Heist Society by Ally Carter

Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Publish Date: February 2010
Source: Library

When Katarina Bishop was three, her parents took her 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 a good reason: a powerful mobster's priceless art collection has been stolen and he wants it returned. Only a master thief could have pulled off 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 on 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 (very crooked) history -- and with any luck, steal her life back along the way.

I'm not sure if I'm in some kind of slump or what, but it took me a while to get into Heist Society. Don't take that the wrong way though. The story is done well and it's a pretty quick read. Every time I sat down to read I was able to knock out a good 50 pages or so before something distracted me and I had to put it down.

I loved the fact that the story was like pranking taken to a huge new level. All the heist talk was fun and exciting (even if I did get lost a few times). That brings me right into Katarina's "family." It's necessarily a family as you or I might think, but they're just as close, if not closer. In fact, they seemed almost mob-like to me with the way they all kept shunning Kat because she left the life. Though the cold-shoulder deal kind of bothered me, I ended up loving every part of her family.

Another fantastic thing about Heist Society is all the different POVs woven in. The story does follow Kat and for the most part, it's her shoulder you're standing behind, but sometimes you get to see the world through the villain's or shopkeeper's eyes. It added both a feeling of mystery and inclusion.

Final Thoughts: Heist Socieity is a fun, quick read full of action and family. There's a small bit of romance added in, but for all intents and purposes, this story is about Kat and her family. It's like a James Bond movie, but for girls.

Pages: 287
Series: Heist Society #1
Rating 4 stars