Relishing the Art of the Steal: Must-Read Heist Thrillers
Few things are as exciting as a good heist. The intricate planning, split-second timing, possible over-reliance on luck, and (maybe) getting away with the goods can be so much fun compared to the dreary bummer-ality of everyday life. Here are some really clever takes on the heist genre to enjoy.
A former Wall Street analyst translates his in-depth financial experience into a solid debut thriller. After hedge fund manager Ali "Al" Jafar loses $300 million for Prism Capital in one day, his boss gives him a new fund with $300 million in it and…
Across the Western world, museums display the spoils of conquest and colonialism: priceless art looted from other countries. Will Chen plans to steal them back. A senior at Harvard, Will is a perfect student, an art history major eldest son who has…
Consulting detective Charlotte Holmes has solved murders and found missing individuals. But she has never stolen a priceless artwork--or rather, made away with the secrets hidden behind a much-coveted canvas. With the help her old friend Mrs.…
When former platoon sergeant Matt Kubelsky is paroled from prison, he’s surprised to find his ex-girlfriend waiting for him out in the parking lot, wondering if her apparently criminally-hardened ex-boyfriend can help her out of some legal…
Jazz Bashara is a criminal, sort of. Life on Artemis, the first and only city on the moon, is tough if you're not a rich tourist or an eccentric billionaire. So smuggling in the occasional harmless bit of contraband barely counts, right? Not when…
Abbas is just seventeen years old when he leaves his family to serve in the court of Tipu Sultan, a volatile and unpredictable ruler. An inspired woodcarver, Abbas is apprenticed to a master toy maker in order to build a massive tiger automaton to…
Beauregard "Bug" Montage is a man with many different titles: husband, father, friend, honest car mechanic. But before he gave it up, Bug used to be known in certain circles as the best Wheel Man on the East Coast. After a series of financial…
Shigidi is a disgruntled and demotivated nightmare god in the Orisha spirit company, reluctantly answering prayers of his few remaining believers to maintain his existence long enough to find his next drink. When he meets Nneoma, a sort-of succubus…
In Westlake's classic caper novels, the bad get better, the good slide a bit, and Lord help anyone caught between a thief named John Dortmunder and the current object of his attention. Being caught red-handed is inevitable in Dortmunder's plans,…
When a casino robbery in Atlantic City goes horribly awry, the man who orchestrated it is obliged to call in a favor from someone who’s occasionally called Jack. It’s doubtful that anyone knows anything at all about his true identity, he lives…
Charlie Howard isn’t only a part-time crime writer and part-time thief; he’s also a magician. For his next trick, he’ll relieve Josh Masters, the famous illusionist vying for the affections of Charlie’s friend Victoria, of $60,000 in casino chips…
On the streets of White Roaring, Arthie Casimir is a criminal mastermind and collector of secrets. Her prestigious tearoom transforms into an illegal bloodhouse by dark, catering to the vampires feared by society. But when her establishment is…
In the slowly sinking city of Coconino, Arizona, the days are long, the money is tight, and the rain never stops. For Jin Haldar, this life is nothing new-ever since her father died in a diving accident, she’s barely made ends meet for her and her…
Millie has one goal: to make a movie in tribute to her late father. At the Manhattan Movie Academy, run by Ricky O'Naire, her favorite director, she's determined to make it happen. But before she can finish her project, the academy is shut down.…
Washington D. C., 1925: Clara Johnson can talk to spirits-a gift that saved her during her darkest moments, now a curse that’s left her indebted to the cunning spirit world. So when a powerful spirit offers her an opportunity to gain her freedom,…
Bianca St. Ives was recently put through the wringer, but she came out the same way she always does, the way her father trained her to, hungry for a fight. Still navigating the fallout from a shocking revelation that's left a network of assassins'…
