Caper (Lawrence Sanders)

What a great book to start my 2013 bookstack!

This Lawrence Sanders novels is by no means a new release.  Published in 1980, it's another one of those books that you should judge by the cover when you say, "It looks worn out and old - lots of people must have read this!"

"Caper" is a mystery/suspense novel.  Jannie Shean is a mystery writer who is told that her writing is starting to seem unrealistic.  She's given the advice of getting back into touch with reality and reading about real experiences in the news before starting on her next novel.  Jannie figures she's got an even better idea - Why not plan a whole crime and then pull out at the last minute?  Jannie decides that, along with help from her friend Dick Fleming, they are going to learn what it really involved as they plan a robbery.  They must do everything from figure out how to get hold of firearms and who to recruit as extra bodies in the mission to how to cover up their identities so that once all is said and done, none of this can be traced back to who they really are.

From the very first chapters, this book grabs your attention.  As one of the characters says in the book, we are all set in our routines and we live our lives knowing that we probably have a tomorrow and that we most likely have a good idea of what will happen in our 'tomorrow'.  These two characters show you how their lives transform when they start to live outside of their comfort zone.  This unknown territory that they are "adventuring" is a place that many of us have never been (and will likely never be!).

I don't want to ruin anything at all about the book.  But I really liked it.  I loved the characters (even the bad ones that you're not supposed to like) and I loved how it kept you guessing.

If you're a fan of the mystery genre, I would highly recommend this one.  Even if you're not a fan of the mystery genre, I would recommend it.  It's not a scary one, I promise - it's not the type of mystery that keeps you up at night thinking that something bad is going to happen to you.  (You just think to yourself instead, "I'm glad I'm not in their position...")