Breakaway Books

Authored by Scott Lynch; Published 2006; Fantasy

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 🏖️🏖️🏖️🏖️🏖️

Who doesn’t love watching a good (fictional) con man at work? Sure, The Lies of Locke Lamora features con boys, but they’re still a ton of fun to observe.

Locke Lamora’s life has never been simple. He’s been stealing and pulling cons since he was a small boy to survive. Well-trained in the arts of thievery by a fake priest, he is a master at convincing the unsuspecting nobles of Camorr to give him thousands upon thousands of their hard-earned money. But when a shadowy figure tries to take over control of the criminal underworld of Camorr—and use Locke as a tool to get it done—Locke’s life, and the lives of his fellow gang members, get more complicated than they may be able to handle. War is breaking out, and Locke is still determined to come out on top.

This novel drew me in from the start through its structure. The prologue introduces the reader to the extraordinarily and dangerously mischievous Locke, and we spend much of the book trying to figure out what exactly makes him so dangerous. Interspersing bits of Locke’s gang’s past with the con they’re pulling off in the present not only gives the group a rich backstory but manages to create an impressively detailed world in the process. Of course, I wouldn’t be nearly as enamored with this book if I didn’t love seeing a con pulled off from start to finish. If you love TV shows like White Collar, this novel has a similar flavor in a completely different setting. I love the way Locke’s gang forms a brotherhood of sorts, devoted to stealing from the rich—even though they don’t have a use for the money. They’re fun characters to spend a novel with.

I even found Locke’s adversaries fascinating. The Duke’s spymaster, known as the Spider, is revealed to be an elderly woman—a bold choice that piqued my interest more than a boring elderly man. The victims of Locke’s big con aren’t painted as mere fools, but characters with intelligence, depth, cunning. Even the big bad, the Grey King, is more than he appears to be, and it is immensely satisfying for Locke to face adversaries who are worthy of his skill. Locke, though, is arguably not the main target of any of his enemies. He’s not a primary player in the battle playing out in Camorr, and it gives this novel an interesting bent.

The Lies of Locke Lamora is engaging, fun, and will keep you hooked from start to finish.