Ally Carter writes another hit
Ally Carter; wasn’t she the one who wrote the “I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You” book?
Yes, but the “Gallagher Girls” series isn’t her only series worth reading.
In a similar series, “Heist Society” introduces you to Katarina Bishop, who has been taught how to steal since she was a young girl. Being a con artist is her family business; a business she desperately wants to get out of. At the age of 15, she scammed her way into the best boarding school in the country in an attempt to leave her family business once and for all.
But within her first little while attending, she gets blamed for a practical joke she had nothing to do with involving the headmaster’s beloved car. When she gets in her car after being kicked out of school, she found a friend and former fellow con artist, W. W. Hale the Fifth, in the car with her. Kat quickly comes to find out Hale had been the one who staged the joke that got her kicked out, but that he hadn’t done it by himself. He had enlisted the help of Kat’s gorgeous thief cousin, Gabrielle.
Hale and Gabrielle tell Kat her dad has gotten into a bit of trouble, something that – for once – he didn’t actually do. He was framed for stealing five priceless paintings. Now he’s caught between the intergovernmental police force Interpol and an even scarier enemy. It’s up to Kat, Hale and Gabrielle to help Kat’s dad.
The three quickly realize, however, that just the three of them wouldn’t be enough. They had to recruit some of Kat’s other family members to help out. They enlist the help of Kat’s troublemaking twin cousins, Hamish and Angus, as well as her techy cousin Simon.
Later on, they find another partial con artist named Nick who they end up getting to help them, who’s mom is part of Interpol.
Now Kat and her team have to track down the five paintings and return them to clear her dad’s name. Can her team of seven teenagers do it, and with a two-week deadline?
If you’re more of a romance fan as a reader, Carter doesn’t disappoint, but it’s not the main premise of the book, like some other authors write. The romance is minimal, but don’t despair. She has written two sequels to this series that are equally good and perhaps have more romance than this first one does.
The story is amazing. Ally Carter has a style and a voice that is very unique to her books that helps develop her characters, and the characters are developed really well. Each one acts the way their personality was described – when described – and is well-maintained.
Not only are they well-developed, but you also feel attached to them, whether it’s good or bad. You get frustrated, fall in love with them, or feel like they’re your new best friend. You become very close to them.
The story is well-paced and does not have any fluff. It’s a short book and an easy read for those of you who don’t have a lot of time with your busy schedules but want something light to read.
Not only is this book a series by itself, but if you enjoyed “Gallagher Girls,” Carter wrote a crossover of the heisters with the spies.
So if you enjoy books about spies and thieves with a bit of romance and a lot of action, Carter writes another big hit with “Heist Society.”
– Gillian Ponce is a sophomore majoring in journalism. She was an editor for her high school newspaper and received a scholarship for an article she wrote. Send comments to gillian.ponce95@gmail.com.