Meet Michael Maven, a movie theater owner by day and thief by night that plays by the rules and has a conscience.  He has no problem purloining expensive valuables, but refuses to make a mess in the process of doing so and avoids violent altercations.  His next job seems easy enough – he just has to steal a very rare coin from a hedge fund manager that will conveniently be out all night at a charity gala.  To say things don’t go according to plan is the understatement of the century.  Ryan Wick’s SAFECRACKER follows Michael as he ends up trading one problem for another attempting to dig out of the mess he’s gotten himself into.

If you find that you tend to prefer the movie to the book, this may be just the book for you to pick up, as it reads like an action movie.  The imagery is tangible, the action is constant and very fast-paced, and the idea of following a safecracker on his expeditions is endlessly exciting.  No stone seems to be unturned in this novel.  Theft of an expensive and unique coin?  Check.  Crooked cops?  The cartel?  The FBI?  Check, check, check!  Fist fights with a femme fatale?  Would you expect anything else?  Wick pulls you into society’s seedy underbelly, and you’ll enjoy this novel best if you suspend your disbelief and strap yourself in for a wild ride. 

If you’re looking for a more subtle, nuanced read, SAFECRACKER may not be for you.  It does include some gritty descriptions of violence that seem a bit unnecessary, and at times seems to move on from one mess to another with little connection or resolution, making the storyline come across as a bit disjointed.  Some may find it difficult to discern what the point of the story is until about halfway through the work because the action keeps hitting from so many different directions.  It is likely that multiple subplots are quickly weaved into this shorter novel because SAFECRACKER is the debut in a series.  Future works will undoubtedly explore more of both these storylines and background that the first novel may leave you wondering about.

Do you love living on the edge of the law through your reading?  Are you looking for an action-packed crime thriller?  Then check out Ryan Wick’s SAFECRACKER.  Someone’s throat is slit within the first five words – how’s that for starting off with a bang?