Heist Society

Heist Society (Heist Society, 1) by Ally Carter, 2010. 287 pages. Published by Hyperion Book CH. Source: Won/Own.

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 Kat back into the world she tried so hard to escape. But he has a 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 her family's history--and, with any luck, steal her life back along the way.

First Sentence:

No one knew for certain when the trouble stared at the Colgan School.

I cannot believe that I had not reviewed Heist Society, especially since I absolutely adore all of Ally Carter's books. So I am here to right this wrong (expect a review for Uncommon Criminals in the near future as well).

I am always excited and nervous when it comes to new series from an author that I love. Excited because I cannot wait to see what new world and characters they have created; nervous because it could very well not be as good as their previous work. But in the case of Heist Society, there is nothing to fear because it is just brilliant...and dare I say it, a better first book in the series than GG1.

What makes Heist Society so good is that is a fun caper like read while still maintaining a sense of danger and excitement as you watch Kat and friends plan to rob the fort like Henley. How could one possibly resist the thrill of reading about a group of kids preparing to do the unthinkable, as well, as one of the jobs that none of the family would even undertake due to a name. Not me.

In Kat we find a different sort of character from Cammie; Kat is trying to get out of the family business and lead a normal life, while on the other hand you have Cammie who is trying to follow in the footsteps of her parents. I definitely liked the fact that the two main characters from Ms. Carter's books were so different from one another, and their differences go deeper then their career and the choices that they make.
Hale, there are so many reasons to like him, and none of them have anything to do with the description of the way he looks. What makes Hale one of my favorite characters is that he is there for Kat when she needs him, but yet, he is not going to sit on the sidelines and wait things out just because he was not born into the life that Kat was. I just like that he seems like one of the good guys, even if he is rich beyond all belief...I give up, trying to sum up why I like Hale is impossible.

Okay, so what really makes this a great read is that I loved seeing Ms. Carter write a book about thieves-the complete opposite of the Gallagher Girl books-and that it also at times reminded me of the Ocean's Eleven/Italian Job movies. Oh, how I do love a good, bad guy heist.
As odd as this may sound, the one thing that I really did not like about Heist Society was one of the characters. I could not stand Nick at all. Call me weird, but something about him just irritated me and I do not see myself changing my mind about his character should he be a returning cast member in the next installment of the series.

Final Verdict: Heist Society for those who love the good "bad guys".

Heist Society earns 5 out of 5 pineapples.