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Great television is hard to come by these days. I don't use that term loosely. Among the plethora of reality programming and poorly scripted sitcoms, there are very few shows that can engage and entertain the entire family with humor, action and drama. One of these such shows is Leverage on TNT. While the show just wrapped up its five-year run for good, it appears to be living on through books and perhaps a movie, but that's just a rumor. The Book, The Con Job, is real.
If you haven't seen the show, then I suggest you hit it up on Netflix. An entertaining mix of capers, cons and witty banter, the show follows a former insurance investigator and his team as they help people fight back against (generally corporate) injustice. As the tag line goes, "The rich and powerful take what they want. We steal it back for you. We provide... Leverage." The show has a very modern A-Team feel for it, as while they are playing the role of Robin Hood, most of the activities would be classified as illegal regardless of the moral outcome.
The Con Job, written by fellow GeekDad Matt Forbeck, is the first Leverage novel to be released and follows a long line of novels based on visual properties. Generally, these types of novels expand the canon (Star Wars for example) as well as continue the story. In this case however, the book takes place between The Gold Job, (ep. 316), and The Radio Job, (ep. 317). The story of this novel centers around a jerk named Lorenzo Patronus, who is screwing over comic book artists by promising to broker their artwork for them, then not coming through on the money. The reality of this actually happening is harsh, and it takes Nate Ford and his team to Comic-Con International in San Diego to run the con.
In this episode, er - book - Hardison really shines as a character since he has most in common with the comic book world. When Forbeck brings in Cha0s (a computer hacker and rival to Hardison in the show, played by Wil Wheaton) things really get interesting. That is, Forbeck has the chance to show his chops as a situational writer. His attention to detail is script worthy and the big reveal (no spoilers) is shrouded until it doesn't need to be anymore. What isn't shrouded in the book is the atmosphere of Comic-Con itself, just as much of a character in the novel as anyone else.
Now, I've never been to Comic-Con, but Forbeck has, and that shows in the book. You walk through the aisles with the team as each of them has some sort of connection with comics and entertainment. Eliot's lost dreams, Parker's child-like amusement and wonderment, Nate's sad memories and so on. They all find something in themselves in the world of comics and this shines heavily in the novel. Along with the team, I felt I was wandering (and at some times rushing) through the crowd as well. This helped the pacing of the book, setting it in an environment that is already hectic. The problem for me, as a fan of the show, is that no matter how hectic or mysterious the plot was becoming - or who was in supposed danger - I just couldn't get locked into caring. It's not Forbeck's fault; his writing was sharp and accessible. It's all about timing.
The timing of this novel puts Forbeck in an interesting and difficult position as the author. As it takes place between two existing episodes, he cannot alter the canon. Unlike in the Star Trek universe, the Leverage universe doesn't have allowances for creating alternate timelines. So Forbeck has to stick to the canon and can't do anything to alter past or future story-lines. Not only does that mean he had to be sure not to contradict anything we already know about the characters, but it also means that any peril they are in holds little emotional suspense with readers who are familiar with the program. We know they all turn out fine and everything works out because of the next episode. This lack of suspense really works against Forbeck, if you are a fan of the show.
Thankfully, Forbeck (who was also writing a novel a month in addition to The Con Job) handles this knowledge well. While the bits re-introducing the characters and their back-stories are a bit bland for those of us who know the show, he's able to capture the suspense and "what-ifs" that generally appear before commercial breaks with pacing that still keeps you reading the next line. With books like this, you can't help but imagine it as an episode of the show, and this book reads like an episode of the show. I suppose that's a compliment, but I would love to see Forbeck try his hand at the future canon of the show, continuing the story after the cancellation of the series. I'm sure then, the style may change a bit because he'd have a ton more options for suspense and story.
In addition to The Con Job, there are two more Leverage novels coming out this year, The Bestseller Job and The Zoo Job. Frankly, Forbeck got lucky being the first one, though I gather they were all written at the same time and take place within the current timeline. I'm not sure how that works with the publisher, if this is a competition to see whose book sells the best and gets future contracts, but I would like to see Forbeck write some post-finale Leverage novels. Then again, to be fair, I haven't read the other ones yet.
The Con Job is a fun book and really captures the energy of the show. The banter between the characters is written well (which could have easily been hit or miss), which if you are a fan of the show you know how much this means. The success of the program relied on the chemistry of the characters through their words and facial reactions to each other. A good writer can capture this behavior and Forbeck captures it. He gets the winks, the nods and the raised eyebrows. I recommend this novel for fans of the show (to keep the magic going) as well as great introduction to those who haven't seen the show. The Con Job is a quick, entertaining read that holds true to the show canon. The rich and powerful might take what they want, but you can get The Con Job now.
