Good Behavior by Blake Crouch (2016)
This is a collection of three novelettes detailing the published exploits of Letty Dobesh, an alcoholic, drug addict, and thief extraordinaire. This was the basis of the TNT television show starring Michelle Dockery which ran for two season (20 episodes) from November 2015 through November 2018.
Letisha Dobesh is in her mid-thirties, the victim of a horrible and abusive childhood. Now self-destructive, she has been in prison three times; a fourth conviction could have her locked up for life. Not that her life might last very long -- her addictions might soon well kill her. Alas, Letty can only function well if she is high or if she is stealing something. A part of her wants to reform and lead a straight life, if only for her young son, whose custody she lost to the boy's paternal grandparents in Colorado. No matter how hard she wants to have a future life with her son, her addictions keep pulling her back. On the bright side of things, when she is committing crime, she avoids alcohol and crystal meth (her preferred choice of destruction) in order to keep her mind clear. Luckily, her vices have not yet robbed her of her good looks, but that might change in the not-too-distant future. Despite her self-destructive behavior (and at least one suicide attempt) Letty sincerely wants to live. A lady of contrasts is our Letty.
She premiered in the story "The Pain of Others" on Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, March 2011, which was later released as a separate title. A second story, "Sunset Key," was also released as a separate tile -- I cannot find if it had any previous publication. These two stories, plus a third -- "Grab" -- were included in Good Behavior, which was released to coincide with the first season of the television. Each story is followed by Crouch's notes on the writing of the story and nits relation to the show. Good Behavior is touted as a novel, and I suppose, if you squint really hard in a dark, dark room, it might be considered thus. Burt actually, it's just a collection of stories -- each written a year or two after the previous ones, and laced with contradictions; not that that really matters. These are Letty's stories and her path -- perhaps -- toward growth. The minor details are not important; Letty's journey is.
In the first story, we see Letty robbing a series of hotel rooms. She's interrupted and hides in a closet where she hears a man engaging a hitman to kill his wife. What to do? She can't go to the cops. She does not know who the two men are, or who the intended victim is. But Letty is virulently against violence of any sort (her abused childhood, remember?). Even after she manages to stop the murder, things take an unexpected twist...
The second story involved a wealthy businessman who has bilked billions and, in doing so, has destroyed thousands of lives. Justice has finally caught up to him and he is scheduled to start a long prison term the following day -- he will likely die in prison Letty is hired to steal a priceless van Gogh from his isolated and heavily-protected island compound off the Florida Keys. It's a tricky caper, but Letty did not count on betrayal and a "Most-Dangerous-Game" twist. Letty cannot get off the island -- she cannot swim and her biggest phobia is of drowning...
The final story has Letty pull into a sophisticated casino heist in Las Vegas. At stake is $30 million in cash, give or take. The crew that has hired Letty plans to double-cross the Richter, the "rock-star grifter' every thief wants of be, but Richter is just a myth, an unban legend, isn't he? Between the casino thugs, Richter's hard-core gang, and the crooks she has thrown in with, and all the high-tech equipment needed to pull off the job, the odds are not great for Letty's survival. Then Letty's therapist shows up, determined to commit suicide...
The stories are interesting and fast-paced. Letty is a (very) flawed character one can root for. Will she be able to extricate herself from her worst urges and begin to lead the life she truly wants? Well, you have to read the book to find out. The television series was evidently cancelled before that question was answered.
