Criminal Karma

by Steven M. Thomas

A new adventure for ethical thief Robert Rivers, this entertaining caper will appeal to fans of Elmore Leonard and Carl Hiaasen Clean-hearted criminal Robert Rivers has the plan of his career: to... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 034549783X
• ISBN13: 9780345497833
• Release Date: July 2009
• Publisher: Ballantine Books
• Length: 257 Pages
• Weight: 1.03 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.3" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

A POET AND PHILOSPHER EXPOUNDS ON SOCAL

SMT is a poet and philospher in "fin de siecle America". The action leaps off the page from the get go. The idiom is pure Americana with a touch of sang froid. The action quickly boogies from Venice Beach up to Palm Springs. The ride is pure criminal style in a V8 fuel-injected midnight blue late model Caddy Seville. Our protagonist is a former hippie-stoner who tried a day job but tired of callouses; and , grew nostalgic for the adrenaline high of a well planned caper. He is not above fracturing the face of antagonistic jocks or anyone who reminds him of his high school nemeses. He is in pursuit of a pink diamond necklace with his sidekick Reggie. Reggie was a boy scout in the mists of his distant youth; but, a troubled home life turned him into a biker, low level drug dealer. He mentored Robert Rivers until the pupil became the teacher. Despite a gruff exterior the ladies seem to melt when Reggie trots out a well worn come on. Baba Raba is a hirsute, malevolent guru who wears a size XXXL diaper (dhoti); and sports a kinky libido as big as his diaper. Baba and our protagonist both have their sights set on the same fair haired California beauty, Mary; and, the same priceless pink diamond necklace. The last forty pages are a whirlwind of heart thumping bad criminal kharma. Hold on for a roller coaster ride.

California crime fiction at its best

Thomas's second novel is an advance on his first thriller, "Criminal Paradise." In this book, which takes place in Venice Beach, you get the same witty dialogue, vivid characters, and exciting action as the first, but you also get more heart and a better story in a certain sense. Rob Rivers, the criminal narrator shows new sides of himself and ends up a sort of hero, helping the very woman that he is setting out to rob. The scenery and sense of Southern California is very strong and there is some interesting stuff about yoga and Hinduism that comes up when Rob and his partner Reggie go after a fake guru who is trying to steal the same diamond necklace they are. This book has an amazing surprise ending that I liked a lot. This is one to reread and pass on to your friends.

The Adventures of a Charismatic Criminal in Southern California

I really liked this book. I like detective stories and that is sort of what this, but it is more interesting because the main character, Robert Rivers, is a criminal like the title says. But he still solves mysteries and helps people while he is doing his crimes. The book starts with Rob and his derelict partner Reggie, who is kind of a lowlife but funny, trying to steal a diamond necklace in Palm Springs. They fail on the first try and then go back to Venice Beach where they and the rich lady who owns the necklace live to try again. There they get tangled up in a fast-paced, funny, sometimes violent struggle with a overweight guru named Baba Raba and some Italian Gangsters who are after the same diamond necklace Rob is trying to steal. Thomas does a fantastic job of catching the feeling and look of the California coast. The book is very enjoyable from that point of view. It makes you feel like you are walking along the beach in Santa Monica. His characters are also excellent. Besides the guru and the rich lady, Evelyn Evermore, there is a homeless kid named Ozone Pacific, a gypsy fortuneteller named Chavi and a dangerous employee of Baba Raba's name Jimmy Z. It is a fun, action-packed story with snappy dialogue and some great surprises in the plot, including a surprise ending. This is one of the best books I've read this year.

Superb Second Novel

Steven M. Thomas has followed up his killer first novel, "Criminal Paradise," with another colorful, exciting and well written crime fiction saga set in Southern California --this time in Venice Beach and the Coachella Valley. Robert Rivers, Thomas' burglar/stickup man hero, and his ex-biker sidekick Reggie England are after a fabulous diamond necklace. When they follow socialite Evelyn Evermore out to the desert to steal it, everything that can go wrong does go wrong and they end up on the run. But Rivers doesn't give up easily and he soon regroups and goes after the diamonds again in Venice Beach where Evelyn lives and is a disciple of a 300 pound guru named Baba Raba who parades around town in nothing but a loincloth, luring in new followers to his Center for Enlightened Beings. Rivers soon discovers that Baba is after the same prize piece of jewelry he is, and the game is on with gunfights, safecracking and tense encounters with the cops. As in the first novel, Thomas does a super job of capturing the atmosphere and ambiance of the SoCal coast, and even works in some romance between Rivers and tough young lady he meets at Baba's ashram. There is also a totally winning character named Ozone Pacific -- a homeless kid who turns out to be the key to the whole mystery that surrounds Evelyn, Baba, and the matched, rose-colored diamond necklace. Because of the quality of the writing and the depth of character development, I recommend this book to readers of literary novels as well as mystery and crime fiction fans.

zany satirical crime caper t

In Southern California, two bit crook Robert Rivers wants the diamond necklace valued at $250,000; he does not plan to pay for it, but instead plans to steal it from its owner socialite Evelyn Evermore. However, his perfect gamut is nuked by a competitor wanting to claim the same prize and somewhat by his all brawn no brains partner Reggie England; the cops home in on Rivers and England. Rivers like his surname flows to another scheme. He knows the lightweight Evermore is a New Age freak and in fact is a disciple of popular guru Baba Raba. Rivers figures how hard can be to infiltrate the base of a charlatan in Venice. However, as he begins to learn more about Evermore Rivers he begins to like her as she is not the dimwit socialite he thought , but has substance; and for that matter so does the guru. As typical of his capers, all hell breaks loose as he and his sidekick are protecting their targets from a diabolical crime ring. This is a zany satirical crime caper that hooks the audience from the first failed plan to the last. The story line is brisk and amusing as Rivers figures his crime karma is so negative, his time is due to balance his cosmic scales. Instead he finds himself deeper in the cosmic ooze as once again (see CRIMINAL PARADISE) the best laid plans of mice and licentious souls go astray. Harriet Klausner