A master of disguise.

A smooth inside man.

A beautiful femme fatal.

A comedic duo of expolsive and distraction experts.

A hacker extraordinaire.

A mysterious rookie.

These teens make up the Heist Society and they’re embarking on the most high-stake caper of their lives without the knowledge or permission of their elders.

And time is running out.

Just like the mafia, you can’t just leave ‘the family’ even a family of art thieves as Katarina Bishop finds out when her first attempt at normalcy at Colgan Academy ends in being framed and subsequent expulsion.

But she can’t stay mad for long at her erstwhile crime partner (and long time crush though Kat’s in deep denial), Hale. He has a message. Her father has angered a real mafia don, Arturo Talconne, who wants his five paintings back or else.

Kat quickly surmises her father’s not the real culprit but Talconne won’t be persuaded. Instead of dropping the matter, he “gently persuades” Kat to spearhead the mission to steal back his paintings.

The problem is, they were stolen by an expert-Vasily Romani, a thief who spans generations and is an untouchable thief-god-whose stashed them behind other paintings in the crowned exhibit of the Henley. A museum where no one has ever been able to crack until now.

Carter creates a tense game of cat-and-mouse with a ticking time line of two weeks, each chapter that starts with the deadline only amping up the tension for the readers as much as the characters.

There’s also the additional insecurity that Kat has been out of the game (and the family) for three months which seems to have greatly diminished her skills compared to her friends and cousins who can’t wrap their heads around why she’d want to leave in the first place.

They have a good point as Carter creates a lush experience of bouncing between european countries, high end art galleries and all the luxurious one can eye (and steal). Plus who doesn’t love the challenge of seeing this extremely competent found-family outwit the public and the authorities alike in impossible feats of larcerny. Carter immediately creates a world with its own lingo and code of honor that makes it feel more alive. Also, it’s just fun to imagine the schemes that stem from such techniques called “the Mary Poppins,” “the Fallen Angel” and references to previous blunders like a failed trained monkey that almost ruined a con in Buhdapest.

There’s also historical stakes too that add a layer to this generally fun caper. The paintings stolen from Talconne were originally stolen by Nazis who took it from their Jewish prisoners during WW2. This adds conflict to Kat who wants to save her father but also feels that the paintings should go back to the original owners or at least the survivors rather than be in the private collection of evil men. Carter was a lot more eloquent about the power of art but the point was that art continues their stories even though the owners no longer live.

As for the characters, Kat has the most intriguing arc, being the protagonist and all. You see, she has been in this life since she was four and it’s hard living up to her infamous parents especially the mother who died when she was young. The mother she’s supposedly a twin of, making her feel like a ghost of someone she can barely remember. Not much of her own person.

There’s also a bit of “the grass is greener” mentality too that prompts Kat’s desire for normalcy even though Kat’s mindset of staking out the perfect marks, and eays to decieve and distract will always eliminate her from the normalcy she seeks.

Even though she feels unprepared, rusty and unsure as she leads her ‘team,” one must admire her willingness to step up and take full responsibility when everyone is telling her to stay away from Talconne. It’s clear that even though she left the life, she still loves her family and this mission helps her to see that maybe she is more capable than she realizes.

There’s also her simmering tension with Hale who is incredibly charming. He’s sort of like Danny Ocean in a way with his easy flirting skills that belie a serious nature which Kat desperately needs in her more insecure moments. He also has a mysterious past that I’m interested in seeing how it developes in the next book. I’ll admit though, the implied romance feels a bit predictable but I love the trope so I don’t care.

The other characters in the Society are less fleshed out, fufilling the archtypes I stated above but there’s some hint to Gabrielle, Kat’s cousin as having more hidden depths even though Kat’s jealous insecurity won’t allow her to admit it outloud.

Also, a side note that I understand this was written in an earlier time so the trope was normal back then but I got tired of Kat’s complaining that people still view her as a little girl and her annoyance with her cousin’s curvy figure and short skirts. It’s clear that Kat has her role as all around master of disguise while Gabrielle plays the ditzy tramp. Both are ways to get close to the mark.

So it got annoying that Kat seemed to judge her cousin for it out of jealousy for the assets she lacked. Also, has the girl not heard of a push-up bra and make-up? It can turn any 13 year old to 18 if they know how to do it the right way.

Which was moot point because it turns out Kat doesn’t lack the curves, she just didn’t highlight them as well as Gabrielle does in her makeover.

Small nitpick overall but it’s there.

Yet I can’t complain since Carter consistantly kept me guessing and created such a twisty, complex con that filled all the holes in their plan while leaving potential for revenge and other complications in the next book especially when it concerns the true colors of a certain rookie.

4 stars.