Just Jennifer

Shoot the Woman First by Wallace Stroby (Minotaur)

Professional thief Crissa Stone finds herself wondering how she got involved with some Detroit thugs interested in stealing five hundred thousand dollars of drug money that is heavily guarded.  Crissa knows it is probably an easy take, but when she brings in longtime colleague Larry Black, Black expresses some concern for their other partners, concern that is well-placed when the split goes bad, erupting in a blaze of gunfire, leaving Crissa with a bag full of stolen drug money, a dead partner and a debt to pay to Larry’s family whom she has never met.  Crissa is nothing if not savvy and careful and wends her way down to Florida where she meets Larry’s wife who is not welcoming and doesn't trust Crissa and his daughter, Haley, who at six has been damaged more than a little girl should.  Crissa doesn't approve of Claudette’s life and certainly not of her boyfriend Mapes and hangs around long enough to try and set them up with a better life, at least for Haley, a day or two long as it turns out.  Back in Detroit, Marquis Jackson is displeased with the loss of his money, to say the least, and offers former policeman Frank Burke a small reward if Burke can track down the money and return it.  It is no surprised that Burke cannot be trusted and has plans of his own for the money as he cuts a murderous swath from Detroit to Florida and right to the doorstep of Claudette and Haley where Crissa is waiting.

There are many players in this heist, all after one thing and one woman, but the pace is so fast that their paths do not cross until the last split second when necessary and then the meeting is swift, bullets are exchanged, and Crissa continues on her quest.  She doesn't particularly like Claudette and wonders if she has wasted her time bringing Larry’s share of the take, but when she meets Haley she knows she needs to give this little girl a shot, even if it is to try and make up for a failing in another part of her life.  Crissa is smart, fast and fearless about most things, but the more time she spends with Haley, the more she uncovers another side that doesn't necessarily fit in with her current lifestyle.  Stroby, a journalist uses straightforward, sparse prose, each sentence conveying much meaning without any unnecessary information.  Though she is a professional thief, Crissa is this time stealing from drug lords, giving a family a second chance with some of the proceeds, making her career choice seem a little more justified.  Fast-faced and breathless, Shoot the Woman First,  is sure to land Wallace Stroby on many “must read” crime fiction lists.