Caravan of Thieves: A Lieutenant Rollie Waters Novel

Rollie Waters #1

by David Rich

Like his con artist father, Rollie Waters knows all the angles, and he’s never fewer than two steps ahead of trouble. But unlike his father, Rollie is not a criminal. Only when he’s working undercover for the Marines, inhabiting a false identity, is Rollie comfortable in his own skin.
 
But after he’s yanked out of his latest assignment and tossed into the brig, he’s not that surprised to hear that a lot of government money has gone missing and the officials think Rollie’s father took it. The only way to find Dan Waters is to trace the frail tendrils of truth scattered among Rollie’s childhood memories. To do that, he’ll have to go deep into the undercover identity of a lifetime—his own.

Genres: Fiction, Thriller

368 pages, Paperback

First published August 23, 2012

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 1 out of 5]

In the wake of marathon Homeland viewing hours, I thought this might be an interesting read. I was disappointed. Very prickly characters -- not that a reader should love every character in a book, but you would like to be drawn to at least one of them! By page 190 I could not care less about any of the characters or how their stories turned out. I almost stopped reading but then the action picked up a bit and plot-lines started coming together. I think fewer characters who are more well-developed could have improved the flow of the story. It just got too confusing with too many details of chase scenes, which are boring to read but fun to watch. This book would be a good action movie -- and the author is an accomplished screenwriter according to the book jacket. Hopefully someone in H'wood will pick up an option on it. The ending leaves some suggestion of sequel/series possibilities. Overall, this is a "guy's book" and something I could see my father buying in an airport book store for the plane ride.

[Felicity Pletz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book. All the elements, with turbo-charged action, smart narrative and a satisfying conclusion. Here is a protagonist you can grab with both hands and cheer on through the challenges and adversities he faces. Loved this story, loved the candid look at the seedy underworld of the conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan.

[Mike Vines · Rating 4 out of 5]

Millions of Saddam's dollars are missing and Marine Rollie Waters is ordered to recover them since his father stole a ton of them. But who is Rollie working for and who can he trust? Probably no one... A top-notch thriller, deadly and brutal. Remember to shop our local, independent bookstores. They need your support.

[Larry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well written and interesting (to a point) novel in which no one is a sympathetic character. The central plot line is about the theft of American aid and bribe money from Iraq by military men, and its shipment to America in place of the bodies of dead soldiers. The efforts of the thieves to get control of the money (most of which has been stolen from them) and the feds to retrieve it place Rollie Waters (a US Marine Corps undercover type and son of the multiple thief and con man who stole the money twice) in some hard places. He is bound for vengeance of several kinds, aided by his own self destructive nature. I was impressed by the book, but in the kind of cold-booded analytical way that that books about unlikeable people elicit.

Having said that much, David Rich writes wonderful dialogue and knows how to portray a character who is on the edge. The people who killed Waters' father while brutally sweating information out of him ( the con man who robbed the robbers), know that Rollie doesn't know where the money is, but are pretty sure that he can find it. After all, he has mastered the art of going undercover in Afghanistan and Pakistan. It doesn't occur to them that his skill set may be dangerous to them, and that his confused upbringing and hatred/regret for his father may fuel his already highly developed sense of rage.

[Shelley Fearn · Rating 4 out of 5]

In an air conditioned room on a particularly hot and humid summer afternoon what could be better than immersing yourself in a diverting thriller? I took Caravan of Thieves home this weekend because I wanted to read it before Rich's second novel featuring Waters, Middle Man is released. I wasn't expecting such a fun, thrilling novel with such a likeable hero as Rollie Waters is. Reading it reminded me of one of the older Ludlum novels -- only a little less intricate.

I could tell that Rich started out as a screenwriter. The action was immediate with the back story presented amid all of the chasing and hitting. Just as I used to be distracted by Patterson's obvious beginning in advertising (very short chapters, very few words), I found the hectic pace of Rich's writing also difficult to follow at the beginning. I'm glad I stuck with it. The story seemed to settle down and it turned out to be a perfect way to spend a few hours. I'm so looking forward to the next installment. I'm sure that Rich has improved. If he hasn't it won't matter as one wit. It will still be fun and entertaining.

[Jeffrey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rollie Waters' father is a con artist who has never had anything that he didn't steal. Now, he stole $25,000,000 from the smugglers in the military and they want the money back. Rollie Waters, a special agent with the Marines, who is tracking traitorous soldiers selling arms to the enemy is sent to find his father and the money.

What happens instead is that Rollie is kidnapped and watches his father be tortured -- but his father never reveals where the money is -- only that Rollie can find it -- by sifting through his past.

Tracked by the military, secret agents and the thieves, Rollie retraces his childhood with his foster parents and others to try to uncover his life with his father - the money and get who is responsible.

But although the journey could be interesting, its really a travel through a terrible childhood and his memory of his time with his father. Not compelling or interesting, just bad news.

Sure there is a turn the tables moment when Rollie will try to get the upper hand, but its hard to read through the intervening pages to get there.

The second book in this series just came out. Not sure I will read it.

[Nancy McFarlane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rollie Waters is a reluctant, but very compelling hero who leads us and the Caravan of Thieves (gov. Officials and military personnel) on a spectacular adventure. There are great action scenes, endless surprises, and most interesting of all, a look at how the mind of a true genius and consummate con artist works.

[Judith Kitzes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really well-done thriller. Liked the tension between con-man father, Dan, and his son, Rollie. Liked the interweaving of past & present. I would give it five stars if I liked this genre more; if you like thrillers, read it!

[Ashley · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unoriginal and slow. I barely finished this one.

[Adri · Rating 1 out of 5]

For a thriller mystery book this was not a good one. Could not finish it.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't stop reading this intriguing new book by Dave Rich. Highly recommend.

[Dan Downing · Rating 4 out of 5]

Apparently David Rich has followed up this debut with more stories about the central character. That is good news for me, because when I am ready to buy a few more books I will include a title or two by Rich. His story was fast-paced, multi-layered, plausibly plotted and competently written. Both the main character, Rollie Waters, and his con-man father ware engaging and a pleasure to know. Rollie is not superman but is a trained soldier who manages to come up with enough layers in his fight against his enemies to keep the reader guessing at least a bit.

[Christian · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did not finish, after 100 pages I still felt I had to force myself to read another page.

[L.M. Pampuro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Caravan Of Thieves is filled with intrigue from start to finish. I loved the fast pace along with little surprises within each chapter. Caravan Of Thieves kept me guessing throughout.

[EvelienTalitha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Confusing.

[Lynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had so many characters I couldn't keep them straight. It was too much work to read, and focused too much on his "father sitting on his shoulder."

[Viviane Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Twenty-five million dollars is stuffed into a body bag in a coffin supposedly holding an American soldier! Just a small part of the money hidden and discovered after Sadaam Hussein's ignominious ending after the second Iraqi War.

Marine Lieutenant Rollie Waters is inadvertently, at first so it seems, drawn into a military mission to find this huge amount of money. First they snag Rollie by saying he lied about doings when his jeep window was shot out. Then they tell him that because he was on a mission in Afghanistan and knows the Middle East so well he knows the whereabouts of this money. His new mission? Find the money or send years in the brig!

It doesn't take long for Rollie to figure out why the officers, one of whom is so vile that Rollie knows several military officers are involved. But he doesn't know precisely who, how or why. First they ask him to find his father, a con artist whom Rollie hates for multiple reasons the reader will discover throughout the story. Then when he does find him, he realizes they have been tailed. Violence erupts and many will die. Torture will follow. But Rollie manages to elude his captors and tracks his way back to where the story began in the Middle East.

To say more would ruin a story that travels throughout America from Camp Pendleton all the way to the Middle East. Rollie is a formidable character because although he despises his father, he has remembered everything his Dad taught him. He is a Marine and a survivor - a thrilling combination that keeps this plot spinning and impossible to pin down, at times even seeming convoluted. More devious male and female characters enter the story midway and the reader will be amazed that Rollie can make sense out of it all. But why not for he has been raised by the Master of Cons!

Caravan of Thieves reads like an espionage novel with two parallel stories keeping the reader guessing and eager to discover when, where, how, and why they will join! Great story!

[Lelia Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

All too frequently, thrillers give the reader a lot of action and derring-do but they don’t spend much effort on such niceties as the psychology of the characters or the details of the geographic setting. Caravan of Thieves is a happy exception to the rule. One of the real pleasures I found in reading this book was how much I came to understand both Rollie and Dan and how they each had come to an acceptance of their relationship, past and present. In many ways, this book is a study of the bond between a father and a son and how a rift that is seemingly impossible to repair is, when all is said and done, not so insurmountable after all.

Along with that journey of possible reconciliation, the author treats the reader to a rollicking adventure that fans of Reacher and Bourne will love. Rollie, despite his familial issues, is a strong man physically, as would be expected with his military career, but also emotionally and mentally, and the reader can’t help feeling he’s exactly the right man to track down the missing loot. Perhaps he’ll also discover just who the bad guys are and why his own superiors are so sure he can do the job. There are reasons Rollie is good at undercover work and the villains of the piece are about to find out what those reasons are.

The pace left me breathless and, just when I thought I might have the answers, Rich would throw in another twist. Finely drawn settings—I felt I was right there on the banks of that river—add to the entertainment along with a light coating of humor. A surprising conclusion was the icing on the cake for a few hours very well spent and Rollie’s next escapade can’t come too soon for this reader.

Reviewed by Lelia Taylor, September 2012.

[Brett T · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dan Waters was a con man who had so many identities he wound up with none of his own, not even for his son Rollie. Rolllie watched and learned the tricks of his father's trade, but instead of working people for his own sake he's actually doing so as an undercover investigator for the United States Marines. When he's yanked out of an assignment and thrown into the brig, questioned about a large amount of missing money authorities believe Dan took, Rollie will have to confront his own past life without most of the preconceptions and cover-up stories he's told to comfort himself.

Screenwriter David Rich creates the elements of an interesting character in his first novel by giving Rollie his shady progenitor and a background that's a little shady on its own. He can also maintain tension pretty well, create believable dialogue and has a deft hand with action scenes. But he has two problems in making Rollie a regular companion for the thriller novel reader. One, his story in Caravan turns this way and that until it winds itself up in knots. And two, Rollie Waters is a pretty unlikable main character. His devotion to duty and smart mouth redeeem him to a degree, but overall he's nobody you'd spend much time with. Or the $10 paperback price that you have to come up with for the privilege.

Original available here.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rollie Waters is every inch as smart as his father, Dan Waters but the one difference is that Rollie is honest while his Dad is one of the biggest con-artists of his generation. Rollie has been a hero in Iraq and worked as an undercover agent for the Marines. But now he is being asked to help apprehend his father who may be responsible for the disappearance of 25 million dollars!
Rollie knows his father, Dan might not have stolen the money but he knows darn well that his dad knows where the money is. Rollie is immediately caught between two competing forces.....Colonel Gladden of the Marines who wants the money back and Major McColl , whose gang is responsible for the theft. And each side will do anything to get the money back. Rollie knows that he will have to look at his past, first to find his Dad and think to follow some clues to find the money.
He soon realizes that Gladden may be no more honest than McColl and he fully realizes that his own life is very much in danger !He is driven to find the money but he knows he will have to use all his own skills not to be caught in this web!
David Rich's fast-paced book is a page turner but surprises at almost every turn.

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

this is sort of like a jack reacher book, he came back from the war, his dad a con. his dad stole money from the war hidden in a grave, the men came after him and killed him when he said his son knew where the money was hidden but he didnt which was a lie

so now the son is looking for his mother that he thought was dead all this time in the hope she would know where the money is hidden

people getting beat up and killed, tortured and flash backs to what he did in the war

it got kind of confusing. he killed a bunch of people he led to a cave. he found the money in a old house in a retreat in ojai that his dad had fleeced money and gave the property to them as long as he could keep the house. the son found his mom but she really didnt want anythign to do with him

he was back in teh service...

[Monsieurh · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good read as a novel. It was recommended to me by another website that specialized in espionage thrillers. Although the book is not a true espionage novel, it is the start for a series that focuses on that theme. Rollie Waters is an American Marine lieutenant who tries to unravel a mystery-theft involving the government, the Marines, and some hardships faced in Afghanistan. The prose is first-person and as this is the first novel,you read and grow with the main character as the plots develop. The espionage element becomes apparent at the end when Rollie is recruited to a secret organization called SHADE. Rollie is the son of a con-man and you learn about some cons and the hardships faced in life by a con-man. Rollie is his own product: a disappearing father and life lessons on survival in the real world.

[Len · Rating 1 out of 5]

Rollie Waters is an undercover Marine and the son a con-artist and thief, Dan. When Rollie was suddenly pulled out from his latest assignment, one name came up: Dan Waters. Dan took a lot of money from the U.S. Government and they think Rollie has it. Now the adventure begins.

The author kept on shifting the story by chapter, present then next chapter is flashback, present-flashback. The shuttling back from past to present just made me confused and didn't really give me complete picture of the past. It just made me dizzy to be honest. Too many information from the past that aren't really related to the main story. The story is kind of old already, it's almost like a formula. I think I've read almost the same story as this one.

[Albert · Rating 3 out of 5]

So far, "Caravan of Thieves" by David Rich seems pretty interesting. It's a realistic fiction book about a guy in the army (not sure what branch) that gets pulled into some trouble after his father steals a good deal of money from the government. I really enjoyed the part when he "accidentally" trashes a jeep.There are some parts though which have left me pretty confused at what has actually happened (though the writer might have intended it to be that way). I'm not really sure why they killed his father, he did take their money but they still have no idea where it is and now have less of a chance of finding it (apart from his son, who supposedly does not know how to reach the money). It adds to the suspense but I think it should be clarified at some point later in the story.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

The way it starts, I'm thinking here's another Reacher knockoff, but now I am believing Rollie is his own man and the mystery takes off. A great tale of "follow the money" as the onion is peeled away and you have to wonder each character's loyalties and who'll be the last one standing. With the money.

[William · Rating 2 out of 5]

Basically about corruption in the military.

This book is brutal and cynical. There are no likable characters.

There is a parallel story brought out through the use of flashbacks. Although it provides background and explanation to what happens in the present, it seriously disrupts the flow of the book.

If you like Gone Girl and Sacred Games, you will probably like this.

[Katy Olds · Rating 2 out of 5]

The fact that it took me 11 days to finish this book says it all. If I like a book, I'll go through it in three or four days. I had to force myself to finish this one. Very cryptic plot that jumped between past and present without sufficient explanation. Equally cryptic main character that I did not find much reason to care about.

[Coki · Rating 3 out of 5]

definite readalike for Lee Child. Gruff, stoic marine stands up for truth and justice but is certainly not afraid to bend the rules. door was left open for this to be a series which would be fine. Love the conman father character.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first Lt. Rollie Waters novel. I liked the intertwining of stories style and his descriptions, but had a hard time with imaging that all the killings went unnoticed by authorities. I was hard pressed to believe Rollie could pass as an Afghan native.

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

Someone recommended it. I just wasn't impressed. I got a laugh once in a while - that was it.