Synopses & Reviews
The blistering new novel from the author of the multi-award-nominated The ProfessionalsLaukkanen is one of the best young thriller writers working today” (Richmond Times-Dispatch).
When youve got nothing left, youve got nothing left to lose.
Cass County, Minnesota: A sheriffs deputy steps out of a diner on a rainy summer evening, and a few minutes later, hes lying dead in the mud. When BCA agent Kirk Stevens arrives on the scene, he discovers local authorities have taken into custody a single suspect: A hysterical young woman found sitting by the body, holding the deputys own gun. She has no ID, speaks no English. A mystery woman.
The mystery only deepens from there, as Stevens and Carla Windermere, his partner in the new joint BCAFBI violent crime task force, find themselves on the trail of a massive international kidnapping and prostitution operation. Before the two agents are done, they will have traveled over half the country, from Montana to New York, and come face-to-face not only with the most vicious man either of them has ever encounteredbut two of the most courageous women.
They are sisters, stolen ones. But just because youre a victim doesnt mean you have to stay one.
Review
Praise for THE STOLEN ONES
“...breakneck pacing, scarily plausible evils, and steadily rising stakes...”—Christine Tran, Booklist
“From start to finish, a fast-moving and satisfying thriller starring a likable if unlikely duo....The two agents have worked together before (Kill Fee, 2014, etc.), and if there's justice in the literary world, they will team up on many more cases.” —Kirkus Review
Praise for KILL FEE
“Laukkanens fast-paced, no-frills style is brisk, blunt, and fueled entirely by adrenaline.”—Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review
“Enthralling . . . Kill Fee works well as an in-depth police procedural and an insightful look at amorality and greed. Laukkanen employs the same strengths of brisk plotting and incisive character studies that he established in his first two novels.”—Associated Press
“[Kill Fee is] further proof that Laukkanen is one of the best young thriller writers working today. His pace is relentless, his plots are satisfyingly intricate and his prose is cut-to-the-bone lean . . . Perhaps as importantly, his books boast social relevance. Like David Baldacci, a veteran of the thinking mans thriller genre, Laukkanen understands the value of tying an exhilarating adventure back to the pressing concerns of the real world.”—Richmond Times-Dispatch
“Just two books in [The Professionals and Criminal Enterprise] and Laukkanen is a master at elevating stakes and keeping those prize pages turning. Book No. 3 in the Stevens and Windermere series, Kill Fee, is even better.” —Sarah Weinman, National Post
“Blistering pace and a stomach-turning homicide-for-hire scheme . . . Laukkanen keeps readers engaged with a serpentine plot that writhes through high-tech and low-life corruption.”—Publishers Weekly
“Pulse-pounding…you wont put this third Stevens and Windermere installment down unfinished.”—Kirkus Reviews
About the Author
After graduation, Owen Laukkanen answered a Craigslist ad--and for the next three years, he was the tournament reporter for a poker website, traveling from the luxurious casinos of Monaco and Macau to the sketchiest card rooms of Atlantic City. A resident of Vancouver, he is now at work on a third book featuring Stevens and Windermere.