An amazing, perfectly crafted tale of an attempted prison break, based on a true story and featuring one of its real-life participants. Becker tells the story from the point of view of a baby-faced newcomer who’s transferred to the plotters’ cell just before they set their plan in motion. The four team members don’t entirely trust the newcomer, and though Becker doesn’t provide us with any information about the four original members, and plenty on the newcomer, we don’t quite trust him either. It’s a masterful playing of loyalties, not to mention the superb creation of rock-solid suspense. — Jeffrey M. Anderson