Downside

The acclaimed author of the Silas Cade Thrillers introduces Finn, a thief who’s about to learn that when you steal big, there’s always a downside. In an age of cybercrime, Finn is the last hardhat. He’s a professional thief with a unique specialty: He only steals big things—autoracks, factory lines, machinery. You might call what he does “heavy lifting.” And he’s no stranger to the downside of his chosen profession; he’s done seven years’ hard time to prove it. Fresh out of prison and flat broke, Finn has a line on his biggest job ever. A beautiful woman with her own agenda has put him back in touch with a shady Wall Street billionaire. The job? Breaking into a private commodities vault and hauling out fifty million dollars worth of the precious metal rhodium. It’s big, it’s heavy, and it’ll pull a lot of exposure. In other words, it’s right up Finn’s alley. The vault is located underground in a high-security rail yard in New Jersey. The plan? Tunnel in. But there’s only one group that can get it done, and Finn will have to call in the crackerjack team that landed him in prison in the first place: Asher, a cranky oilfield driller; Corman, a bearlike railway man; and Jake, a charismatic machinery expert—joined by Nicola, a female hacker who alternates between white and black hats. Cracking the most heavily guarded private vault in North America? No problem. Hauling fifty million dollars in precious metal out past guards, dozens of policemen, and an armored SWAT battalion? Even easier. But navigating the betrayals of double-crossing partners, the machinations of a hedge-fund billionaire gone bad, and the ambiguous proposals of a woman with her own agenda? That’s when things get twisty. This is the heist that will truly test Finn’s mettle, and he’ll need nerves of steel just to get out alive. But he’s sure of one thing: This time, there’s got to be an upside. Says Brad Thor, “If you like Nelson DeMille, you will love Mike Cooper.” From the author of Clawback—hailed by Library Journal as “a fast-moving thriller leavened by wit” and starring an unforgettable blue-collar antihero—The Downside hurtles along at a breakneck speed.

“Cooper writes so convincingly about crime, I’m amazed there isn’t a warrant out for his arrest. He’s clearly done his homework; The Downside might as well be a blueprint for that one big score. It’s a propulsive, modern take on the classic heist novel, as meticulously plotted as the crime itself, topped off with an ingenious finale. Recommended!” —Owen Laukkanen, bestselling author of The Forgotten Girls “I fell in love with this crooked tale of hardhat heisters in the modern world. Couldn’t put it down, can’t wait for the next one. Please, Mike Cooper, tell me there’s a next one!” —Nick Petrie, bestselling author of The Drifter “Fans of Donald Westlake’ s Dortmunder novels will find a lot to like.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review “The inevitable complications, missteps, and double crosses are met with ever more ingenious and desperate workarounds, many involving fresh felonies, side deals, and triple crosses, till you won’t know whom to root for or what difference it makes. A taut caper whose high-tech trappings neatly complement its old-fashioned formula.” —Kirkus Reviews “A high-tech version of Donald E. Westlake: a caper novel with a comic touch.” —BooklistPraise for the Silas Cade Thrillers “A blistering pace, lots of action, and some over-the-top derring-do that may attract Hollywood.” —Booklist, starred review, on Full Ratchet “A frenetic, no-holds-barred thriller.” —The Boston Globe on Clawback “Action, sleuthing, clever tricks . . .and far-out chase scenes . . . A fast-moving thriller leavened by wit.” —Library Journal on Clawback “An action-packed and thrilling journey . . . Definitely worth the investment.” —The Associated Press on Clawback “Fantastic . . . Action, suspense, and tons of insider information. This is my kind of thriller and I can’t wait for the next one. If you like Nelson DeMille, you’ll love Mike Cooper.” —Brad Thor, New York Times–bestselling author of Full Black, on Clawback “Vivid but convincing action, a sympathetic protagonist with a specialty we haven’t seen before, and plentiful antagonists we all have reason to despise. Buy it.” —Thomas Perry, Edgar Award–winning author of The Butcher’s Boy, on Clawback “Smart and savvy, and paced like a bull market rally! Silas Cade is part Jack Reacher, part Seal Team Six in the Madoffian canyons of power and greed.” —Andrew Gross, bestselling author of Reckless, on ClawbackPraise for Mike Cooper writing as Michael Wiecek “As smart as a whip, as fast as a bullet, as serious as a heart attack. Read it now.” —Lee Child, author of the Jack Reacher novels, on Exit Strategy

Mike Cooper is the pseudonym of Michael Wiecek, a former jack-of-all-trades whose jobs have included stints with Boston’s transit agency, on an ambulance, and at a food co-op, capped off by a graduate degree from the MIT Sloan School of Management and a job with Fidelity Investments. Wiecek’s work has received wide recognition, including a Shamus Award, an International Thriller Writers Award nomination, and inclusion in The Best American Mystery Stories 2010. He lives with his family outside of Boston.