BOOK SYNOPSIS
With Criminal Paradise, his gritty, satirical take on the criminal underworld and the society it preys on, Steven M. Thomas earned comparison to such masters as Elmore Leonard and Carl Hiaasen. Now Thomas has devised a new adventure for his charismatic hero, the small-time crook Robert Rivers, who has dreams of making the big score and the brains to pull it off if only his partner, Reggie, wouldn't keep getting in the way.

Indeed, Rivers is back and the stakes are high: Hes on the trail of a diamond necklace worth a small fortune. The necklace belongs to beautiful Southern California socialite Evelyn Evermore, but Rivers has a foolproof plan to remedy that. Unfortunately, the plan is not Reggie-proof, and when the dust clears, the necklace is gone and the cops are in hot pursuit.

But when Rivers learns that Evelyn is mixed up with a Venice Beach spiritual guru known as Baba Raba, the necklace seems to be within reach once more. Only the deeper Rivers digs, the more it appears that Baba Raba is a dangerous fraud intent on the same prize Rivers is pursuing. Worse, Rivers finds himself developing a soft spot for Evelyn, who isn't the shallow socialite she seems to be.

Soon Rivers and Reggie are barreling headlong into the not-so-harmonious heart of a Southern California crime cabalan adventure full of safecracking, gunslinging, seduction, treachery, family drama, and even a touch of romance.

With Criminal Karma, Steven M. Thomas has written a smart and sexy crime thriller that more than meets the promise of his acclaimed debut.

FEATURED USER BOOK REVIEW BY SAUL P.

“Criminal Karma,” the second novel in Steven M. Thomas’s Robert Rivers crime fiction series, is a real winner. In his first outing, “Criminal Paradise” (2008), Thomas introduced the charming felon Robert “Rob” Rivers and his scruffy sidekick, Reggie England, in a hard hitting Orange County crime saga with a lot of humor and some unforgettable scenes that got the book nominated as best first novel by the International Thriller Writers. In the sequel, the action moves up the coast from Newport Beach to Venice Beach and Santa Monica.

This time around Rob and Reggie are after a diamond necklace worth $250,000 that they have to fight and outsmart a fake guru and a bunch of other dangerous crooks to put it in their pocket. Along the way, Rob helps the rich, sexy socialite who the necklace belongs to escape from the guru’s hypocritical clutches and saves a homeless kid from his lost condition. Like the first book, this one is funny and fast-paced with great descriptions of Venice, Santa Monica, and Palm Springs. Thomas puts you on the Southern California coast like you are inside a movie about the place. You can taste the salt in the air.

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