A Magnificent Crime by Kim Foster (4.5 stars)

About A Magnificent Crime

Everyone has a talent. Some are just more legal than others.

Cat Montgomery is a natural-born thief with a special gift for stealth—or at least she thought so. Years ago, she stole from the diamond-hoarding businessman Albert Faulkner III. Now he wants revenge, and he forces Cat to plan a heist of the infamous Hope Diamond while it’s on loan to the Louvre in Paris. If she fails the mission, he'll wreak bloody havoc on her loved ones. But the stakes are raised even higher when Cat discovers that stealing the Hope is not only an impossible task, it's a cursed one. . .

Meanwhile, Cat's boyfriend, FBI agent Jack Barlow, is tracking a fierce criminal known as the Gargoyle, running into Interpol and resistance among his agency. As he follows the trail to Paris, where Cat is, their missions entwine in ways neither of them would have suspected. . .

A Magnificent Crime (Agency of Burglary & Theft #2) is scheduled for publication on June 5, 2014, by Kensington Books. It will initially be available as an ebook, and later as a trade paperback. It’s the second in a series called The Agency of Burglary & Theft. The first book in the series is titled A Beautiful Heist.

Review

Cat Montgomery is a thief; she embraces her lifestyle and leaves guilt and judgement at the door. Lately, however, she's suffering from panic attacks. Not the best reaction in the thick of thieving.

To make matters which, she's facing her biggest challenge yet as she's being blackmailed to do a dangerous job. The penalty for refusing is an age-old punishment for stealing. 

For even more complication, her boyfriend (Jack) is an FBI agent. They've agreed to look the other way about each other's lives, but how long can it last?

I love it when a book two exceeds my expectations. Although I enjoyed A Beautiful Heist, book one, this book was better both in character-building and intrigue. Twists and turns are inevitable with crime and mystery, but there are so many layers to this story--several thieves wanting in on the action, blackmail, lives hanging in the balance. Everything is heightened because the target is the Hope Diamond, on loan to the Louvre. This isn't small-time crime, and the adventure is intricately woven together. (Of course I can't give details and ruin the fun, but it's quite the roller coaster ride. Trust me.)

Also, there's something captivating about Cat. She's unapologetic for her choice of career, but she has job struggles just like everyone else. It's refreshing to read about a criminal who's not the bad guy. The author does an excellent job of making Cat likable and flawed, especially with Cat struggling to figure out why she's panicking when she didn't before. Plus, Jack is not a clear-cut good guy. Their heat is unmistakable, but they can only dig so deep--trust will always be a factor. 

I can't wait to read more installments in this series and hope there will be more. There's so much amazing material to further explore with Cat's personal struggles and her relationship uncertainty (there might be more than one love interest, just saying), even if she never stole again. Can love be enough? Oooh, I am looking forward to finding out. 

If you are a reader who enjoys an entertaining--but multi-dimensional--thrill ride, look no further. A real coup.

Rating: 4.5 stars

I also enjoyed the first book in the series, A Beautiful Heist. My review can be found here. 

About the Author

Kim Foster is the author of the Agency of Burglary & Theft Series, a series of novels about a professional female jewel thief. Kim has a typical background for someone who writes thrillers about thieves and spies and criminals: she has a degree in medicine and is a practising family doctor. (Don’t worry, it doesn’t make much sense to her friends and family, either.)

She’s addicted to yoga, loves to travel, and has a clinical weakness for dark chocolate with sea salt. Online, you can find her blogging about her left-brain, right-brain mash-up on www.kimfoster.com. Kim lives with her husband and their two young sons in Victoria, BC, where she's hard at work on her next book. And drinking a ridiculous amount of coffee.

To learn more about Kim and her work, please visit her website, kimfosterwrites.com, follow her on Twitter, or become a fan on Facebook.

Note: I received a complimentary copy for review purposes. A positive review was not requested or guaranteed; the opinions expressed are my own.

A Beautiful Heist, Kim Foster (4 stars)

About A Beautiful Heist (Agency of Burglary & Theft) 

File Size: 547 KB
Print Length: 289 pages
Publisher: eKensington (June 6, 2013)

Everyone has a talent. Some are just more legal than others. Cat Montgomery steals jewels for AB&T, the premier agency for thieves in Seattle. Career perks: good pay, great disguises, constant adrenaline rush. Drawbacks: the possibility of jail time…or worse. Now she’s taken on a lucrative side job—recovering a priceless Faberge egg for an alleged Romanov descendant.

Though Cat is working solo, there are plenty of interested players. Her FBI ex-boyfriend is nosing around, as is her former mentor-turned-nemesis. Then there’s the charming art thief helping—or is he hindering?—her mission. If her luck holds out, this could be the case that allows Cat to retire with her conscience and her life intact. If not, it’ll be her last job for all the wrong reasons…

Review

An ethical criminal. Seems like an oxymoron, doesn't it?

Cat Montgomery is a thief, but she's a thief with rules. She only steals from those who are wealthy and have insurance, and she specifically takes the one items her agency (AB&T) hires her to procure. But more than that, she's looking for the assignment that makes her feel whole again and washes away a job she didn't take--one that cost her sister her life.

Thanks to the IRS on her heels, she takes a side job with a big payoff and high stakes. In addition to avoiding the FBI and police, which includes her ex-boyfriend and his new girlfriend, she also faces an ex-colleague who is determined to see Cat pay. Will Cat finally find peace? Can she survive this latest assignment?

Instead of just page after page of action and intrigue, this story looks deeper. Cat struggles with what her parents think of her and with matters of the heart. Should she give in to her feelings for Jack, an ex-FBI agent, or Ethan, a thief and someone who can understand her? In addition, her one-time friend is trying to take her down at every turn. 

Although it was interesting to see how Cat's parents reacted to finding out their daughter's real job, at times I felt like there were two many subplots going on. But, they ultimately helped build an interesting and memorable character main character, so it's hard to really complain.

If you are a reader who enjoys thrills coupled with well-developed characters, pick up A Beautiful Heist. Not only will it have you on the edge of your seat at times, it will also give you a character who promises to only get more interesting in future installments.

Rating: 4 stars

About Kim Foster

Kim Foster is a practicing physician, a novelist, and a mom. She’s also an active health blogger and writer. (You can read those blogs here, and here.) After thirteen years stitching people’s lacerations, treating their sore throats, and checking their blood pressure, she is now about to become a published novelist, too, thanks to a brand spanking new 3-book deal with Kensington Books. Her first novel is slated for publication in June 2013.

To learn more about Kim and her work, please visit her website, kimfosterwrites.com, follow her on Twitter, or become a fan on Facebook.

Thanks to TLC for my review copy.

Note: I received a complimentary copy for review purposes. A positive review was not requested or guaranteed; the opinions expressed are my own.

Please visit other stops on A Beautiful Heist blog tour page.