VEGAS HEIST
By Van Allen Plexico
White Rocket Books
231 pgs
Some books seem to fly through your hands; they being that much fun to read. Such is the case with Van Plexico’s new offering, “Vegas Heist.” A serious change of course for a writer best known for sci-fi and superhero prose, this time Plexico ventures into crime fiction and he does so with surprising results. It is quite clear from page one that our author is a Lawrence Block and Donald Westlake fan, as his characters are familiar iconic types seen over and over again in the works of those two great writers. And still, despite these obvious clones, Plexico adds his own satirical whimsy to the caper giving it an authentic historical background and infusing it with a pacing remindful of a short, lit fuse. Any second you know it’s going to explode.
John Harper, a professional thief, does his best avoid schemes involving robbing the casinos of Los Vegas. Why? Because the obvious risks far outweighted the slim possibilities of monetary gain. Then one day his old pal, Los Vegas Attorney Saul “Salsa” Salzman calls him with a plan that in its concept is almost foolproof. During during the building of Caesar’s Palace, one of the many construction contractors, one Roy Funderburk, had a secret tunnel built under hotel leading several miles under the city streets to an innocuous exit no one has yet to uncover.
With the hotel nearly completed and due to open on New Year’s Eve, all they would have to do is assemble a team, find the hidden tunnel entrance and undetected, break into the vault, steal the cash and be gone before anyone was the wiser. The only glitch is a two bit mobster murdered Funderburk before he could reveal exactly where this tunnel entry was located. But Salsa doesn’t see that as a problem and convinces Harper they can find the disguised locale long before the grand opening. Tempted by the possibility of a rich grab, Harper agrees to take on the job and, with Salsa’s advice, they hire two more men; Tommy Donovan, an old time safe cracker, and Brett Rooker, a big, beefy thug to be their security muscle.
With the team assembled, they head to Sin City and the grand future that awaits them. Of course in all such tales, things are never exactly what they appear to me and soon Harper learns that there are other players in their little play. Primary among these are Julian Monti, the small time hood who killed Funderburk, and told Salsa about the secret tunnel, and Lois Funderburk, the dead man’s widow who knows a lot more than they were led to believe. Harper’s personal philosophy is never trust anyone and on this heist, it is one that may just keep him alive.
“Vegas Heist,” is one of those books impossible to put down. Like his characters, Plexico brings us along his own devious plotting filled with twist and turns that you don’t see coming until the very end. It is a terrific read and one we highly recommend. As for John Harper, we want more; a whole lot more.
