One False Move by Alex Kava is a fast paced standalone crime novel/thriller set in Omaha. The book tells the story from two different points of view – from that of Melanie who becomes involved in a shooting and from the point of view of the detective who partners with a lawyer to solve the mystery.
Melanie and her son are involved in low level crime and various cons. When her brother Jared is released from prison he proposes that the three of them work together to rob a local bank. This goes very wrong and Melanie finds herself unwillingly on the run with her brother and son who are obviously keeping secrets from her. Jared has stalked Grace, who is a lawyer, because she was responsible for his incarceration. Her side of the story occurs when she becomes involved with Tommy who is the police officer responsible for finding Jared and working out exactly what happened in the bank.
This is fast moving but the author does delve into the very different lives of the protagonists and tries to explore their motives in a bit of depth. She also shows how one crime very easily leads to another and how people can become desperate when they think that they are trapped. I enjoyed the way that the point of view shifted and you saw the same things in different ways. I thought that the story was an interesting one and it held my attention. This is not wildly original or great writing but it was very entertaining to read and I enjoyed it.
Anne Is Reading 