Uncommon Criminals by Alley Carter

Title: Uncommon Criminals (Heist Society, #2)
Author: Ally Carter
Genre: Contemporary, Crime, Young Adult
Publisher: Orchard (5th July 2012)
Blurb:

Kat’s back – and this time she’s making up her own rules . . .

Katarina Bishop has worn a lot of labels in her short 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.

Now she’s been asked to seal the infamous Cleopatra gem – and return it to its rightful owner. Most people say it’s impossible, not least because the emerald is cursed. But with the help of her best friend – the gorgeous Hale – and the rest of her crew, Kat’s not going down without a fight . . .

The sequel to the hit novel, Heist Society, Uncommon Criminals is another heart-stopping, jet-setting thriller by bestselling author, Ally Carter.

Rating: ***** (5 star)
Review:

Uncommon Criminals is the second book in Ally Carter’s brilliant series Heist Society. Kat and the gang are back. Life has moved on since the end of the first book in the series, and Kat and the gang have gone back to work.

This has got to be one of my favourite books and series. This may only be the second book, but I absolutely adore the world and the characters. Heist Society was such an enjoyable read for me, that I was a little worried that Uncommon Criminals wouldn’t live up to my expectations – because let’s be honest, after the romp of the first book, they were high. And I can honestly say that it did. In fact, it exceeded them. This book was a joy to read.

At first the plot of the book seems pretty simple: Kat gets asked to steal the Cleopatra gem. But Carter places lots of twists and turns in the journey, so the plot doesn’t quite go where you think it will. I loved all the twists and turns; they made for a very enjoyable read, and kept me turning the pages.

A lot of the characters from Heist Society return in this book, and it was brilliant to see them again. Kat was as brilliantly cool and calm in this book as she was in the first. As the main character she, of course, takes centre stage. Hale also returns in this book, as does Gabrielle: I loved their interactions with Kat.

Uncommon Criminals lives up to the brilliance of Heist Society. If you’re looking for an enjoyable read with a criminal caper, then you should definitely pick this series up: it’s not one to miss. I’m looking forward to book three, Perfect Scoundrals which will be published in 2013 – you can find out more info here.