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Stevens & Windermere #2
Criminal Enterprise
The new Stevens and Windermere novel from the author of the dazzlingly acclaimed The Professionals—“one of the best debuts of the year” (Mystery Scene).
From the outside, Carter Tomlin’s life looked perfect: a big house, pretty wife, two kids—a St. Paul success story. But Tomlin has a secret. He’s lost his job, the bills are mounting, and that perfect life is hanging by a thread. Desperate, he robs a bank. Then he robs another.
As the red flags start to go up, FBI Special Agent Carla Windermere homes in on Tomlin from one direction, while Minnesota state investigator Kirk Stevens picks up the trail from another. The two cops haven’t talked since their first case together, but that’s all going to change very quickly.
Because Carter Tomlin’s decided he likes robbing banks. And it’s not because of the money, not anymore. Tomlin has guns and a new taste for violence. And he’s not quitting anytime soon.
From the outside, Carter Tomlin’s life looked perfect: a big house, pretty wife, two kids—a St. Paul success story. But Tomlin has a secret. He’s lost his job, the bills are mounting, and that perfect life is hanging by a thread. Desperate, he robs a bank. Then he robs another.
As the red flags start to go up, FBI Special Agent Carla Windermere homes in on Tomlin from one direction, while Minnesota state investigator Kirk Stevens picks up the trail from another. The two cops haven’t talked since their first case together, but that’s all going to change very quickly.
Because Carter Tomlin’s decided he likes robbing banks. And it’s not because of the money, not anymore. Tomlin has guns and a new taste for violence. And he’s not quitting anytime soon.
406 pages, Hardcover
First published March 21, 2013
61 people are currently reading
1482 people want to read
About the author
Owen Laukkanen
21 books550 followersOwen Laukkanen's debut thriller, THE PROFESSIONALS, was published by G.P. Putnam's Sons in spring 2012. Its sequel, CRIMINAL ENTERPRISE, will hit stores on March 21, 2013.
An alumnus of the University of British Columbia's Creative Writing BFA program, Laukkanen spent three years in the world of professional poker, traveling to high-stakes tournaments across the globe as a writer for www.PokerListings.com.
A commercial fisherman when he’s not writing, Laukkanen divides his time between Vancouver, British Columbia and Prince Edward Island, Canada.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 268 reviews
June 28, 2016
Two books in, this is rapidly becoming one of my favorite new series. In their first outing, The Professionals, Minnesota BCA agent Kirk Stevens, and FBI agent Carla Windermere joined forces to track down an especially clever band of kidnappers. They then returned to their respective law enforcement agencies, expecting never to work together again. Happily, though, at least for the reader, the two are teamed up again in a case that strikes particularly close to home for Stevens.
Carter Tomlin, a Minneapolis accounting executive, has recently been laid off from his well-paying job because of the firm's declining fortunes. The loss of the job is devastating for Tomlin who is highly leveraged with a very expensive house and a wife and children who have become accustomed to a lavish lifestyle. He's unable to find another job that pays nearly as well and his world is about to come crashing down around him.
Tomlin's image of himself as a man, a husband and a father are also under assault. He's desperate to prove that he can continue to provide for his family as he believes a man should. At wit's end, he impulsively robs a bank. The take is small--certainly not worth the risk--but it plants a seed in Tomlin's mind and he becomes convinced that done carefully and properly, bank robbing could become his new profession. It turns out that he's pretty good a this and, surprisingly, he discovers that he enjoys it. The rush he gets is fantastic, and before long, robbing banks becomes his new drug of choice as well as a means of supporting his family.
Naturally, the FBI and other law enforcement agencies are not as enthused. Carla Windermere and her partner are assigned to the case, but it's not a happy professional marriage. The partner is an insecure jerk who is about half as bright as Windermere. He's arrogant; he's determined to be in charge; he's usually wrong, and he's not about to be overshadowed by a female partner. Windermere is hugely frustrated and she yearns for the brief period of time when she was working with Kirk Stevens.
Meanwhile, Stevens, whose teenage daughter plays on a basketball team coached by Carter Tomlin, is coming at the investigation from an entirely different angle and as the action ramps up, his investigation begins to parallel that of Windermere and the two of them may have the opportunity to renew their partnership once again.
This is another great read from Owen Laukkanen. The action is non-stop and the characters, even the minor ones, are all well-drawn and very compelling. Additionally, Laukkanen expertly develops the plot in a way that sucks the reader in and keeps him or her turning the pages as rapidly as possible. One would think that there would be only so many opportunities for BCA and FBI agents to be working together in Minnesota, but one can only hope that Laukkanen can keep inventing them.
Carter Tomlin, a Minneapolis accounting executive, has recently been laid off from his well-paying job because of the firm's declining fortunes. The loss of the job is devastating for Tomlin who is highly leveraged with a very expensive house and a wife and children who have become accustomed to a lavish lifestyle. He's unable to find another job that pays nearly as well and his world is about to come crashing down around him.
Tomlin's image of himself as a man, a husband and a father are also under assault. He's desperate to prove that he can continue to provide for his family as he believes a man should. At wit's end, he impulsively robs a bank. The take is small--certainly not worth the risk--but it plants a seed in Tomlin's mind and he becomes convinced that done carefully and properly, bank robbing could become his new profession. It turns out that he's pretty good a this and, surprisingly, he discovers that he enjoys it. The rush he gets is fantastic, and before long, robbing banks becomes his new drug of choice as well as a means of supporting his family.
Naturally, the FBI and other law enforcement agencies are not as enthused. Carla Windermere and her partner are assigned to the case, but it's not a happy professional marriage. The partner is an insecure jerk who is about half as bright as Windermere. He's arrogant; he's determined to be in charge; he's usually wrong, and he's not about to be overshadowed by a female partner. Windermere is hugely frustrated and she yearns for the brief period of time when she was working with Kirk Stevens.
Meanwhile, Stevens, whose teenage daughter plays on a basketball team coached by Carter Tomlin, is coming at the investigation from an entirely different angle and as the action ramps up, his investigation begins to parallel that of Windermere and the two of them may have the opportunity to renew their partnership once again.
This is another great read from Owen Laukkanen. The action is non-stop and the characters, even the minor ones, are all well-drawn and very compelling. Additionally, Laukkanen expertly develops the plot in a way that sucks the reader in and keeps him or her turning the pages as rapidly as possible. One would think that there would be only so many opportunities for BCA and FBI agents to be working together in Minnesota, but one can only hope that Laukkanen can keep inventing them.
April 12, 2013
This is a great way to spend a weekend, or a week. Once this story got cranking, I liked it better than the first one because this felt more tautly paced. Once you get about 3/4 of the way through, there's no good stopping point. You'll just want to keep reading right on through to the end to see how everything turns out.
Laukkanen's style is somewhat similar to John Sandford's, with lots of action and quick scene changes delivered in chapters of 2 to 4 pages. He's thrown in some good sub-plots and family issues for the characters, so things keep moving and stay interesting.
Carter Tomlin's shift from buttoned-down, high-powered accountant to murderous criminal strains credulity somewhat, but if thrillers were entirely believable and just like real life, who would want to read them?
You don't need to have read the first book, The Professionals, to enjoy this one. There's enough background here about Windermere and Stevens to keep you from feeling left out or lost.
Laukkanen's style is somewhat similar to John Sandford's, with lots of action and quick scene changes delivered in chapters of 2 to 4 pages. He's thrown in some good sub-plots and family issues for the characters, so things keep moving and stay interesting.
Carter Tomlin's shift from buttoned-down, high-powered accountant to murderous criminal strains credulity somewhat, but if thrillers were entirely believable and just like real life, who would want to read them?
You don't need to have read the first book, The Professionals, to enjoy this one. There's enough background here about Windermere and Stevens to keep you from feeling left out or lost.
July 18, 2019
3 1/2 stars - FBI agent Carla has a new partner/senior lead and is on the trail of a bank robber. She puts the pieces together and back tracks - this guy has been busy, and getting more dangerous by the job.
State investigator Kirk, who had worked with her previously, is working on a cold case involving a dead hubby and missing wife, and their two cases cross paths.
Great first half, seeing the desperation of the accountant/bank robber and his evolution. Not-as-compelling second half, as the kitchen sink gets thrown in for good measure.
State investigator Kirk, who had worked with her previously, is working on a cold case involving a dead hubby and missing wife, and their two cases cross paths.
Great first half, seeing the desperation of the accountant/bank robber and his evolution. Not-as-compelling second half, as the kitchen sink gets thrown in for good measure.
October 10, 2012
To say I was impressed with Owen Laukkanen’s CRIMINAL ENTERPRISE might be a bit of an understatement. Maybe it’s my love of all things financial, or maybe it’s my desire to explore what would make a straight-shooting family man slip over the edge to a life filled with crime. Either way, I devoured this book the way I might consume a fudge-covered sundae, and with just as much as pleasure.
For me, this book was firing on all cylinders, the way a stock car might at the Daytona 500. The plot moved nearly as fast as the late Dale Earnhardt; the characters exploded off the page; the bite-sized chapters were easily consumable; and the twists and turns moved in an oval-shaped fashion around the track. If you are looking for a new financial fiction author, Owen Laukkanen is certainly worthy of your attention.
I received this book for free at Bouchercon.
For me, this book was firing on all cylinders, the way a stock car might at the Daytona 500. The plot moved nearly as fast as the late Dale Earnhardt; the characters exploded off the page; the bite-sized chapters were easily consumable; and the twists and turns moved in an oval-shaped fashion around the track. If you are looking for a new financial fiction author, Owen Laukkanen is certainly worthy of your attention.
I received this book for free at Bouchercon.
July 9, 2021
This is the second book of this series, and is similar in some ways to the first. The first one had villains that were not really evil, just a bit naive who made some bad decisions; at times it was hard not to hope they were successful when the going got rough.
In this one, it started out similarly; a guy who gets laid off during a downturn in the economy, and can't pay his mortgage and other bills. Of course, he's not totally innocent of getting overextended, but it was the pressures of his family and trying to keep them happy. However, he started losing it somewhere along the way, until he lost all sympathy from everyone. He somehow became really evil, and we only hoped he'd die soon.
It probably wasn't very realistic at all. It's pretty hard to believe a rich accountant could become a ruthless killer and not get caught pretty quickly. But it was a fun and exciting ride, with some humor along the way, at least for a while. I had trouble putting it down for the last third or so, and it went very fast with lost of short chapters.
In this one, it started out similarly; a guy who gets laid off during a downturn in the economy, and can't pay his mortgage and other bills. Of course, he's not totally innocent of getting overextended, but it was the pressures of his family and trying to keep them happy. However, he started losing it somewhere along the way, until he lost all sympathy from everyone. He somehow became really evil, and we only hoped he'd die soon.
It probably wasn't very realistic at all. It's pretty hard to believe a rich accountant could become a ruthless killer and not get caught pretty quickly. But it was a fun and exciting ride, with some humor along the way, at least for a while. I had trouble putting it down for the last third or so, and it went very fast with lost of short chapters.
May 11, 2013
When most people lose their job, they revise their resume, fire the lawn mower guy, cut family dinners out and get rid of HBO.
Not Carter Tomlin. He cannot tighten the reins. He has a McMansion. Droves a jaguar.
Instead, he robs a bank with a note. He starts out small, but there's a problem. Its not that its wrong. He is just not making enough money.
So, like MacDonald's, he super sizes. He robs someone and gets an assault rifle, a shotgun and a pistol. Now he can get bigger scores, and with his trusty money hungry secretary and her wheelman boyfriend, they start hitting banks. Its a real power trip to Tomlin, who gets a taste for violence and the power that comes with threatening people with an AR-15.
Which attracts the attention of FBI Special Agent Carla Windermere, one of the heroes from Laukkanen's first book "the Professionals", which was a masterful crime book.
Windermere on first meeting Tomlin immediately suspects him for the crime spree, which at that time is quite small, but her FBI buddies are not convinced. They are jealous of her success in the Pender case and her partner, the senior agent, wants her listen to him and not try to lead the team.
So, while we know from the get go that Tomlin is the bank robber, we get to watch his descent into depravity and evil as Windermere fights the FBI hierarchy to get them to take serious her gut instinct until Tomlin's thirst for bigger and bigger action and taste for death brings him to the attention of everyone, and the book devolves into an action packed murder and robbery spree.
But although action packed, the partnership of Windermere and Stevens, which is essential to the story, felt forced. Laukkanen has to find a better way to have the two of them team up to solve cases.
Moreover, while the criminals in "The Professionals" were kidnappers, in some ways they were a little noble. Here we have no sympathy for Tomlin and his descent from corporate accountant to murderous thug. Too many of us have had to career switch and cut back. We do not pick up an assault rifle, rob banks and go on a jealous murder spree.
So while the book had plenty of action, it lacked that extra element, that pizzaz that made Laukkanen's first novel special.
But if you like action, and plenty of it, this book still packs a wallop.
Not Carter Tomlin. He cannot tighten the reins. He has a McMansion. Droves a jaguar.
Instead, he robs a bank with a note. He starts out small, but there's a problem. Its not that its wrong. He is just not making enough money.
So, like MacDonald's, he super sizes. He robs someone and gets an assault rifle, a shotgun and a pistol. Now he can get bigger scores, and with his trusty money hungry secretary and her wheelman boyfriend, they start hitting banks. Its a real power trip to Tomlin, who gets a taste for violence and the power that comes with threatening people with an AR-15.
Which attracts the attention of FBI Special Agent Carla Windermere, one of the heroes from Laukkanen's first book "the Professionals", which was a masterful crime book.
Windermere on first meeting Tomlin immediately suspects him for the crime spree, which at that time is quite small, but her FBI buddies are not convinced. They are jealous of her success in the Pender case and her partner, the senior agent, wants her listen to him and not try to lead the team.
So, while we know from the get go that Tomlin is the bank robber, we get to watch his descent into depravity and evil as Windermere fights the FBI hierarchy to get them to take serious her gut instinct until Tomlin's thirst for bigger and bigger action and taste for death brings him to the attention of everyone, and the book devolves into an action packed murder and robbery spree.
But although action packed, the partnership of Windermere and Stevens, which is essential to the story, felt forced. Laukkanen has to find a better way to have the two of them team up to solve cases.
Moreover, while the criminals in "The Professionals" were kidnappers, in some ways they were a little noble. Here we have no sympathy for Tomlin and his descent from corporate accountant to murderous thug. Too many of us have had to career switch and cut back. We do not pick up an assault rifle, rob banks and go on a jealous murder spree.
So while the book had plenty of action, it lacked that extra element, that pizzaz that made Laukkanen's first novel special.
But if you like action, and plenty of it, this book still packs a wallop.
June 3, 2022
So, I've had the flu this week. I sent my sweetie to the library in search of thrillers to take my mind off things, gave him author names, and this was first on the stack.
It fit the bill of taking virtually no mental energy to read, but man was this silly. If I'd had more physical energy I might have thrown it at the wall. Happy to say that Laukkanen has improved mightily as he's layered on the series and standalones. But I'll steer clear of these earlier works. My head and stomach couldn't take much more.
It fit the bill of taking virtually no mental energy to read, but man was this silly. If I'd had more physical energy I might have thrown it at the wall. Happy to say that Laukkanen has improved mightily as he's layered on the series and standalones. But I'll steer clear of these earlier works. My head and stomach couldn't take much more.
April 2, 2013
I devoured Owen Laukkanen's debut novel The Professionals last year - it was one of those page turning thrillers that I love.
And you always wonder after such a strong debut, can the author repeat that success? I have to tell you, Laukkanen did - and actually, I think he did an even better job with this second novel - Criminal Enterprise.
Carter Tomlin is one of those guys living the 'good life'. Beautiful family, good job, big house, big car, all the toys and more. Until the economy takes a downswing....and Carter's job is no more. But, all the bills are still his. And he has a lifestyle to maintain for his family. With the pressure to keep up the façade, Carter does the unthinkable. He robs a bank. And then another.
And then "It wasn't just about the money anymore. Not even close. It was about the excitement, the power, the quick jolt of electricity he felt when the pretty tellers wilted at the sight of his gun.....It was power. Control. Robbing banks filled the void while he pad off his mortgage. And nobody had figured him out."
Someone is trying to figure it out though. Laukkanen brings back the two protagonists from his first book - FBI Agent Carl Windermere and Minnesota BCA detective Kirk Stevens. I was really glad to see this pair return - I really liked them both. They're opposite in personality and each brings a different outlook and set of strengths to the table. And there's a delicious tension between the two.
The plotting is tantalizingly clever, with several twists that had me nodding my head in appreciation many times. The ending of one chapter just fueled me to quickly start the next. From Carter's thoughts to the progress of the cops on his trail, the storyline just grabbed me and didn't let go. Note: make sure to start this book when you've got a full day to yourself - you won't want to put it down.
Suspense novels are one of my favourite genres and Laukkanen has firmly planted himself on my must read author list. Fans of authors Harlan Coben and Linwood Barclay would love Laukkanen. So does John Sandford, who provided a cover blurb: " Laukkanen is slam-bang brilliant." I wholeheartedly agree!
And you always wonder after such a strong debut, can the author repeat that success? I have to tell you, Laukkanen did - and actually, I think he did an even better job with this second novel - Criminal Enterprise.
Carter Tomlin is one of those guys living the 'good life'. Beautiful family, good job, big house, big car, all the toys and more. Until the economy takes a downswing....and Carter's job is no more. But, all the bills are still his. And he has a lifestyle to maintain for his family. With the pressure to keep up the façade, Carter does the unthinkable. He robs a bank. And then another.
And then "It wasn't just about the money anymore. Not even close. It was about the excitement, the power, the quick jolt of electricity he felt when the pretty tellers wilted at the sight of his gun.....It was power. Control. Robbing banks filled the void while he pad off his mortgage. And nobody had figured him out."
Someone is trying to figure it out though. Laukkanen brings back the two protagonists from his first book - FBI Agent Carl Windermere and Minnesota BCA detective Kirk Stevens. I was really glad to see this pair return - I really liked them both. They're opposite in personality and each brings a different outlook and set of strengths to the table. And there's a delicious tension between the two.
The plotting is tantalizingly clever, with several twists that had me nodding my head in appreciation many times. The ending of one chapter just fueled me to quickly start the next. From Carter's thoughts to the progress of the cops on his trail, the storyline just grabbed me and didn't let go. Note: make sure to start this book when you've got a full day to yourself - you won't want to put it down.
Suspense novels are one of my favourite genres and Laukkanen has firmly planted himself on my must read author list. Fans of authors Harlan Coben and Linwood Barclay would love Laukkanen. So does John Sandford, who provided a cover blurb: " Laukkanen is slam-bang brilliant." I wholeheartedly agree!
April 8, 2013
1.5 stars. I am terribly disappointed with this, after the fine debut novel by this author. What was great about that first novel is largely missing here. In The Professionals, the criminals are sympathetic and interesting. Here, the main criminal is a spoiled rich white guy with a Jaguar and McMansion who, when he loses his job, isn't willing to temper his ludicrous lifestyle or forgot about buying a wii for the kids or diamonds for the wife, and so he turns to violent crimes for income. While I sympathized with the smart, interesting criminals of the first novel, this character was despicable from the start, and we know who is going to win in a novel like this, so this could be, at best, an okay, typical crime novel. Factual errors abound too, some characters wander through the novel with poor motivation, people make choices I can't imagine anyone making in real life, work conflicts at the FBI seem unrealistic and feel forced by an author's hand, and bizarre coincidences occur far too often. It's just not a very good novel. I had hoped that I had found a new author to like. No. And I'm sad about that, from excitement and hope to this feeling in one deadly drop. I probably over-rated the first novel, I think, now that I read this one.
September 24, 2016
Actually a 3.5 and one of the stars is earned just for being a page turner that keeps one wondering between reading sessions just what is going to happen. Some interesting plot twists that took me by surprise were a plus. On the minus side, the characterization tended to be a bit weak and the depiction of the main villain reaching unimaginable depths of evil based on his new "occupation" (I think those traits would have surfaced long before the events told here.) and the self sacrificing decisions of a terrified teenager really don't ring true. Still, a good follow-up to the first one and a good beach/plane read. Probably could have been trimmed in length without losing any momentum.
July 15, 2016
Solid crime fiction about Carter Tomlin, a downsized upper management accounting executive who stars robbing banks to support his family's expensive lifestyle. FBI agent Carla Windermere and Minnesota BCA agent Kirk Stevens inadvertently team up again to identify the bank robbers and stop the madness. I became invested in these very likable characters who form an unlikely but ultimately successful ad hoc partnership. Probably best to read the first book in the series: "The Professionals" for context. Very entertaining and highly recommended.
August 27, 2018
When I read the first in this series, The Professionals, I knew I had found another tremendous author. I immediately requested the second in the series, Criminal Enterprise, and immediately devoured the book. Owen is one heck of an author, writing fast paced thrillers. Stevens is with the BCA and Windermere is with the FBI, and they have teamed up to solve a couple difficult crimes. Together they make a fantastic team. Windermire wants Stevens to leave the BCA and join the FBI, but Stevens is reluctant to do so. Hmm, maybe he eventually will?? This series is an extra bonus for me because it takes place in my hometown. I can't wait to see what happens in book three, (I just requested it from my library). I highly recommend this series. Extra special Kudos to Mr Laukkanen for an outstanding series.
February 10, 2020
finished this morning of the 10th of february 2020 good read four stars really liked it kindle library loaner and i've read at least one other possibly more from laukkanan will look for more laukkanen writes well this one is fast paced with a nice blend of characters
October 4, 2013
As much as I enjoyed
The Professionals
, I was unsure I wanted to read a follow-up. How tortured would the contrivances needed to bring these two investigators back together be? I was figuring pretty tortured. Would we be in for another group of criminals allllmost smart enough to get away with it all?
Laukkanen pulled it off, though -- by taking pretty much everything about The Professionals and turning it on its head -- the criminals aren't nearly as professional (no pun intended); Stevens and Windermere are kept apart -- professionally and personally -- for most of the book; the action is all in the St. Paul area, so we see the agents in their home environment, not jet setting all over the country. What's the same? Criminal Activity is just as gripping, just as tense, moves at the same breakneck speed.
Carla Windermere is languishing at the FBI office, an outsider even two years after the headline-making case she and Stevens cracked together. Whether its due to her race, gender, or personality is hard to say, but she's not one of the team -- and she likes it as much as she hates it. She misses the excitement, the challenge of the higher-profile case.
BCA Agent Kirk Stevens has thrown himself into his family and his work following his heroics from The Professionals . He's very involved with his daughter and marriage. He's still doing important work for the state -- like cold case murder investigations, providing closure to families still wondering what's happened to loved ones. He's nice and safe, just what his wife wants, but it's driving him crazy. He wants the excitement he got a taste of recently, he wants the sense of fulfillment that he got from stopping an active criminal.
Carter Tomlin, a formerly prosperous accountant is laid off and his debts are mounting -- he's too proud, too self-reliant to look for help, won't bring himself to sell off possessions, or ask his wife to take a full time job. He's essentially Minnesota's answer to Walter White -- his pride won't let him do what he needs to do, so in a moment of panicked inspiration he holds up a bank. Not only does he get some easy money to hold off the debt collectors, he comes alive in a way he hadn't realized he could before. So he commits more and more robberies, the rush building each time.
When the paths of these three discontented people collide, havoc ensues.
If Laukkanen's third book in this series is half as good, I don't care how he gets Stevens and Windermere together or what felons they are trying to take down -- doesn't matter, I'm all in.
Laukkanen pulled it off, though -- by taking pretty much everything about The Professionals and turning it on its head -- the criminals aren't nearly as professional (no pun intended); Stevens and Windermere are kept apart -- professionally and personally -- for most of the book; the action is all in the St. Paul area, so we see the agents in their home environment, not jet setting all over the country. What's the same? Criminal Activity is just as gripping, just as tense, moves at the same breakneck speed.
Carla Windermere is languishing at the FBI office, an outsider even two years after the headline-making case she and Stevens cracked together. Whether its due to her race, gender, or personality is hard to say, but she's not one of the team -- and she likes it as much as she hates it. She misses the excitement, the challenge of the higher-profile case.
BCA Agent Kirk Stevens has thrown himself into his family and his work following his heroics from The Professionals . He's very involved with his daughter and marriage. He's still doing important work for the state -- like cold case murder investigations, providing closure to families still wondering what's happened to loved ones. He's nice and safe, just what his wife wants, but it's driving him crazy. He wants the excitement he got a taste of recently, he wants the sense of fulfillment that he got from stopping an active criminal.
Carter Tomlin, a formerly prosperous accountant is laid off and his debts are mounting -- he's too proud, too self-reliant to look for help, won't bring himself to sell off possessions, or ask his wife to take a full time job. He's essentially Minnesota's answer to Walter White -- his pride won't let him do what he needs to do, so in a moment of panicked inspiration he holds up a bank. Not only does he get some easy money to hold off the debt collectors, he comes alive in a way he hadn't realized he could before. So he commits more and more robberies, the rush building each time.
When the paths of these three discontented people collide, havoc ensues.
If Laukkanen's third book in this series is half as good, I don't care how he gets Stevens and Windermere together or what felons they are trying to take down -- doesn't matter, I'm all in.
May 8, 2013
“Criminal Enterprise” is a second book about the team of Windermere and Stevens by Owen Laukkanen. “The Professionals” is the first in the series. It is a story of qualified but unemployed individual who loses his job and turns to kidnapping-for-ransom when he cannot get another job that supports him in the way that he is accustomed. Because of the tight job market and his need to acquire money, he turns to crime. FBI agent Windermere and Minnesota State Investigator Stevens are in charge of the investigation and charged with solving the crime. The police characters were not a great fit and for me the dynamics between them did not add to the interest in the story line. There is a bit of a romantic interest but it is not developed and the characters were not very likeable.
I felt the main character Carter Tom¬lin was much more interesting than the other characters in the book. One concern I had while reading this was that it seemed that it was almost seen as okay to turn to kidnapping or other crimes to preserve your lifestyle if you were down on you luck. It was a bit unnerving to see how seductive that the feeling of power and control, especially using force and violence became to the Tomlin. It’s a bit unnerving thinking that circumstances of security and unemployment could change someone so completely. The book was faced paced and entertaining. I would give it 3.5 stars but it is closer to 4 than 3. Thank you to Librarything for the Advanced Copy.
I felt the main character Carter Tom¬lin was much more interesting than the other characters in the book. One concern I had while reading this was that it seemed that it was almost seen as okay to turn to kidnapping or other crimes to preserve your lifestyle if you were down on you luck. It was a bit unnerving to see how seductive that the feeling of power and control, especially using force and violence became to the Tomlin. It’s a bit unnerving thinking that circumstances of security and unemployment could change someone so completely. The book was faced paced and entertaining. I would give it 3.5 stars but it is closer to 4 than 3. Thank you to Librarything for the Advanced Copy.
February 25, 2013
I won this book in a Goodreads First Reads giveaway.
I loved this book. I like how it went from character to character. My ultimate favorite character was Tomlin. Not because he was a bad guy, but because he was strategic in not getting caught in the first robberies. I like how he could cover up his tracks. When Tricia found his stash of drugs and money, I thought she was gonna turn him in. Then she decided to take him to one of her friends and sold the drugs. I was surprised that she did that, but in a way I thought she was sort of a trouble maker, so I wasn't as surprised as I thought I would be.
I liked how Tomlin could act like he wasn't the one robbing the banks, but I didn't like how he kept that from his wife and kids. My second favorite character was Becca, because she has the exact same name as me. I was happy about that.
If Tomlin had enough money to have a Jaguar and a million dollar house, why would he have to rob banks? I didn't understand that at first, but I could understand that all of those cost a lot of money and he probably ran out of money to pay for the car and the house.
Well, I haven't been writing big reviews much lately. So, to keep up the trend, I hope you liked my review and the book Criminal Enterprise by Owen Laukkanen!
I loved this book. I like how it went from character to character. My ultimate favorite character was Tomlin. Not because he was a bad guy, but because he was strategic in not getting caught in the first robberies. I like how he could cover up his tracks. When Tricia found his stash of drugs and money, I thought she was gonna turn him in. Then she decided to take him to one of her friends and sold the drugs. I was surprised that she did that, but in a way I thought she was sort of a trouble maker, so I wasn't as surprised as I thought I would be.
I liked how Tomlin could act like he wasn't the one robbing the banks, but I didn't like how he kept that from his wife and kids. My second favorite character was Becca, because she has the exact same name as me. I was happy about that.
If Tomlin had enough money to have a Jaguar and a million dollar house, why would he have to rob banks? I didn't understand that at first, but I could understand that all of those cost a lot of money and he probably ran out of money to pay for the car and the house.
Well, I haven't been writing big reviews much lately. So, to keep up the trend, I hope you liked my review and the book Criminal Enterprise by Owen Laukkanen!
February 28, 2014
So I got this book a long time ago. I never picked it up and kind of forgot about it. Recently, I was going through my shelves on something to read and decided that I would try to make a little dent in my TBR pile. I say "little" as it will take me a long time to make a "big" dent. I would need about a year off from work to do this. Not kidding.
I picked up this book and started reading it. I did finish it in one day. It moved fairly quickly and had plenty of good dialect and action to keep the story moving and not getting stale. However, I found that Kirk kind of faded in the background for me. In fact if someone asked me to describe him, I would say "boring". Not true for Carter and especially, Carla. Carter was the bad guy that you loved to hate. I could forgive him even in the beginning for robbing the banks as he was doing it for his family. Yet as he got more bold, he turned into a jerk. Carla on the other hand was very smart and quick on her feet. She I thought, blew all the guys out of the water with her performance.
I picked up this book and started reading it. I did finish it in one day. It moved fairly quickly and had plenty of good dialect and action to keep the story moving and not getting stale. However, I found that Kirk kind of faded in the background for me. In fact if someone asked me to describe him, I would say "boring". Not true for Carter and especially, Carla. Carter was the bad guy that you loved to hate. I could forgive him even in the beginning for robbing the banks as he was doing it for his family. Yet as he got more bold, he turned into a jerk. Carla on the other hand was very smart and quick on her feet. She I thought, blew all the guys out of the water with her performance.
November 27, 2013
This was a Goodreads win. I'm sorry I didn't get to this one sooner. The book was ranked one of the best 100 novels of the year and I can see why. It's 408 pages of excitement. The author kept me totally captured. The main character appears to have it all from a prestigious job to the gorgeous family. Then one day he's out of a job. He was raised believing a man was supposed to take care of his family and did not want to change their present lifestyle. His wife suggested down sizing and selling some unneeded things but he did not want to hear of it. One day he just decided to rob a bank and when that was successful his new life began to snowball. Wow what a good book!
July 3, 2016
I have to say that this book pretty much knocked my socks off.
A fairly average, successful guy finds himself living above his lifestyle, especially after some financial setbacks. Not wanting to be seen as a disappointment or wanting his family to suffer, he starts doing simple bank robberies. But as they progress, and he discovers the joy of killing, he becomes one of the most terrible killers in crime fiction, loving the power of murdering.
(Why only four, not five stars? I hated one nagging wife character, which, I suppose compliments the author.)
I highly recommend this to my great crime reading friends: Peg, Robert, Larry and Toni.
A fairly average, successful guy finds himself living above his lifestyle, especially after some financial setbacks. Not wanting to be seen as a disappointment or wanting his family to suffer, he starts doing simple bank robberies. But as they progress, and he discovers the joy of killing, he becomes one of the most terrible killers in crime fiction, loving the power of murdering.
(Why only four, not five stars? I hated one nagging wife character, which, I suppose compliments the author.)
I highly recommend this to my great crime reading friends: Peg, Robert, Larry and Toni.
July 11, 2013
Tomlin is unpredictable and driven in his need for crime, he has little remorse. He analyses his progress with tension calculating every move for control without loss. Situations are created by Tomlin while repercussions and investigations swirl into his path. In their investigation, Carla and Kirks suspicions of Tomlin’s responses bring him closer to wrongdoing.
This character driven thriller has suspense building at every turn of events. I recommend this book to fans of crime thrillers.
This character driven thriller has suspense building at every turn of events. I recommend this book to fans of crime thrillers.
February 13, 2013
Starts out well; sympathy with bad protagonist -accountant gone wrong because he must support family; echoes of gone girl and Mr. Ripley. Then things go south rapidly in a very unlikely and I just have to say sophomoric way.
May 14, 2013
So full of inaccuracies that it was hard to suspend disbelief. Author seems to know nothing about guns, muscle cars, or high school basketball (all key elements of the story). Then again, I finished reading it because the characters draw you in, despite all the other flaws.
December 25, 2014
A great, light page turner. Perfect for a holiday.
I enjoyed the evolution of the psychopath. How desperation breeds a lust for power, thrills, and the "wild-side".
Highly recommended for what the book is. Entertaining!
I enjoyed the evolution of the psychopath. How desperation breeds a lust for power, thrills, and the "wild-side".
Highly recommended for what the book is. Entertaining!
May 26, 2013
Another great thriller from Laukkanen. I enjoyed Criminal Enterprise even more than The Professionals. Can't wait for the next adventure
January 8, 2016
hard to stop reading
October 5, 2019
This was a standout installment. Most books try to humanize their villains, try to make the audience understand the motivations behind their devious actions. This book took the opposite approach. It started out with Carter Tomlin—accountant, devoted family man, upstanding citizen—robbing banks after being laid off. But then it gave him a niggling bloodlust that grows with every successful heist. It festers slowly at first but eventually bursts forth until Tomlin is a bloody psychopath going on a rampage through a throng of people.
You can literally witness grow less human page by page, depraved murder after murder, and it’s fascinating to watch.
As always Stevens and Windermere make great heroes and are interesting instruments to stir the action, but the real stars of this series so far are its fascinating bad guys.
You can literally witness grow less human page by page, depraved murder after murder, and it’s fascinating to watch.
As always Stevens and Windermere make great heroes and are interesting instruments to stir the action, but the real stars of this series so far are its fascinating bad guys.
July 3, 2022
That was a wild ride
April 6, 2017
These books by Laukkanan are like candy. Before you know it you've eaten the entire box and the sugar high is great! Accountant turned bank robber is not your usual crook, and he's thoroughly despicable, but who ever said a white collar job does anything to bleach a black heart? By some strange twists and turns, BCA agent Stevens and FBI agent Windermere are back together on the job and it's a heavenly match in spite of a couple of squabbles along the route of solving a series of crimes that are escalating in violence and mayhem.
December 3, 2014
We all have bills to pay and many of us have felt that shiver down our spine as we realise we may be a little short this month. What we don’t do is take a scribbled note saying you have a gun into a bank and force money out of the till. For one out-of-work accountant, Carter Tomlin, this is the option he chooses over bankruptcy and one crime leads to another. Will spiky FBI Special Agent Carla Windermere and laidback local cop Kirk be able to catch this white collar criminal before his cuffs become stained with blood?
Owen Laukkanen’s original book in the Stevens and Windermere series was called ‘The Professionals’ and was a speedy thriller about kidnappers who proved less than professional when it really mattered. ‘Criminal Enterprise’ continues this theme, but even more so as the amateurish Tomlin spirals out of control. What starts of as a seeming necessity for money becomes something far darker and more tragic as the novel evolves.
The work of Laukkanen continues to echo that of John Sandford, but there is no shame in following a master of the genre. This is a book that follows both the criminal and law enforcement in equal measure. As we witness Tomlin grow bolder and begin to unravel, we also see Windermere in particular getting closer to her quarry. The pacing is dynamic, especially towards the end and some of the action pieces had me turning pages so fast I could smell them burning.
From the first few pages you are hooked, the idea of an everyman turning to crime is something that most readers can relate to in some way (hopefully through fantasy, rather than reality). Laukkanen is able to create some great action and with the use of Tomlin he also has more sympathetic characters this time; although this begins to change as the book progresses. Skipping from the accused to the chasers leads to some great momentum and tension.
There are issues with ‘Criminal Enterprise’, at only three pages on average per chapter it is almost as if Laukkanen has mistaken paragraphs for chapters. This is a little jarring at the start, but the short structure soon comes into its own as the pace increases; it really adds to the book, especially the awesome final sequences. There is also an issue with Stevens and Windermere being forced together. They are not natural law enforcement bedfellows, so to have them working more than one case together rings a little false. This means that for large parts of the book they are kept apart, but when they do partner up the chemistry is as good as ever.
I am the type of reader who can overlook a couple of small issues if the rest of the book makes up for them and in the case of ‘Criminal Enterprise’ this is certainly true. I have not read such a tense and fun crime novel since the best work of Sandford, Lee Child or Michael Connelly. This is an illustrious group to be part of, but one that Laukkanen deserves. I truly loved the pace of this book and could not put it down. With two more novels in the Stevens and Windermere series already announced I will be the first in line to read them. Original review on bookbag.co.uk
Sammy Recommendation
Owen Laukkanen’s original book in the Stevens and Windermere series was called ‘The Professionals’ and was a speedy thriller about kidnappers who proved less than professional when it really mattered. ‘Criminal Enterprise’ continues this theme, but even more so as the amateurish Tomlin spirals out of control. What starts of as a seeming necessity for money becomes something far darker and more tragic as the novel evolves.
The work of Laukkanen continues to echo that of John Sandford, but there is no shame in following a master of the genre. This is a book that follows both the criminal and law enforcement in equal measure. As we witness Tomlin grow bolder and begin to unravel, we also see Windermere in particular getting closer to her quarry. The pacing is dynamic, especially towards the end and some of the action pieces had me turning pages so fast I could smell them burning.
From the first few pages you are hooked, the idea of an everyman turning to crime is something that most readers can relate to in some way (hopefully through fantasy, rather than reality). Laukkanen is able to create some great action and with the use of Tomlin he also has more sympathetic characters this time; although this begins to change as the book progresses. Skipping from the accused to the chasers leads to some great momentum and tension.
There are issues with ‘Criminal Enterprise’, at only three pages on average per chapter it is almost as if Laukkanen has mistaken paragraphs for chapters. This is a little jarring at the start, but the short structure soon comes into its own as the pace increases; it really adds to the book, especially the awesome final sequences. There is also an issue with Stevens and Windermere being forced together. They are not natural law enforcement bedfellows, so to have them working more than one case together rings a little false. This means that for large parts of the book they are kept apart, but when they do partner up the chemistry is as good as ever.
I am the type of reader who can overlook a couple of small issues if the rest of the book makes up for them and in the case of ‘Criminal Enterprise’ this is certainly true. I have not read such a tense and fun crime novel since the best work of Sandford, Lee Child or Michael Connelly. This is an illustrious group to be part of, but one that Laukkanen deserves. I truly loved the pace of this book and could not put it down. With two more novels in the Stevens and Windermere series already announced I will be the first in line to read them. Original review on bookbag.co.uk
Sammy Recommendation
March 24, 2013
Meet Carter Tomlin. Once, he was a hardworking and successful businessman who was proud to be able to provide for his family. He had a wife, kids, a nice house, a good track on a senior position, and things were great.
But then he lost his job, courtesy of recent harsh economic realities, and his life started coming apart. And that’s because Carter was too proud to declare bankruptcy, and with the severance package money dwindling, and bills coming due, he made a bad decision that changed everything.
He robbed a bank, like a total amateur, and got away with it.
Flash forward a while later. Carter has a posse, now, and they’re knocking over banks fairly handily. He’s making good money, and has a good rhythm, but the take’s just not enough to handle his massive bills, or get him where he needs to be. They’re going to have to start taking unacceptable risks if he’s going to clear the hurdle and finally stop.
The problem is, he’s starting to really like it. He may not actually want to stop, when the time comes.
Cue the heroes of our story: FBI Special Agent Carla Windermere and Minnesota state investigator Kirk Stevens, last seen tracking down the surprisingly-successful amateur abductors in The Professionals. Their initial tracking of the robbers takes them in different directions, but they eventually wind up in the middle, again, and slip back into their complementary partnership — one that might be a little too cozy for one of them, and not nearly enough for the other.
Can they track down this group of robbers before the leader’s disintegrating moral fiber allows him take a deadly risk? And how close to home is this one going to hit — especially when the Kirk realizes that he may actually know one of the crooks in question, even if Windermere doesn’t quite believe him…
Fast, furious, and all-too-timely, Criminal Enterprise proves that The Professionals was not a one-off success. The dynamic between Agent Windermere and Kirk Stevens is electrifying, and the tragic story of Carter Tomlin may just haunt you well after you’ve finished the book.
If I have one complaint, it’s that this is the second novel where Laukkanen’s used the “good people gone bad because the economy stinks” trope to explain people’s criminal actions. Like the abduction gang in Professionals, Tomlin’s initial descent into crime is blamed on desperation in the face of monetary troubles, and then accelerated by subsequent moral disintegration. While this is not an unrealistic portrait of such persons — indeed, it’s all too common, though rather sympathetic — I hope that, come the third Windermere and Stevens investigation, we might get a different motivating factor.
That quibble aside, this book is a dynamite thriller, coming from an author who’s proving very worthy of the big-name approvals on his dust jackets. If you like your crime thrillers packed with a good mix of action, detection, and thrills, with good characters you care about and criminals you can sympathize with, though still condemn,you should make your next enterprise a Criminal one.
But then he lost his job, courtesy of recent harsh economic realities, and his life started coming apart. And that’s because Carter was too proud to declare bankruptcy, and with the severance package money dwindling, and bills coming due, he made a bad decision that changed everything.
He robbed a bank, like a total amateur, and got away with it.
Flash forward a while later. Carter has a posse, now, and they’re knocking over banks fairly handily. He’s making good money, and has a good rhythm, but the take’s just not enough to handle his massive bills, or get him where he needs to be. They’re going to have to start taking unacceptable risks if he’s going to clear the hurdle and finally stop.
The problem is, he’s starting to really like it. He may not actually want to stop, when the time comes.
Cue the heroes of our story: FBI Special Agent Carla Windermere and Minnesota state investigator Kirk Stevens, last seen tracking down the surprisingly-successful amateur abductors in The Professionals. Their initial tracking of the robbers takes them in different directions, but they eventually wind up in the middle, again, and slip back into their complementary partnership — one that might be a little too cozy for one of them, and not nearly enough for the other.
Can they track down this group of robbers before the leader’s disintegrating moral fiber allows him take a deadly risk? And how close to home is this one going to hit — especially when the Kirk realizes that he may actually know one of the crooks in question, even if Windermere doesn’t quite believe him…
Fast, furious, and all-too-timely, Criminal Enterprise proves that The Professionals was not a one-off success. The dynamic between Agent Windermere and Kirk Stevens is electrifying, and the tragic story of Carter Tomlin may just haunt you well after you’ve finished the book.
If I have one complaint, it’s that this is the second novel where Laukkanen’s used the “good people gone bad because the economy stinks” trope to explain people’s criminal actions. Like the abduction gang in Professionals, Tomlin’s initial descent into crime is blamed on desperation in the face of monetary troubles, and then accelerated by subsequent moral disintegration. While this is not an unrealistic portrait of such persons — indeed, it’s all too common, though rather sympathetic — I hope that, come the third Windermere and Stevens investigation, we might get a different motivating factor.
That quibble aside, this book is a dynamite thriller, coming from an author who’s proving very worthy of the big-name approvals on his dust jackets. If you like your crime thrillers packed with a good mix of action, detection, and thrills, with good characters you care about and criminals you can sympathize with, though still condemn,you should make your next enterprise a Criminal one.
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