With Criminal Paradise, his gritty, satirical take on the Southern California underworld and the faulty society it preys on, Steven M. Thomas earned comparison to such masters as Elmore Leonard and Carl Hiaasen. Now, Thomas has written another smart, sexy thriller featuring his charismatic antihero, the small-time crook Robert Rivers, who has dreams of making the big score and the brains to pull it off -- if only his partner, Reggie, wouldn't keep getting in the way.

The stakes are high for Rivers this time around: He is on the trail of a diamond necklace worth a small fortune. The necklace belongs to beautiful Los Angeles socialite Evelyn Evermore, but Rivers has a foolproof plan to remedy that. Unfortunately, the plan is not Reggie-proof, and when the dust clears, the necklace is gone and the cops are in hot pursuit.

When Rivers learns that Evelyn is mixed up with a 300-pound guru known as Baba Raba, the necklace seems to be within reach once more. Only the deeper Rivers digs, the more it appears that Baba Raba is a dangerous fraud intent on the same prize Rivers is pursuing. Worse, Rivers finds himself developing a soft spot for Evelyn, who isn't the shallow socialite she seems to be.

Soon Rivers and Reggie are barreling headlong into a battle with Baba and a gang of murderous Italian gangsters who, in cahoots with the guru, are using intimidation, extortion and the cats paw of a corrupt politician to gain control of a $100-million swath of oceanfront property. Set in sunny Venice Beach and Indian Wells in the Coachella Valley, Criminal Karma offers exotic locales, fast-paced action, colorful characters, and dazzling plot twists that will keep readers enthralled until the final page.

"This novel is more than a wonderful thriller and a classic caper-gone-wrong. It's a morality tale and a jaw-dropping tour of Southern California at its most crazy and compelling. I loved it." -- T. Jefferson Parker

"From posh hotels to flop houses, from ashram meetings to complicated burglaries, Rivers keeps his eye on the prize, but not without an appealing touch of knight errantry . . . . Rivers is a cunning and resourceful thief capable of blending into his surroundings like a chameleon or meeting force with force when necessary. He does both with charm, wit and surprising decency." -- Publishers Weekly

"As in the first novel, author Thomas writes gracefully and deftly about Southern California, louche and luxe, and Rivers' casual disquisitions on Hindu beliefs are informative and insightful. Give this one to fans of Lawrence Block's Bernie Rhodenbarr." -- Booklist

Steven M. Thomas grew up in a working class suburb of St. Louis, Missouri, where he was not an Eagle Scout or member of the boys choir. He left home the first time at 15, spending the summer hitchhiking across the country, working at odd jobs and writing a journal. He was educated -- eventually -- at Antioch University, the University of Missouri, St. Louis (B.A. English, summa cum laude, 1997) and the University of California, Irvine (Regent's Fellowship, MFA, 1999). Before becoming a fulltime novelist, Thomas worked at different times as a magazine editor, journalist and college lecturer, teaching writing at UCI. He has also been a short order cook and an aluminum siding salesman. He lives with his wife and daughter in Orange County, California.