Crissa Stone, the star of this book, makes one big mistake near the start, and not a single reader won't be able to see the trouble it will cause her. This was extremely annoying, since in general books that base their plots on supposedly smart people (in this case, smart criminals) doing really stupid things already have two strikes against them. Luckily, he doesn't do anything else quite so bad, and we find out that one other puzzling plot twist has a very good reason. I kept listening because 1) this is about the best performed audiobook I have ever heard--Coleen Marlo makes every voice, even the male ones, distinctive; I don't know HOW she manages it and at times it sounds like a different person--a real male voice--speaking; and 2) the book is short and doesn't waste a lot of time on boring parts. Stroby writes pretty well, with a hint of style. The book is extremely violent and more than a bit graphic. The important characters are pretty well-drawn, especially the bad guy who just got out of prison and has a lot of lost time to make up for. Crissa herself is a great character as well, but she needs to learn the signs of danger and do a better job staying out of the paths of psychopaths. I have downloaded the next audiobook, and I hope it shows a smarter Crissa--otherwise it will probably be the end of the road for me on this series. ( )

There is very little better than discovering a new (to me) author who has a series with a very interesting lead character. But one thing that is better is to make the discovery and then find out that there are already numbers 2 and 3 published and ready for me to read!! Crissa is a single professional making her own way in life. Her profession is theft and she handles it like any other profession. Things can go wrong and you deal. And she does. And I can't wait to get to the second in the series.

Really enjoyed that. Picked it up on a whim, always looking fir a new series to sink my teeth into. Crissa Stone is a female version of Stark's Parker. Hard boiled, monosyllabic and cautious to the point of mania.

There's nothing to the plot that we haven't encountered previously, but it's delivered with panache and well-paced mayhem. I'll be picking up more of these. ( )

I haven't thought of a female career criminal since Archie Sheridan & Gretchen Lowell.
Perhaps there is no real comparison, since Gretchen is a serial killer.
But it was interesting to see a strong character like Crissa Stone.
There are many graphic, action packed moments.
I like a simple plot I can follow without introducing multiple side plots.
I found it here.
This book was readable and very intense.

" Crissa Stone carefully weighs risks and rewards and her criminal associates' skills before undertaking a caper."
(Publishers Weekly)

Cold Shot to the Heart
by Wallace Stroby
Give Crissa a try. ( )

With the exception of Elmore Leonard, I'm generally not that interested in crime novels. I read Leonard for the sharply drawn characters and the wit, not the crime. So I picked up Cold Shot to the Heart with some trepidation, but the promise of a female protagonist intrigued me. It wasn't long before Wallace Stroby had me hooked and I found myself for the first time in a long time thinking, "Just one more chapter and then I'll stop." This went on for a few hours and I pretty much read the whole thing in one sitting.

Crissa Stone is a professional thief whose cool head and steady hand make her well-suited to the volatile situations that tend to present themselves when you're trying to forcibly take someone else's dough. After a disappointing haul from her last heist, Crissa is drawn into a scheme to rob an illegal big stakes poker tournament. Of course, easy money is seldom easy and when things go wrong, Crissa finds herself matching wits with Eddie "The Saint" Santiago, a recently released convict with homicidal tendencies who is hellbent on getting Crissa's score at any cost.

Stroby's fast pacing and dialogue driven narrative are reminiscent of Leonard, though his characters don't follow Leonard's smart-ass-with-a-glib-tongue template. In that sense, Stroby's characters seem more realistic, but they're not quite as entertaining. Crissa Stone, however, makes an intriguing protagonist. Crissa doesn't just steal for the thrill of it, nor does she do it just for herself. Her primary motivation is that she's got bills to pay in the form of care for a daughter who doesn't even know her and bribes to spring her significant other, Wayne, from a Texas prison. She seems a woman trapped by circumstance--crime is all she knows and the only way she can make the big money necessary to protect those she loves. Separated from her daughter and her lover, she leads a solitary, painfully lonesome existence when not on the job. Being a female also gets her into some hot water. She's not as comfortable with violence as some of her male counterparts and it's her nature to avoid conflict that ends up creating some of her most dangerous enemies. But make no mistake--she's not a tragic, weak character and these same qualities also allow Crissa to kick ass when the situation calls for it.

Overall, Cold Shot to the Heart is a fast, entertaining read and I'll definitely seek out the other books in the series.

Cross posted at This Insignificant Cinder ( )