AUTHOR: Peter Craig
Seemed like I'd never finish another book, but I finally did and what a romp it was. Hot Plastic is the story of an odd family -- a father, his teen son, and the young woman taken on as a partner -- of grifters, mostly dealing in credit card fraud.
The book is told mostly in flashback, and starts with Collette, the young woman, frantically driving a shot Kevin, the now grown teen, to a hospital after a scam gone wrong. The bulk of the book is set in the past, telling how they got to this point, before moving forward.
Craig's got a nice, breezy style that captures not only the lives of people living on the edge or the wrong side of it, but the awkwardness of adolescence as Kevin lusts after Collette who's shacking up with his father while trying to compete with dad in every way possible as he tries to prove he's as good at grifting as his father or Collette are.
These characters lie, steal, cheat. They hurt people and they hurt each other. And yet, they are oddly appealing for those flaws. I can't wait to read more by this author.
Shelly,
ReplyDeleteGreat review, and I agree. I read it, and liked it as well. He's got another book called BLOOD FATHER, which is excellent - but not for the faint of heart.
Thanks. I'll have to look for that.
ReplyDeleteI read Hot Plastic because the cover caught my eye when the book was sitting on a table display at Barnes & Noble. I thumbed through it and got hooked. I hope he writes quickly. I want lots more from him to read.