Wer die Parker-Romane von Richard Stark oder Gary Dishers Reihe um den sympathischen Berufsverbrecher Wyatt mochte, wird sich im zweiten Teil der Crissa-Stone-Serie des amerikanischen Autors Wallace Stroby sofort heimisch fühlen. Die nach einem mißglückten Coup untergetauchte Protagonistin erfährt zufällig von den immer noch verschwundenen Millionen aus dem gigantischen Flughafen-Überfall 1978, in dessen Folge die daran beteiligten Mafia-Clans sich einen gnadenlosen Vernichtungs-Feldzug lieferten. Mit wenigen loyalen Vertrauten riskiert Crissa Stone die Suche nach dem vermutlich irgendwo gebunkerten Geld, und schnell wird klar, daß sie nicht die Einzige ist, die danach sucht.
Neben der detaillierten Figurenzeichnung & einer straff geführten, stimmigen Dramaturgie schreibt Stroby auch ausgezeichnete, authentische Dialoge, die der Übersetzer gekonnt ins Deutsche bringt: grandios! ( )

After reading the first book in the Crissa Stone series, I thought I would give Stroby one more chance. I was annoyed because much of the plot in that book depends upon one stupid mistake made at the beginning of the book, when a character who has betrayed his partners is allowed to live. Well, after reading Kings of Midnight, I'm going to have to give up on Stroby and this series, because this book relies on even more stupid mistakes for its plot. Don't expect to enjoy Crissa Stone's clever plotting to pull off a big heist--there is none of that, and the author doesn't really seem capable of nuanced plotting. This book starts with a stupid confrontation, and then Crissa ends up teamed with an ex-gang guy who may know where a lot of money is hidden. But this character just does one stupid thing after another, and Crissa, who is supposed to have good sense, keeps rescuing him. This is supposed to make us see what a fundamentally decent person she is, but it is out of character for someone who is supposed to be a successful thief. And, as I said, we never get to see her skills as a thief anyway. But we do see Crissa as Rambo on more than one occasion. Someone should have revoked Stroby's writer's license after this one. VERY DISAPPOINTING. ( )

Parker's daughter. ( )

Picking up shortly after the events of Cold Shot to the Heart, author Wallace Stroby’s Kings of Midnight finds professional thief Crissa Stone working an ATM heist gig with two partners as she continues her efforts to build up enough of a nest egg to get out of the life for good. One big, final score should do it. No matter how much you plan though…

When her last ATM heist goes seriously off the rails, Crissa is forced to use an unfamiliar source to quickly launder the cash she does have so she can disappear. Unfortunately, as the saying goes if it wasn’t for bad luck Crissa would have no luck at all. The sleazy attorney she sets the deal up with doesn’t exactly come through, leaving Crissa once again behind the eight ball struggling to find a way back on top.

The answer seems to present itself when an old friend, and former wiseguy, puts Crissa in touch with Benny Roth, himself a reformed mobster, who has an intriguing proposition. Seems Benny’s boss back in the day, Joey D., was involved with the infamous 1978 Lufthansa heist that netted nearly 6 million. Word on the street is that Joey D. never spent his share of the money, and now that Joey’s dead people are starting to look for it. Benny hadn’t given it a second thought since he got out of the game 25 years ago, but when his former cronies showed up on his doorstep with an offer he couldn’t refuse Benny figured if anyone was gonna find the loot it may as well be him. But he can’t do it alone.

And with that setup Kings of Midnight takes off like a house afire, with Stroby proving once again why he’s the reigning master of the modern day mob/heist novel. From the ATM gig that kicks the story off, to the Lufthansa score flashback, to Crissa and Benny’s hunt for the missing loot, Stroby’s descriptions of the way the heists are carried out are so intricately detailed it makes one wonder exactly what kind of research he does for his novels. Similarly, there are no played out mob tropes or over-the-top caricatures to be found. The wiseguys in Kings of Midnight, as with all Stroby novels, are carefully constructed, three dimensional, scary but utterly believable characters.

Stroby also continues to excel at writing strong, intelligent female characters. Crissa is always well prepared and usually at least a step ahead of the game, playing mental chess while everyone around her is playing checkers. It’s a refreshing change of pace in a genre normally dominated by testosterone-driven, cocky, übermen. Yet, though Crissa knows exactly what she wants and isn’t afraid to do whatever it takes to get it, she’s not just some female Rambo either. She’s very aware every step of the way that she’s making decisions and committing acts which will have lasting, irreversible effects on her conscience. And for all the crackling dialog and fast-paced action, the real beauty of Stroby’s writing comes from the internal battle Crissa wages as she continually balances her goals against the measures she must engage in to obtain them.

Thankfully, though Kings of Midnight brings the story at hand to a thrilling, bloody, satisfying conclusion, the overall story arc of Crissa’s quest to get out of the game remains, and I can’t wait to dive into whatever Stroby has planned for her next.