Review: What can possibly go wrong?
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 9, 2013
"Watch out then, James Bond, Jovan Vukasin will have arrived and it will be no contest for sure," says the boss of the Serbian Mafia in London, looking at himself in a mirror while striking a pose.Why do middle-aged, plump around the waist, balding men get a James Bond complex? Who knows. Probably because they have defective mirrors.At any rate, Jovan has it and pretty bad. However, the latest "clandestine" operation his gang has pulled was a bit of a mishap. Not Jovan's fault, of course; who knew that the hired gun would mistake a Croatian Minister of the Interior with a Croatian interior designer? Could happen to anyone, right? Well, Jovan's bosses might not be so understanding. Now, this sage Croatian crime representative in the UK has to come up with some sort of operation great enough to A) prove to his bosses that he is still a valuable leader of men, and B) raise the level of public opinion. After all, any organized crime relies heavily on PR - you have to win the hearts and minds of the pimps and the girls and the drug pushers. Of course, it's easier just to shoot anyone who laughs at you, but that would reduce your workforce significantly. And that is bad for business.So, a foolproof plan was hatched. Go to Israel, steal some blood diamonds from Ukrainians. Use those diamonds to buy weapons and sell them to an African warlord. Pocket the profits and make a name for himself and the Croatian crime syndicate. Simplicity itself. What can possibly go wrong?Well, plenty. A merry gang of murderous thugs travels far and wide, through the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Africa. They meet interesting people and shoot them. They carry out a diamond heist in the best traditions of "Snatch." Things go south and in every other direction imaginable. This book is part biting satire, part slapstick, and altogether real, unfortunately. Good read, with plenty twists and turn to keep you interested.