Book Recommendation: UNCOMMON CRIMINALS by Ally Carter

I don’t recommend sequels very often, mostly because I figure recommending the first in a series is good enough--and because sequels rarely measure up to the original. That’s not the case with UNCOMMON CRIMINALS. As much as I loved HEIST SOCIETY, I loved UNCOMMON CRIMINALS even more.

UNCOMMON CRIMINALS picks up Kat Bishop’s story a few months after she and her crew manage to rob the Henley, previously thought to be the most impregnable art gallery in Europe. Kat only took the Henley job because the paintings in question were ill-gotten gains, stolen from their Jewish owners during the Nazis’ reign of terror and redistributed to thugs and sympathizers. Kat now sees herself as a one-woman art avenger, returning priceless pieces of culture and history to their rightful owners. So when someone asks her to go after the Cleopatra, a humongous emerald that was taken from an Egyptian dig site more than a hundred years before, both the thief and the do-gooder in Kat can’t resist. The only problem is, the Cleopatra’s cursed, and the curse doesn’t discriminate between do-gooders and ne’er-do-wells.

Like HEIST SOCIETY, UNCOMMON CRIMINALS featured some unexpected twists that kept me turning pages long after I should have gone to bed. But what I loved best about UNCOMMON CRIMINALS was the character development. Ms. Carter took the time to flesh out Kat’s relationships with her best friend and partner-in-crime, the distinguished--and delectable--W.W. Hale the Fifth, as well as the two kingpins of Kat’s thieving family, Uncles Eddie and Charlie.

UNCOMMON CRIMINALS is both self-contained and overarching. It has a definite beginning, middle, and end and yet still contributes to Kat’s overall story. In short, UNCOMMON CRIMINALS is definitely worth a read--after you’ve checked out HEIST SOCIETY, of course:)

(And last but certainly not least, a quick shout-out to my friend and critique partner Amy Sonnichsen, who recently signed with Emmanuelle Morgen of Judith Ehrlich Literary Management. Check out her announcement, and don't forget to say hello. Congratulations, Amy!)