Dodgers by William Beverly

Four LA gang kids set off to kill a judge in Wisconsin, but that task is just the setup for a complex personal drama about gangs and personal growth. You can take the kid out of LA, but can you take the gang out of the kid?

East is a 15-year-old on a path to redeem himself to the kingpin after a raid and shootout at the drug house where he oversaw security. Making sure this hit goes perfectly would be proof of loyalty and trust, if only he could keep the rest of the team on task. The fact that the "gun" on this job is his estranged 13-year-old brother complicates things.

And complicate it does. I loved that there's no guessing what's going to happen next with this story - there's a twist at every turn. It's not a tough, violent gangsta story; it's more an internal story of East's evolving state of mind. He's got some decisions to make, and this roadtrip gives him some wide-open spaces to think.

The Intern's Handbook by Shane Kuhn

John is about to work his final job - he's retiring at the ripe old age of 25. But since he's a hired assassin, that final job requires starting at the bottom (as an intern at the law office), navigating his way through office politics while staying anonymous and completely forgettable, then creatively murdering his eventual target waaay up at the tippy top of the company food chain.

Along the way there are crosses and double-crosses, shifting alliances at every turn, and a spook over every shoulder. Oh, and romance. Or maybe it's just fake romance to get office intel. But maybe not. How would a guy who's never seen love even know for sure?

This book moves at lightening pace, and I just couldn't put it down. It's like a movie on the page. It's funny at times, a little sad in the way John became the heartless killing machine he is, and absolutely impossible to predict what will happen next. Loved this book!

(On a side note - this book has one of the best covers I've ever seen. Ever.)