mar 2012
Splitting focus between two sympathetic groups meant that none of the characters were as finely drawn as they could have been and my loyalty was with none of them.
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Sun Sentinel | 8 Apr 2012
...touted as Putnam’s top book of the season. Laukkanen’s fresh voice and original storytelling deserve it.
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By the Book @ Rogers Memorial Library | 10 Apr 2012
Sharp writing and snappy dialogue elevate this crime novel into a delicious cat and mouse game
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Richmond Times-Dispatch | 22 Apr 2012
His prose is fighting-weight lean, and the pace is relentless. In 370 pages, he zips through 93 short, cliff-hanging chapters.
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The Mystery Starts Here Blog | 2 Apr 2012
A finger burning page turner filled with twists, turns and memorable characters you’ll remember long after reading, The End.
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BuffaloNews.com | 18 Apr 2012
Laukkanen’s action-packed plot delivers finely honed characters we care deeply about, even when their behavior is despicable.
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