Mystery Book Reviews

Book Review: Outsourced

By Sandy Amazeen Dec 27, 2010, 17:15 GMT

Praise for Dave Zeltserman:"If there\'s any other young writer out there who does crime noir better than Zeltserman, I don\'t even want to know."-Maureen Corrigan, The Washington Post"Zeltserman\'s breakthrough crime novel deserves comparison with the best of James Ellroy."-Publishers Weekly, starred review"Pariah is all I know of bliss and lament. Bliss at reading a superb novel and lament at knowing that Dave Zeltserman has now raised the bar so high, ...more

Unemployed software designer Dan Wilson knows his wife is struggling to hold their finances together but it’s a losing battle. Thanks to a genetic roll of the dice, Dan is going blind and without insurance to help with expenses, there is no hope of corrective surgery. Dan, like so many of his unemployed coworkers discovered cost conscious employers aren’t interested in experience, choosing younger candidates willing to work for less or outsourcing. Thanks to a bank security job partly outsourced to India, Dan has the inside line on a potential heist that could net millions without being caught. He just needs the help of a few select friends to pull it off but as Dan soon discovers, even the most trusted colleague can destroy the most carefully laid plans, especially with the mob, police and FBI on their trail.

Desperation in the face of mounting economic hardship is a theme many can sympathize with and Dan makes a convincing protagonist as readers are drawn into his life. The Italian mob angle is something of a stretch though and some of the characters are just a bit over the top in this fast paced, violent tale that builds to a dark conclusion amidst a pile of bodies. Those familiar with Zeltserman’s work will be prepared for the dark violent tones similar to Small Crimes.