We’ve gotten a few requests for this one, but thanks to Emma for putting the bug in our ear about it:
I’ve finally gotten around to listening to the podcast and in episode 272 one of you mentioned that heist books are great. I agree, could you recommend some please?
RHG: Theresa Romain’s Lady Rogue ( A | BN | K | G | AB ) (not out yet, I’m reading it now) is a reverse heist.
Sarah: The one with the woman. In the gold dress. She’s Black and steals from people to fund her clinic.
Uptown Thief by Aya de Leon. Dafina book!!!!!
I am so proud of my brain.
I would love more heist books.
Amanda: I know you read that disappointing heist anthology, Sarah, but is the one good one available on it’s own?
Sarah: I don’t know I have not looked. The Ass Heist anthology!
Amanda: It is! Strange Tango by Michelle Dayton is the novella Sarah like the best in that anthology.
Sarah: Adam read and really enjoyed The Lies of Locke Lamora ( A | BN | K | G | AB ) series which involves some heisting.
Amanda: Lamora was great!
Sarah: And The Legend of Eli Monpress series by Rachel Aaron, beginning with The Spirit Thief ( A | BN | K | G | AB ).
I suspect there are a lot of heist plots in fantasy and science fiction than there are contemporary romance, but I would love more romance heists.
Elyse: Same.
Sarah: Like, Sneakers (the film) ( A | BN | G | AB ) only with more romance and more ridiculousness (if that is even possible)
I am so looking forward to the all-lady Oceans film. Oceans 8?
Carrie: I don’t know any heist romances. The closest I can think of is the books Jennifer Crusie writes about cons:
Faking It is the best!
Elyse: The Thomas Crown Affair! ( A | BN | G | AB ) I loooooved that movie. The Rene Russo one.
RHG: That movie is SMOKING.
Amanda: I think Shana Abe’s dragon series starts with a heist, in The Smoke Thief ( A | BN | K | G | AB ).
Sarah: I heard there is a female version of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels in the works which could be brilliant, though the original probably did not age at all well.
I’m still very curious. I think heists with ladies will be a very big thing and I hope it reaches romance too. I mean, there are some days when successfully balancing every part of my life feels like a heist!
Amanda: This comment thread also has some great suggestions.
NB: We really want recommendations from books you’re read and enjoyed. Knowing a book has that element is great, but knowing a book has that element and that you enjoyed it or know someone who did is better!
Tell us what books you’ve loved that feature heists!
A few I enjoyed:
– ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT by Connie Brockway is a classic.
“In the glittering world of Regency England, Anne Wilder played a dangerous game. A widowed lady by day, by night she became a masked thief preying on society’s elite. She roved high above London’s black rooftops, compelled by phantoms from her past to take ever greater risks. Until her restless spirit led her into Colonel Jack Seward’s trap. . . where seduction was her only way out.
She’d played him for a fool, taking advantage of his hungry response to escape from his clutches. But as Jack hunted for his thief, his heart fell captive to a self-possessed widow. Torn between illicit passion and tender love, Jack is duty-bound to capture the audacious criminal, even if it means ripping society apart to do so. Now he stalked her through the ton, never realizing the lovely widow who captured his heart was the same woman who roused his most violent passions.”
– I enjoyed NIGHTS WITH A THIEF by Marilyn Pappano a few years back. It was refreshingly different compared to most of today’s romantic suspense.
“Two thieves get their hearts stolen in this fast-paced caper by USA TODAY bestselling author Marilyn Pappano
A real-life Robin Hood, Lisette Malone recovers stolen property and returns it to the rightful owner…even if that’s herself! To get back a priceless statue that belonged to her late father, Lisette must finagle her way onto a heavily guarded private Caribbean island. The only catch? It’s owned by wealthy playboy Jack Sinclair, the one man who sets her heart on fire…
Lisette’s hopeful plan: seduction. When a vengeful client comes after them both, Jack and Lisette fall deeper into life-threatening danger, and she can’t help but fall for her handsome protector. But what if perpetrating the heist of the century means losing the love of a lifetime?”
– ENTRAPMENT by Kylie Brant was quite fun. It’s evidently on sale now for $1.99, and is also on the OpenLibrary.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003M69ROE
A couple more:
– One of the books that have come closest to capturing the same vibe as The Thomas Crown Affair is TWICE TEMPTED by Harper Allen. The back cover gives away too much, but there’s a good review on Amazon that describes it better:
https://www.amazon.com/Twice-Tempted-Harper-Allen/dp/0373225474
It’s not available as an ebook, but is on the Open Library.
– Anne Stuart’s CATSPAW and CATSPAW II are a lot of fun, even 30 years later (there’s a third story, a short novella, as well). CATSPAW and the novella (in “Night and Day” with Gayle Wilson) are on the Open Library.
It’s not really a fan favorite, but I loved Honest Illusions by Nora Roberts. It’s about a found family of jewel thieves. I haven’t read it in years, so I have mo idea how it holds up.
Janet Evanovich’s Fox and O’Hare series is really good fun – I do not remember the plot of a single one, and so they may be cons rather than strictly heists but they scratch the same itch. There are elements of romance between the two main characters.
Those who’ve read the Stephanie Plum books will know exactly what narrative tics to expect, but I’ve found this series a little less aimless.
I know it’s been mentioned here before, but I really liked Leigh Badrugo’s “Six of Crows” biology. YA fantasy with a heist plot. I did find the age of the protagonists slightly unbelievable, but I just mentally adjusted their ages:-)
Some romance (not all HEA), gorgeous worldbuilding, and characters that I fell in love one. As a bonus, no one is the one special person who can save the universe. No offense to Harry Potter, Star Wars, and Joseph Campbell but I’m ready for something different.
Against the Dark by Carolyn Crane is a heist romance and I LOVED IT.
Seconding rec for Fox and O’Hare series. Not a romance but I love their enemies-to-lovers chemistry. Many of the elaborate cons do have heist elements (there’s even one where they have to fool someone into thinking they’ve stolen a thing for him so they make a fake stage and it reminded me of that twist in that movie that I won’t spoil haha).
This thread is my catnip. Third rec for Fox and O’Hare. They are great. A similar series is by Suzanne Enoch, starting w/ Flirting With Danger. There’s a whole Heist Society YA series by Ally Carter. I’ve only read the first, but remember enjoying it. Not a romance but there’s a great Sidney Sheldon book with a lot of heist elements (and revenge!) called If Tomorrow Comes.
I *love* heist books.
I second the recommendation for SIX OF CROWS by Leigh Bardugo. HEIST SOCIETY by Ally Carter is another YA heist book/series.
I also like the Dortmunder series by Donald Westlake, which is about a group of criminals who always have the worst luck. Those are really funny. Westlake — writing as Richard Stark — also has another series about a thief named Parker. Those are much darker/grittier.
Suzanne Enoch also has a series — Samantha Jellicoe — about a female thief.
Second world fantasy with heist elements: The Emperor’s Edge by Lindsay Buroker. There’s even a train kidnapping in one of them. Lots of things blow up, lots of plans go wrong, there’s a great slow-burn romance, and it’s generally a lot of fun. It has some issues: the protagonist is the only woman around for the first few books and several of the male characters – though not the MC herself – suggest she’s not like other girls, but she’s obsessed with cleaning up after them! Haha! It wasn’t enough to put me off, but it has irritated other readers. Also content warning for some threat of sexual violence and discussion of it in passing later on.
I second Enoch’s Flirting with Danger, it’s a fun book. False Impressions by Jeffrey
Archer is about an art heist in NYC during 9/11. The heroine, an art expert is chased around the world by an interesting FBI agent and the villains are chillingly ruthless. It’s a fantastic read!
The Hostage Bargain by Annika Martin is a fluffy heist romance about a bank teller taken hostage who joins the gang of kinky bank robbers. The first book of the series is free.
I liked Someone to Steal by Cara Nelson a few years ago (I’ve read it three times because the guy, the older thief is wicked hot). Riley is a total introvert who works from home, talks to her cat, happens to be a burglar. She tries to steal from Cain who is a rich art dealer but he catches her in the act and makes her an offer she can’t refuse. They work together on a somewhat-unrealistic heist and run away together. He’s hot. It’s fun and there’s lots of banter.
The Penelope Blue series by Tamara Morgan, especially the first book, Stealing Mr. Right. I love Morgan’s voice; it’s often laugh out loud funny, but it’s also super warm and human (if that makes sense). In Stealing Mr. Right, the hero is an FBI agent and the heroine is the daughter of a thief who’s after the necklace that ended her dad’s career, except nothing is quite what it seems and the way the book played out really surprised me.. I loved it.
I loved La Nora’s Honest Illusions too as a teenager. The plot feels quite unrealistic now but the romance is still a wonderful second chance story
Another early book of Nora Roberts with a heist is Sweet Revenge where sheik’s daughter plots to steal a famous jewelry from her cruel father
Also in Hot Ice by Nora Roberts there is a larcenous hero who ends up chasing after Marie Antoinette’s jewels with a heiress
If you loved the spies Kheldar (Silk) and Liselle (Velvet) in David Edding’s fantasy series Belgarion and Malloreon, you will love love love Ilona Andrews’ Fate’s Edge (3rd book of her Edge series). The main couple are awesome conmen and they have entertaining teenagers as sidekicks. They enter a castle to steal something. The heroine has a magic power that she can open any locks and she is in trouble because of a heist she has already done. You will get it better if you have read the 2 previous books but it also stands alone.
An old one is A Calculated Risk by Katherine Neville – a woman who’s an executive in a bank and a computer expert (at that time) and a famous, but reclusive, man are working to steal money – more to show it can be done than for the actual cash. They assemble a team, it’s complicated and has layers. I loved it then and still remember it fondly.
THREE FATES by Nora Roberts. It involves 3 couples (not a trilogy), a statue based on mythology, and the Lusitania.
I second the Ally Carter recommendations. The HEIST SOCIETY books are a lot of fun!
It’s not a book, but if you get a chance to see the BBC series HUSTLE from about 10 years ago, go for it. The characters are con artists and every episode is a heist. It’s big shiny fun, and it has Adrian Lester and Robert Vaughn.
My own sci-fi action romance MAX SEVENTEEN has a series of small heists and cons throughout, and it’s not a stretch to say at least one character is pulling a heist on the other all the way through. I’ll let you figure out which one 😉 http://mybook.to/Max17
Seconding the Penelope Blue Series by Tamara Morgan.
“Blank Slate” by Tiffany Snow. I listened to the audio version of this with a slightly awful pseudo Irish accent, but still enjoyed it. There’s a forced proximity element to it. More on the thriller end than romance-y, but lots of twists and turns.
“The Animal under the fur” by EJ Mellow.
Government based heist, good guys trying to get the thing from the bad guys. Throw in some Mutant Humans and “Man resistant to love” and it’s super awesome.
The Hard Core Trilogy by Staci Hart.
Set in NYC featuring a team thieving Parkour Runners. It was a different (more grim) kind of book for Staci but I still really enjoyed it.
Elizabeth Lowell’s Donavon series is about a family involved in the jewelry market. They don’t steal, but they need to thwart the bad guys. My favorite in that series is MIDNIGHT IN RUBY BAYOU. It’s about one of the daughter’s trying to help a family friend whose family rubies are being stolen.
Actually, a lot of Elizabeth Lowell’s books involve thefts. DIE IN PLAIN SIGHT, BLUE SMOKE AND MURDER, THE COLOR OF DEATH, TELL ME NO LIES, MOVING TARGET, WHIRLPOOL, and NIGHT DIVER.
Yes, to the aforementioned Nora Roberts Books. Late 80s/early 90s Nora loved her a heist plot. Honest Illusions was arguably my first adult romance novel (I still remember my mom winging it at me to get me to shut up about being bored and having nothing to read…it worked).
You definitely have to bring up Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo. Great heist plots, but only one of the three identifiable couples comes to a happy ending, so proceed with caution if that doesn’t sit well within your brain.
One of Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files, Skin Game, is full-on heist. Harry basically gets loaned to one of his most hated enemies to help steal something from Hades’s treasure vault. Small thing, really. Some guy’s cup. Hijinks ensue. I am one of many that wishes Butcher would get a move on on Peace Talks (I know, he’s not my bitch).
I also have one on my Kindle that I’ve never read that I should really get to, but I found it on one of the sale posts here. Owl and the Japanese Circus by Kristi Charish.
Also, and I know that the writing of the main female character bugged many (me included), but Artemis by Andy Weir did have a strong heist plot. Would have been stronger without the asides about one’s own boobs.
Elizabeth Naughton’s Stolen trilogy.
@Chris: ooh I love her books and have that series’ Boxset buried in my TBR. Time to resurrect!
A Scot in the Dark by Sarah MacLean has an art heist. In Always a Scoundrel by Suzanne Enoch the hero is a thief.
Freebie alert: Carolyn Crane’s AGAINST THE DARK and Annika Martin’s THE HOSTAGE BARGAIN, both recommended above, are both free in the kindle store right now. (Also, iirc, Crane and Martin are the same person.)
Merried by Jamie Farrell is a holiday rom-com where the Mrs. Claus ring is the target of a heist. There are second chances and a jeweler in an elf suit.
The hero in Madeline Hunter’s His Wicked Reputation is investigating a large art theft and the heroine is using her wits to support her family.
I remember staying up way too late to finish All Through the Night back in the day.
Marsha Canham’s Pale Moon Rider is on my keeper shelf but it has been years since I read it so not sure how it holds up. Here’s the blurb:
He lived by night–the dark, dangerous highwayman who stole her heart….
“It was a fine night for treachery, dark with a pale moon rising….”
Like a wraith he appeared in the Coventry night, the notorious highwayman called Captain Starlight. Renée d’Anton watched, breathless, as the cloaked figure commanded, “Stand and deliver!” and her coach shuddered to a halt. Little did he know Renée had come in desperation to meet him. For the dark, seductive highwayman was her only hope in a perilous game of chance….
She was pure temptation, challenging Tyrone Hart to steal a set of heirloom rubies and name his price. He couldn’t resist her. So he agreed to risk his life for the fiery beauty–to recover the jewels that would free her from an arranged marriage and an unspeakable threat. But first Renée had to win his trust–even as she ignited passions that seduced him out of the shadows to sweep her into his arms….
Sorry for the movie recommendation but How to Steal a Million with Audrey Hepburn is the best heist movie ever! So if anyone feels like a movie with a heist please do go enjoy it ASAP 😀
I like this thread
I second the Connie Brockaway rec and will add The Devil to Pay by Liz Carlyle. The heroine is a cat burglar!
oooo – I love this topic!
My rec is The Palace Job by Patrick Weekes, it’s the first of a trilogy and all three are really fun. The mastermind is a black woman, the crew is hysterical – the interactions of the secondary characters/crew might be my favorite part of heist stories – and it’s really funny with great dialog. There are a couple of interesting romances, but the focus is on the heist(s). It’s like Leverage, a show I loved. Please keep these recs coming!
Neither is a romance but:
The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner is a heisty fantasy road trip and a natural for this Rec League. I first heard of this book & subsequent series on SBTB’s brilliant comment threads back in the day. The rest of the series just gets better and features one of my favorite couples ever. I have the most recent on my tottering TBR pile and look forward to reading it.
I also remember Laurence Block’s Bernie Rhodenbarr series with great affection, though I’ve no idea how well they stand up. They’re not really similar to the Dortmunder series but might appeal to the same audience.
The Thief!! Yes! Always recommend the Thief, lol. I hadn’t thought to recommend them as heist books, but they are indeed very heisty. Basically just a unending saga of intricate cons and ever more elaborate thefts.
@PamG – read Thick as Thieves immediately, it’s incredible!!!
Also seconding recs for Six of Crows and The Palace Job, I loved both. Patrick Weekes worked on Mass Effect, and Palace Job has the whole assembling a diverse cast of characters to exchange snark and save the world but in a fantasy setting, for anyone who likes those games.
Eli Monpress is a totally bonkers series. I loved Eli, loved the heisty bits, and loved the concept but there were a bunch of frustrating little things that kept it from being as amazing as it could have been.
I love this topic. I second the recs of “The Devil To Pay”, “All Through the Night” and “His Wicked Reputation”. I’ll also recommend “Mad About the Marquess” by Elizabeth Essex and “My Lady Thief” by Emily Larkin, both have Robin Hood heroines. “My Lord Scandal” by Emma Wildes(the hero is the thief). Also an early Elizabeth Essex book, “The Danger of Desire”, the heroine and her brother are forced by poverty to become street thieves. Smokin’ hot and HIGHLY rec’d.
Thea Harrison’s Dragon Bound starts with the theft of an item from a dragon’s hoard.
I have been waiting all week for this rec league since Amanda teased it on a comment thread earlier. My TBR pile (but not my budget) thanks you all so much.
I have to second the movie rec of How to Steal a Million, it’s so good! I think art heists are a particular catnip for me
In addition to the 2 freebies mentioned above, The Emporer’s Edge is free right now. Liz Carlyle’s the Devil to Pay is $1.99, and both Someone to Steal by Cara Nelson and Stealing Mr. Right by Tamara Morgan are $0.99. 6 heist books for $4? Hell yes.
And I added a dozen more books to my already overburdened amazon wishlist.
@PamG, I mostly still love the Bernie Rhodenbarr books, especially the earlier ones. I had issues with one of the later books (TW for a poorly handled rape scene – it’s a very light-hearted series, and I thought using the rape of a supporting character as an underpinning of the story while being rather blase about it was just wrong, particularly in 2004 when the book was published). Block’s Tanner and Lawrence Sanders’ Archie McNally have replaced Bernie in my affections.
I can recommend Alissa Johnson’s Theif-Takers series too. Historical romance series about a family of thieves whose patriarch died under mysterious circumstances and the “Theif-takers”, a group of detectives who work with them to unravel the mystery. Full of code breakers and con artists, I’ve only read the first book (A Talent for Trickery) but the second is waiting patiently on my kindle. I really loved the Victorian setting and the family dynamics of the siblings. Carrie reviewed it on the site and gave it an A too! Plus the covers are gorgeous!
Oh yay, I’m making a huuuuuge list!! Since loving Sweet Revenge by Nora Roberts recently, and researching The Thomas Crown again for the umpteenth time, I’ve been craving more heist books. And speaking of Nora Roberts, not quite heist, but treasure hunters, I highly recommend The Reef.
ooh, thanks @Emily C, I totally forgot about Alissa Johnson. And I just remembered “An Honorable Thief” by Anne Gracie. It’s been years since I read it, so it could be a bit dated.
There is a Nora Roberts book that came out around 2003-2004 (it came out in either my junior or senior year of high school), called Three Fates. It is about the descendants of the owners of three small silver statues, known as the Three Fates. In 1915, a NY thief boards the Lusitania, where he is in the middle of robbing a wealthy man’s cabin as the ship is hit by a torpedo. Just as it hits, he finds a silver statue and puts it in his pocket. He and the statue survive, but everyone believes that the statue sunk along with its owner. Less than a century later, his great grandchildren decide to get the statue appraised, so of course the appraiser is an incredibly morally bankrupt woman, who steals the statue from them. This lead the family to track down the descendants of the other statues’ owners and all 6 of the main characters plan and pull off a heist involving Cat Burglar Barbie and the most relatable makeover scene I have ever read.
As you can probably tell this is one of my favorite books and I’ve read it 10 time since I first got it. As a matter of fact, my brother even stole it from me once when he was angry with me. I don’t remember the circumstances as he was always angry with me about something, but I eventually got him to give it back to me by reminding him that it was my mom’s book and that she’d be upset that he lost her book. Upon learning this, he removed the kitchen ceiling tile and pulled the book out from the top of one of the beams holding the ceiling in place.