Apparently, now is the perfect time for me to finally read Perfect Scoundrels by Ally Carter. I’ve read all of the Heist Society books (still catching up with the later Gallagher Girls books), and this has been out since February—so what took me so long? Cheapness. I waited for a library hold to come in. Then, strangely, when I was almost done with the book, I hit the top of the Lendle waiting list, too, and ended up with a loaned e-copy as well.
K, message received: next time I’ll just buy the book.
Katarina Bishop and W.W. Hale the fifth were born to lead completely different lives: Kat comes from a long, proud line of loveable criminal masterminds, while Hale is the scion of one of the most seemingly perfect dynasties in the world. If their families have one thing in common, it’s that they both know how to stay under the radar while getting—or stealing—whatever they want.
No matter the risk, the Bishops can always be counted on, but in Hale’s family, all bets are off when money is on the line. When Hale unexpectedly inherits his grandmother’s billion dollar corporation, he quickly learns that there’s no place for Kat and their old heists in his new role. But Kat won’t let him go that easily, especially after she gets tipped off that his grandmother’s will might have been altered in an elaborate con to steal the company’s fortune. So instead of being the heir—this time, Hale might be the mark.
Forced to keep a level head as she and her crew fight for one of their own, Kat comes up with an ambitious and far-reaching plan that only the Bishop family would dare attempt. To pull it off, Kat is prepared to do the impossible, but first, she has to decide if she’s willing to save her boyfriend’s company if it means losing the boy.
I really loved this book. I love Ally Carter’s storytelling. The voice in the Heist Society series is different than the Gallagher Girls series—and that’s great. Gallagher Girls books are narrated in first person by Cammie, the protagonist (with some epistolary stuff thrown in for fun). The tone is very conversational, very funny, very fun. It’s something like what I hoped to achieve in I, Spy.
Heist Society not only uses a third-person narration style, at times we even take a step back from the third-person limited style and slip into something much more omniscient. The opening scene of Perfect Scoundrels, for example, reads almost like a modern fairy tale—it’s not told from the main character’s POV.
As much as I love deep POV, this is totally the right choice for this series. There are reasons for narrative distance sometimes, and this series has several. But the analysis is for another time. Right now, I just love basking in the rich story world of the Heist Society series. I was sad to see this book end, and I hope there are more adventures for these characters in the future. (*cough*cough*Disney*Hyperion*cough*)
