Author: Ally Carter
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Publication Date: June 21, 2011
Series: Heist Society #2
Links: Amazon | Goodreads
Source: Purchased
Katarina Bishop has worn a lot of labels in her short life life. Friend. Niece. Daughter. Thief. But for the last two months she’s simply been known as the girl who ran the crew that robbed the greatest museum in the world. That’s why Kat isn’t surprised when she’s asked to steal the infamous Cleopatra Emerald so it can be returned to its rightful owners.
There are only three problems. First, the gem hasn’t been seen in public in thirty years. Second, since the fall of the Egyptian empire and the suicide of Cleopatra, no one who holds the emerald keeps it for long, and in Kat’s world, history almost always repeats itself. But it’s the third problem that makes Kat’s crew the most nervous and that is simply… the emerald is cursed.
Kat might be in way over her head, but she’s not going down without a fight. After all she has her best friend—the gorgeous Hale—and the rest of her crew with her as they chase the Cleopatra around the globe, dodging curses, realizing that the same tricks and cons her family has used for centuries are useless this time.
Which means, this time, Katarina Bishop is making up her own rules.
I won't lie, Kat and Hale were both frustrating me in the beginning part of this one. Kat has gone into loner mode and gotten cocky and inconsiderate. Hale is feeling left out and inconsequential and bitter. But once the DUN DUN DUNNNN happens, the game is on. They both straighten up for the most part and deal with their issues and move on from them. And maybe realize a few things along the way. The crew is together again to perform an impossible heist against a formidable opponent.
Uncommon Criminals is quickly paced and is a fun, light-hearted read. The plot moves forward quickly as Kat and company plan and encounter complication after curse after complication. There's a little bit of mystery, but not as much as there is in Heist Society. If the first book is mystery+heist, then this second installment is con+heist.
Egos crash and burn, curses inflict their wraths, secrets are revealed, and hearts are broken. While I found Uncommon Criminals to be lots of fun and enjoyed it thoroughly, I do think that Heist Society is my favorite of the two. I'd recommend this series to anyone who loves adventure, thievery, cons, mystery, and adventure.
