Liars & Thieves

Tommy Carmellini #1

by Stephen Coonts

Unafraid to walk both sides of the law to attain his goals, CIA operative Tommy Carmellini is sent to post guard duty at a farmhouse in West Virginia. When he arrives, he finds the guards shot dead and a ruthless team of American commandos killing everyone in sight. Carmellini escapes in a hail of bullets with what seems to be the sole survivor-a stunningly attractive translator, who then steals his car and abandons him after a deadly mountain car chase. But someone else survived the massacre-someone who holds the answers to a deadly conspiracy.

Catapulted into a life and death struggle, Tommy must employ all his savvy and skill just to stay alive. But to find out who is hunting him and why, he'll need the help of retired Admiral Jake Grafton. Now they must learn to tell friend from foe as they fight their way through a poisonous wilderness of intrigue, all the way to a presidential convention in New York City-and to the surprising identity of someone standing on the verge of absolute power who has jeopardized the safety of the entire nation to prevent a dark secret from ever seeing the light of day...

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Action, Espionage, Adventure, Military Fiction

416 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published May 7, 2004

About the author

Stephen Coonts (born July 19, 1946) is an American thriller and suspense novelist.

Coonts grew up in Buckhannon, West Virginia, a small coal-mining town and earned an B.A. degree in political science at West Virginia University in 1968. He entered the Navy the following year and flew an A-6 Intruder medium attack plane during the Vietnam War, where he served on two combat cruises aboard the USS Enterprise (CVN-65). He accumulated 1600 hours in the A-6 Intruder and earned a number of Navy commendations, including the Distinguished Flying Cross. After the war he served as a flight instructor on A-6 aircraft for two years, then did a tour as an assistant catapult and arresting gear officer aboard USS Nimitz (CVN-68). His navigator-bombardier was LTjg Stanley W. Bryant who later became a Rear Admiral and deputy commander-in-chief of the US naval forces in Europe.

After being honorably discharged from duty as a lieutenant in 1977, Coonts pursued a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree at the University of Colorado, graduating in 1979. He then worked as an oil and gas lawyer for several companies, entertaining his writing interests in his free time.

He published short stories in a number of publications before writing Flight of the Intruder in 1986 (made into a movie in 1991). Intruder, based in part on his experiences as a bomber pilot, spent 28 weeks on the New York Times bestseller lists in hardcover and launched his career as a novelist. From there he continued writing adventure-mysteries using the character from his first book, Jake Grafton. He has written several other series and stand-alone novels since then, but is most notable for the Grafton books.

Today Coonts continues to write, having had seventeen New York Times bestsellers (out of 20 books), and lives in Las Vegas, Nevada with his wife and son.

Taken from Wikipedia

Learn more about Stephen Coonts on the Macmillan website.

Reviews

[Jade Saul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tommy Carmellini is assigned to cover a safe house which a Russian is debriefed. when the safe is attacked by assassins escaping from bullets Tommy must who wanted the Russian defector dead.
This was an awesome read Loved it

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this one back in 2018. I am now bringing this review to Goodreads.

This is...

A riveting page turner from cover to cover (published in 2004 with hints of today's political drama {remember...review written from 2018 perspective] still making the plot relevant).

And...

It is...

An excellent story.

With...

Non-stop action.

That is...

Unpredictable.

And...

All the makings of a great thriller.

The Author provides our first time view of character Tommy Carmellini.

And...

The action is well written, the plot is easy to follow.

With...

Several twists to keep every page interesting. No skipping pages for me...!

[Pierre Tassé (Enjoying Books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good first book. Introduction to many of the characters and the main character can’t jump a building in one bound and can certainly be identifiable from a reader perspective. I would recommend it.

[Darlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first Book I have read by Stephen Coonts and I definitely will be reading more. What a thrilling ride this was with a great cast of characters. Tommy Carmellini, the main character, is lovable and charming, a little crude at times, but still very lovable. There is also Willie, very gruff and cranky, but also very lovable; Jake the Admiral, very smart, I would definitely want him on my side if things went bad; The Admirals wife Callie, a smart, tuff woman; Sarah the genius hacker; and ditzy, wealthy Dorsey, you have to make your own judgement of her. Even though this book was written long before our current administration, there is Russian meddling in our government in here, just as there is now.

[Cindy B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intricately and well woven plot with characters I liked (even the baddies despite myself). I think it’s my 1st by the author and I’ll be back. Narrator, Guerin Barry, did fine and stayed in character (all of them).

[Marla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liars and Thieves is Stephen Coonts as you've never seen him before-a story as chilling as it is unforgettable. Tommy Carmellini, a CIA operative who is unafraid to walk both sides of the law to attain his objective, uncovers a dark conspiracy that leads to the highest levels of the American government-and to a ruthless manipulator who will stop at nothing to keep a decades-old secret.

Liars and Thieves opens as Carmellini is sent to post guard duty at a farmhouse in West Virginia's remote Allegheny Mountains, where top government operatives are debriefing a star defector: the ultimate KGB insider, a man with records on every operation and every dirty trick the shadowy intelligence agency has ever run, from Lenin to Putin.

Carmellini arrives to find the guards shot dead and a ruthless team of commandos--American commandos--killing everyone in sight, then setting the house on fire. He escapes in a hail of bullets with what seems to be the sole survivor, a stunningly attractive translator who then steals his car, abandoning him, after a deadly mountain car chase.

But one other person survived the massacre: The man whose fractured memory holds the KGB's most embarrassing secrets, including something for which someone will kill to keep it quiet. Carmellini teams up with his mentor, Admiral Jake Grafton, and together they track down the amnesiac defector. From there, the hunt is on as they become the target of a lethal squad of killers who can only be taking direction from someone very close to the president.

From a bloody ambush at a posh Virginia estate, to assassinations on the decaying streets of inner city Washington, to a makeshift safe house at Grafton's Delaware summer home, no place is outside the ruthless conspiracy's reach.

Carmellini and Grafton must learn to tell friend from foe as they fight their way through a poisonous wilderness of intrigue, all the way to a presidential convention in New York City-and to the surprising identity of someone standing on the verge of absolute power who has jeopardized the safety of the entire nation to prevent a dark secret from ever seeing the light of day.

This was a different book to read but enjoyed it all the same.

[Erth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bravo! A good fast read! now i am hooked. This was such a great, easy and creative book. i was hooked after the first page.

The characters were easy to fall in love with and follow, along with the story. the author made the mental visions so easy and vivid of the surroundings and the characters actions felt so real.

i would highly recommend this author and this book.

[Bonnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This audiobook was a lot of fun, mostly narrated by the character of Tommy Carmelini, a decidedly bad boy hero working for the CIA. Sex and violence happens but not explicitly and there are plenty of plot twists and turns.

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

5*

Written in the first person, I really enjoyed reading this story about a reluctant hero within the CIA.

I enjoyed the interaction between all the characters yet the gore and bloody atrocities described are realistic within the context of this book.

I am definitely looking forward to the other works by this author.

[Rebecca Neely · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very entertaining! Enjoyed the voice of the narrator on audio; like a hardboiled detective from the forties. Enjoyed all the twists and turns, made for fun listen while working.

[Don Mitchell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to the audible.com recording of this book as background to a long road trip, chores, and other mindless activity. As a distractor, this book suited its purpose well. It has a prototypical fast plot, some mild sex, and the standard hopeless situation. No deus ex machina. The character development is decent for the genre but still fairly one-dimensional. The technology is good—no miracles.

I was reading The Plot Against America while listening to this. They were fairly similar in presenting a presidential level plot against America. In this book, the main character is a savior. In Philip Roth's book, the main character is a victim. Philip Roth's book had superb denouement but a weak climax. This book had a strong climax but horrible denouement. In fact, I suggest you close the book after the climax. The denouement detracts from the book so horribly.

Overall, a decent light read or listen.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a late-comer to Stephen Coonts books. Having exhausted Tom Clancy and Robert Ludlum, I gave up trying to find a good action-suspense series of books. Coonts books of Tommy Carmellini and Jake Grafton have reawkened my love of good action-suspense, spy, good-guy-vs-bad-guy books. This one shows Tommy Carmellini getting in to a mess he had nothing to do with -- and then getting out with the help of his buddy Grafton. The action is well written, the plot is easy to follow as Carmellini depends on friends with unique skills (hacking, lock-picking) to help get him out of trouble -- and solve an international incident.

[Scott · Rating 2 out of 5]

Liars & Thieves by Stephen Coonts is a wild roller coaster of a story full of plot twists with unbelievable characters and adventures. A ‘who done it’ with so many possibilities that after a while, one realizes that they don’t really care. It was a chore just to finish the book. What I disliked so much about this book was the impossible situations the protagonist kept getting himself in. And somehow he always figured out a way to get out. The book is at least 100 pages too long. Why two stars? If one wanted to read a mindless book that is fast paced and has lots of twists and turns, then Liars & Thieves may be a good read. But for me, I was just glad to finish it and move on.

[Aneesha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book in Tommy Carmellini series. Tommy is burglar turned CIA agent. Tommy was introduced in Stephen Coonts Jake Grafton series. Jake Grafton helps Tommy in this story.

The story was good. This story is inspired by one of the KGB archivists who escaped Russia with six suitcase full of classified information.

I enjoyed reading and i really loved the characters. It had all sort of CIA stuffs, politics, betrayal and rogue spies. It had lot of suspense and i liked the ending. The reason behind the risk they had taken to destroy the information was shocking. Never expected that while i was reading.

My rating is 3.5/4.

[Gloria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Burglar turned CIA agent Tommy Carmellini finds himself in a confusing and dangerous situation with no one to trust. This character and fast-paced plot will appeal to fans of the series "Burn Notice." Carmellini is a buff, smart and wisecracking guy who has to deal with beautiful women, thugs, rogue police officers and professional hitmen. This is a fun read overall, but does acquire a lot of dead bodies by the end of the story.

[Greg D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Non-stop page-turner. Excellent story. Non-stop action. Unpredictable. All the makings of a great thriller. Read it in just a few days. Kind of had a Jason Bourne feeling to it as CIA agent Tommy Carmellini is mistakenly singled out by other agents and has a hit on his head. An element of mystery as Carmellini flees not knowing for certain who he can trust. Has several twists at the end of the story. I think I'm going to enjoy the Carmellini series and more by this author.

[Bill Donhiser · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would be much better off reading these series in order, but that is not always how I come in contact with books. Having previously enjoyed (later) Tommy Carmellini adventures it was fun to read more of his background story. This is a well written military-political thriller with plenty of action. If you have ever read any, Stephen Coonts before you will know what I mean. Likewise if you like Tom Clancy, Dale Brown, etc This is a good book for you.

[Jim McCulloch · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my second time through Liars and Thieves. I think I enjoyed it more this time. Just a fun read.

This is a fun read, well written, and the first glimpse of Tommy C. The only detraction is Mr. Coonts' complete lack of small arms knowledge. He may be an accomplished combat naval aviator but is pretty much clueless when it comes to individual arms.

[Heather Rauch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, excellent thriller! Can't wait to read the next one. I like that the author was able to make Tommy a rough bachelor without using explicit scenes. The intrigue was well done too, couldn't put the book down.

[Mjoneill · Rating 2 out of 5]

An excellent, mindless, escape. The literary equivalent of empty carbs. Wouldn't really recommend it, unless someone is looking for something that won't challenge them or make them think.

[Mike French · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stephen Coonts has written another page turner thriller. If you haven't read any of the Tommy Carmellini start with this one!

[Mario J. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very disappointing, not like his first books.

[Bill Powers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent story, but editing mistakes most likely from the print to ebook conversion, take away from the reading enjoyment.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel like I may have read this book before. Tommy Carmellini was a minor character in one of the Jake Grafton books. Now he has his own series. By day, he does odd jobs for the CIA, utilizing his burglary skills for God and Country. He also has a side gig where he works as a locksmith. By night, he hits on anything that moves and has way more success than he probably should. He's crude, but funny; a good guy with some bad habits.

Carmellini gets assigned to work security at a safe house in rural West Virginia, but when he gets there, he walks into a massacre. He escapes, but he's sure he'll get the blame, so he spends most of the book trying to figure out what happened and how he can clear his name. It turns out that it's a Big Conspiracy, so Tommy has to call in Jake Grafton for help. Hey, it's the first book in the spin-off, so we need the main character to ease Tommy in.

Overall, it works. The ultimate conspiracy was a little dull, but getting there was plenty of fun.

[Hash Black · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first time reading Coonts, and the man didn't disappoint.

This book is jam-packed with action, suspense and mystery at every turn. I literally had to pry myself off it whenever I'd get into reading it. Otherwise, all my time would go to reading this book!

What I liked most were the characters; each unique, lively, and heavy with overhanging demons that plague their lives in their own different ways. Carmellini was my absolute favorite. He's not the smartest, but his snappy wittiness, and chronic nature of making bad decision make him quite relatable. Also, his dialogues with 'Willie the Wire' always cracked me up.

I have to say, though, that the plot did get a little confusing at some point, 'cause there were so many pieces moving within the story. But all in all, this was definitely one of my favorite thrillers of all time.

I give it 4.5 stars, and I'm looking forward to trying some other books from this author.

[Jay Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not really a Jake Grafton book. He plays only a minor role. This is about Tony Carmenelli. Tony is assigned by the CIA to guard a defector in a safehouse in West Virginia. He arrives as the group is hit by unknown assassins. Tony, the defector, and an analyst survive. The book is a story about overcoming a hit and answering the question "Why?" The answer lies with the vice presidential choice of a sitting President in his second term. Probably too much blood, but a good fast paced action thriller. As an aside, the area in West Virginia described is done well. My Great Uncle had a cabin on the Greenbrier and Coonts describes it to a tee. I love the area and have fished, camped, and spent a ggod deal of time here. I also had to pass through this area on my way home after moving to Virginia.

[John Tipper · Rating 3 out of 5]

The novel is a first-rate espionage-driven story, focusing on Tommy Carmellini, a locksmith and burglar who works now for the CIA. Tommy has a job as a locksmith, but he side hustles as an agent doing dead drops and bugging for the Agency. Willis, an ex-con, is his assistant in his Washington, DC locksmith shop. Tommy takes an assignment to guard a CIA safehouse in the hills of West Virginia. He encounters men with submachine guns around the site and the place is on fire. He saves the life of a young woman, Kelly, a Russian translator, who was there debriefing a KGB defector. Coonts weaves a fable about the Cold War that's an engaging read. He keeps the reader of the edge of his/her seat, with action and intrigue. Reminded me of novels by Tom Clancy, Daniel Silva, and Lauren Wilkinson. The book is a significant addition to the spy thriller genre.

[Wayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW! I have spent the past few evenings accompanying Tommy Carmellini on a terrifically exciting ride! Liars & Thieves, Stephen Coonts earliest novel featuring Tommy Carmellini is his best, with Pirate Alley not far behind.
Carmellini is an ex-gangster who now works as a CIA operative. In Liars & Thieves he has been sent to a secret CIA safe house located in West Virginia where a Russian defector (who has detailed information and documents regarding KGB activities over many years) is being debriefed. There Carmellini gets in a shoot-out with unknown persons who have killed most everyone in the safe-house and set it on fire.
Carmellini escapes with a female from the house and then finds himself the target of the FBI and unknowns who want him dead. 1/3rd of the way through the novel the big question is who did the killings and who in the US government is covering it up and attempting to make Carmellini look guilty.
Much of the novel is told in the first person by Tommy Carmellini. He is a delightful character with colorful friends and language. Stephen Coonts spins a tale of intrigue and suspense, with a lot of comic relief. Liars & Thieves is a page-turner.

[Natalie K · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was mediocre—I'd give it 2.5 stars, but I'm rounding up because I'm feeling generous today (I'm floating about in a good mood because I passed a certification exam yesterday, YES!). The book started off intriguing enough, with American special forces soldiers massacring a group of people at a CIA safe house in West Virginia, but as it wore on, I started to get bored, and by the end, I was kind of over it. (I think the author was, too, as the ending just sputtered out.) It's a decent enough book if you are bored and/or don't want to think a lot, but you aren't missing anything if you haven't read it.

[Ben Pashkoff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Apparently the name of this was changed - probably to protect some innocent. It is also listed as "Liars & Theives" ..

OK, why 3 stars? Plot - GREAT, idea- incredible, premise- outstanding. Dialog? - SUCKS. At points I had to go bad and check the copyright and other information. There are terms and usage that make it sound like it is a parody of 1930's Chicago-style gangster english. TOTALLY unacceptable as a post-a990's spy novel. (Come on - who refers to POTUS as "big guy" or the White House as the "big house" or a Hilton Hotel in New York as a "joint"? Would anyone from the US really refer to a hot dog as a "tube steak" ???)