Thursday, April 01, 2010

Heist Society by Ally Carter

Plot Summary: When Katarina Bishop was three, her parents took her on a trip to the Louvre...to case it. For her seventh birthday, Katarina and her Uncle Eddie traveled to Austria...to steal the crown jewels. When Kat turned fifteen, she planned a con of her own--scamming her way into the best boarding school in the country, determined to leave the family business behind. Unfortunately, leaving "the life" for a normal life proves harder than she'd expected. Soon, Kat's friend and former co-conspirator, Hale, appears out of nowhere to bring her back into the world she tried so hard to escape. But he has good reason: a powerful mobster has been robbed of his priceless art collection and wants to retrieve it. Only a master thief could have pulled this job, and Kat's father isn't just on the suspect list, he is the list. Caught between Interpol and a far more deadly enemy, Kat's dad needs her help. For Kat there is only one solution: track down the paintings and steal them back. So what if it's a spectacularly impossible job? She's got two weeks, a teenage crew, and hopefully just enough talent to pull off the biggest heist in history--or at least her family's (very crooked) history.

I’m already a fan of Ally Carter’s Gallagher Girl series, so I settled into this book with a heavy bias. When I sit down to read a book by Ally Carter, I’m expecting pure, light fun. I wasn’t disappointed.

Ally Carter’s books make me smile. They are fun and light, and I’m not bothered by the plot elements that aren’t quite believable. Heist Society has a few of those elements, and I didn’t feel as close to the characters as I usually prefer, but I didn’t care. The premise was so...well...Ocean’s 11, that I just sat back to enjoy the ride. I also like that she can introduce tension between girls without taking the cattiness too far.  I'm not a fan of mean-girl books, and Carter always strikes a good balance.

Carter’s style in Heist Society is very much the same as her style in the Gallagher Girl books, so fans of that series will most likely enjoy this book.  Definitely recommended.

7 comments:

Bish Denham said...

I just finished reading the first Gallagher Girl book and thoroughly enjoyed it! So, I guess I have more to look forward to.

Marcia said...

This book sounds like fun. I agree that fun and light and major plot can make us excuse slight inconsistencies (think Back to the Future) and maybe even lesser ID with the characters. Good post!:)

Kristi Faith said...

I look forward to reading this-I've only read one book by her in the past and enjoyed her style. Thanks for the review!

Danyelle L. said...

Thanks for reminding me about this one. I love Ally Carter! :)

Unknown said...

I just discovered her books. I loved the first Gallagher Girls book. Such a fun read!

Tabitha said...

Bish - I love her style. Her books are pure enjoyment!

Marcia - thanks! There is definitely a time and place for books like hers. I know some people who don't care for her books because of the plot elements, which shows how subjective this industry is. :)

Kristi - if you liked the first one, you'll like this, too. :)

Danyelle - her books are so much fun, aren't they?

Nisa - Heist Society is just as fun! Hope you enjoy it as much as I did. :)

Mary Witzl said...

This sounds like so much fun! I love the idea of a book with a girl adventurer like this, especially one with just the right amount of tension. The fact that this is done without the bitchy edge that puts me off so many 'girl' books really make me want to read it. Girls need more books like this.