The Professionals

By: Owen Laukkanen

Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini

Length: 11 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's summary

Four friends, recent college graduates, caught in a terrible job market, joke about turning to kidnapping to survive. And then, suddenly, it's no joke. For two years, the strategy they devise - quick, efficient, low risk - works like a charm. Until they kidnap the wrong man.

Now two groups they've very much wanted to avoid are after them - the law, in the form of veteran state investigator Kirk Stevens and hotshot young FBI agent Carla Windermere, and an organized-crime outfit looking for payback. As they all crisscross the country in deadly pursuit and a series of increasingly explosive confrontations, each of them is ultimately forced to recognize the truth: The true professionals, cop or criminal, are those who are willing to sacrifice...everything.

A finger-burning page-turner, filled with twists, surprises, and memorably complex characters, The Professionals marks the arrival of a remarkable new writer.

©2012 Owen Laukkanen (P)2012 Penguin Audiobooks

Critic reviews

“Fasten your seat belts, Owen Laukkanen’s The Professionals is one heck of a wild ride. A first-class thriller by a terrific new voice.” (John Lescroart)

“Really terrific – characters that live and breathe, a just-right story, and chills aplenty. Highly recommended." (Lee Child)

“Smoothly written, with a slam-bang ending, The Professionals is a brutally beautiful piece of work. Owen Laukkanen takes us straight into the hearts of the bad guys, and what we find there is something very complicated and still very bad. The cops are just as complex as the villains, and Laukkanen nicely captures the personal and sexual tension between Kirk Stevens and Carla Windermere as they track down the gang: this is a pairing that will wear well.” (John Sandford)

A truly great read, I hated for it to end.

What happens when 4 20-something college grads realize they can't find jobs? Well, this foursome decides to start kidnapping wealthy businessmen and ransom them for smaller amounts of money so they won't need much time to get the money and are less likely to involve the police.

This works wonderfully as they move across the country perfecting their process. It's all good until they kidnap the wrong man then it all goes to hell in a handbasket.

Awesome

This was so good it was hard to stop listening, what an exciting story, I recommend it.

Very Hard to Finish

Would you try another book from Owen Laukkanen and/or Edoardo Ballerini?

Probably Not

What was most disappointing about Owen Laukkanen’s story?

Nothing fun, interesting or clever was done - awful

Would you be willing to try another one of Edoardo Ballerini’s performances?

Sure - it wasn't his fault is was so badly written

What character would you cut from The Professionals?

Characters ok - what they did was the problem

Any additional comments?

Skip it for sure!

Preposterous

Even the very premise of the book- that 4 college grads can turn into a band of kidnappers because of a bleak job market, is absurd. This might work for an episode of Law and Order but it is definitely not novel material.

Even the police side of the story is amateurish, with case-breaking leads falling right into the cops' laps at every turn using minimal effort. There seemed to always be a witness with a fantastic memory or picture-perfect surveillance tapes at the ready. And the romance angle was even more absurd, which just added to the comedy.

The most hilarious part was the beautiful, rich Princeton co-ed who wants to join the gang because she is bored. Oh yeah, and her dad just happens to have his own jet!

I found myself laughing at the "twists and turns" because you could see them coming from a mile away. I listened to this book as often as I could not because I enjoyed it but because I just wanted to get it over with. I kept hoping there was some plot twist that would swoop in and save this book but it never came.

Very disappointing - worst book I have ever picked

What disappointed you about The Professionals?

drags on and on - hard to get attached to any of the characters and the most likelable ones were the supposed bad guys.

What could Owen Laukkanen have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

The ending just left me feeling empty - I don't need happy endings but this one was just depressing. Not one character seemed relatable or interesting. I couldn't even think - that seems out of character for them because I had no idea what their character was to begin with. I thought the intial concept was good and interesting but it just got too convoluted. I kept listening and hoping it would get better - but no - it just got worse..

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

Nothing - I thought the narrator was fine.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Disappointment - I saw a critic's review of it in the newspaper and thought the idea was exciting and unique. It is unique alright.

Any additional comments?

I have listened to dozens of books on audible - I love it and I am a bit of a fanatic. This is the first time I have ever posted a review - I just found nothing enjoyable about this book and I wish I had saved my time and money.

Dont waste your time

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

Better ending would be nice...

Has The Professionals turned you off from other books in this genre?

Yes....

How could the performance have been better?

Let the main character have a good life!

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The Professionals?

The end...

Any additional comments?

Bad ending....very disappointing ......

Depressing

Any additional comments?

I had a hard time really liking any of the characters is this book. The 4 college students were the most appealing and they were suppose to be the bad guys. Don't expect a happy ending.

Really?

This book started off with great promise. A fast-paced story with a compelling premise and very well performed by Ballerini. There's just one problem- I don't enjoy reading about characters who are… stupid. Yup, the lead character styles himself and his gang as professional, but most professionals I know aren't, you know, stupid.

I could list all the points along the way where I was metaphorically slapping my forehead in slack-jawed wonderment at the various choices made by the "professionals", but who has the time? On the other hand, if you're a fan of unintentional comedy, there are lots of guffaws to be had in this novel, particularly as things spiral out of control in the book's second half. The plot wraps up in predictably maudlin fashion, but no need to worry as by then you will be long past caring.

It's too bad. Laukkanen knows how to keep things on the boil, and the first third or so doesn't stray too far from intelligent. If the author could have a bit more respect for his readers he could grow into a decent thriller writer. Wake me up when that happens.

This was not interesting

Would you try another book from Owen Laukkanen and/or Edoardo Ballerini?

Not from Laukkanen, but I don't notice narrators unless they are very good or very bad.

What could Owen Laukkanen have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

It had to be very well written and plotted to pull this off. I didn't think either was the case.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Edoardo Ballerini?

yes.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The Professionals?

None of it seemed very realistic, yet much of it was dreary.

Any additional comments?

I don't like giving away plot lines. I just am amazed that this book published in the first place.

Professional whats?

If they could have found a narrator who could make this book sound as silly as it is, it might have been entertaining. Really, Bellerini sounds like he's in mourning, no matter what the action. And those kidnappers would have been slaughtered about twice a day during the story course in any realistic book. They should have just been given a switch that turned them invisible, with uzis, whenever trouble came, and call it a fantasy. Then, there's all that moping by everyone - law enforcement, mobsters and kidnappers - like a bunch of lovesick teenagers. The only reason I rated it so high was that it did have sort of a plot and the action moved along with the road trip, so it could have been worse. Or maybe not. I might just be in a mellow mood.