This was the first time reading this author, and something about the story caught my interest so I decided to check it out. The book is written from the viewpoint of two main characters, and we flash forward and backward in time to develop the story and reach the ultimate (satisfying) conclusion.
I thought a look into people running cons, both short and long, would be an interesting view into a world that you don’t normally see. The cons at first seem to be selfish and wrong, and later we are slowly let in on the secret that there is a reason for them. The two female main characters seem to be squaring off for battle, but as the story develops we find that there is more going on here than a game of chess between two adversaries.
There was a lot of potential here, but for me the bad points outweighed the good. The characters were pretty one-dimensional (you’d think someone running a con would have at least two, right?), and there was a big focus here on women taking power back from men that did bad things to them in the past. In fact, there aren’t really any good men in this whole book – with the exception of a gay male friend who is quickly discarded.
To me, I have no problem reading about strong female characters, overcoming sexism and/or triumphing over misogyny. But the way this is written is so simple you almost expect the men to be twirling their mustaches as they commit their dastardly deeds. A little nuance would have made the story feel more real. It seemed like the author expected the comeuppance for these men was enough to justify the story, but it just felt like a very long episode of justice fantasy.
For me it wasn’t a bad book – but not a good one either. Still, it was a quick read and a little entertaining (talk about faint praise!).
Next I am reading Intimacies by Katie Kitamura.
