Reviewed by Larry

Imagine yourself in a situation where your boss gives you an incredibly difficult assignment. Your livelihood hangs in the balance--dependant on your success. Being successful requires nerve, stealth, and cunning; you have serious doubts whether or not these are qualities you possess. So are you in, or are you out?

The main character in this story is in--in over his head, or so it seems. The author delivers this novice, nervous, lacking intestinal fortitude character to us with a fair degree of skill. I even mustered a bit of sympathy for the poor bloke, and in the end, he is more competent than even he expected.

I'm not saying that I am incredibly intuitive, but I saw the ending of this story coming a mile away. I can't explain what was the give-away, or why the catch at the end seemed so obvious--it just was. Perhaps making this story more character based rather than plot based might have been a way of diverting attention from the surprise ending. All in all, though, still a good read.