heist books

Perfect Scoundrels

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by Ally Carter
ages: 12+
First sentence: “Of all the people who knew about the big house in the middle of Wyndham Woods, very few had ever been inside.”
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Others in the series: Heist Society, Uncommon Criminals

I have decided (only took me three books, too), that one of the things I like best about this series is that it’s not really a “series”. You don’t have to read the first two to get the third (though they’re fun and you should read them). Each one is a separate con/heist while building upon the characters we’ve come to know and love (and, in my case, swoon over).

This one is all about Hale. (*swoon* You should have seen me at the store when these came in. I was a complete fangirl. HALE!) The short version is that we learn a lot about his family, his past, and his life. Which, to tell the truth, doesn’t really bode well for Kat. Hale’s beloved grandma Hazel has just passed away,  and it turns out that Hale is the sole inheritor of the business, with the family lawyer named as trustee until Hale turns 25. And fortune. Except, Marcus (ever-trusty chauffeur/butler/guy) believes there’s something wrong: his sister, Marianne, who was Hazel’s companion and friend, was completely cut out. He asserts that the will read is fake, and hires Kat to find and steal the real one back.

Of course, that’s not the whole story. But to tell you it would be to ruin your fun. I will tell you this: out of the three, this one has the tightest con. I didn’t figure it out until it was nearly over, and then I just sat back, reveling in the brilliance of it all. And while Hale wasn’t perfectly charming the whole book, it was still Hale. I know I shouldn’t have crushes on 17-year-old fictional men, but honestly: *swoon*

Plus the whole gang is back, and there are some brilliantly funny moments as they set up the long con. We get to meet more of Kat’s family, with all their brilliance and weirdness. Though I have to say that my new favorite minor character is Silas. Please: more of him!

All the other fun elements that I’ve come to expect from these books are there: jetting around the world, rappelling down buildings, breaking into banks, and just a little bit of kissing (in closets). I hope Ally Carter has a few more of these up her sleeves, because, heaven knows I can always find time to read them.

If only because I *swoon* over Hale.

Uncommon Criminals

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by Ally Carter
ages: 12+
First sentence: “Moscow can be a cold, hard place in winter.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

This book, as pointed out by Liz B., can be summed up in three sentences: It’s fluff. But it’s such fun fluff. And no one does fluff as well as Ally Carter.

The other best way to sell it (and Heist Society, the first one in the series)? It’s Oceans 11 for teens. In book form.

After pulling off the heist of the century (which I suppose is a bit of a spoiler for the first book. Sorry), Kat and crew have basically gone their separate ways. Kat’s taken on a personal mission for good, taking jobs stealing back paintings stolen by Nazis in World War II. Hale’s constantly upset with her because she keeps shutting him out. Gabby’s gone her own way, and Uncle Eddie’s moved to Paraguay (or was it Uruguay? That’s a running gag.) to run a sting for the family. So, when Kat is propositioned to steal the Cleopatra diamond for what is ostensibly a good cause, she doesn’t hesitate.

Then things get deliciously complicated.

Honestly? The best thing about this book (aside from Hale’s swoonworthiness; I really shouldn’t have crushes on 17 year old fictional boys. Not healthy.) is that Kat and crew up and go all over the world at a drop of a hat. They’re MINORS! And they get away with so much. It’s hilarious and improbable and fun. Who cares that they’re smart rich kids basically stealing things because they can? (Well, not exactly, but it feels that way at times.) I don’t. I’m along for the ride, and, man, it’s a fun one with an absolutely brilliant twist at the end.

Sometimes, fluff — especially good fluff — is exactly what you need.

Heist Society

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by Ally Carter
ages: 12+
First sentence: “No on knew for certain when the trouble started at Colgan school.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

Why is it that we, as normal people, love stories about thieves? About good people who live just outside the law? Or, even better yet, about good-looking, rich people traveling the world doing things, buying things, that normal people can’t even dream about doing.

You make those people teenagers, and you’ve basically got the idea of what this book is about. Though don’t get me wrong: this book is a LOT of fun. Impossible, improbable, sure. But unputdownable fun.

Kat has walked away from the family “business” of stealing things. Robbing museums, banks, mansions, you name it; she was the grease man, the inside man, the go-to girl. Then, in her biggest con, she got into an exclusive boarding school. She wanted, needed a normal life. However, it turns out that she can’t get away from family. Three months into her self-imposed exile, she gets kicked out because of a prank she didn’t pull (she was framed!). Turns out that her father is in trouble; he was framed for a job he didn’t do, and now a powerful mobster is out to get him. And it’s Kat who has the know-how, and her friend and former co-conspirator, Hale, who has the resources, to get him out of trouble. Even if it means traveling the world, trying to find the trail of the real thief. Even if it means robbing a famous high-security museum in England.

It takes an incredible suspension of disbelief to make this book work — really? 16-year-olds popping all over the world? Right… — but, suspend it, and you will have fun. There’s action, adventure, suspense, thrills, laughs, hot guys (both British and American, take your pick), and romance. It’s about family; sure they’re mostly dysfunctional, but hey: they care.

The ending was a bit abrupt for my taste; there’s one string left hanging that I wish would have been wrapped up. I suppose it was for the best though, to leave a little mystery. While I don’t think there’s a need for a sequel, I sure wouldn’t mind hanging out with Kat and her gang some more.