Heist Society

Do you remember where you were when Marvel launched their infamous MCU? Do you remember how it started? I do. The beautiful full meal of a movie called “Iron Man” brought us a fresh take on the comic book genre films, and set up the MCU, a series of now twenty films over ten years after that first book. Why do I bring that up when talking about a novel that has nothing to do with superheroes, and nothing to do with comics in any way? “Heist Society” by Ally Carter does for novels what “Iron Man” did for movies, a jolt to the senses of YA in the same way and gives a new take to the tales of teenagers having to face odds they usually are not near.

Get your best crew together, gather your technical genius, hide your paintings and diamonds and join me for a review of “Heist Society” by Ally Carter!

Opinion
Did you like the book?
Yes, I did, and the reason I did was for the same things I enjoyed about the film “Iron Man.” This is a book entirely encapsulating its own story without going into any of the pretenses of showing off a bigger world. “Heist Society” does so much for the genre. Not only is it a well-polished story, with no grammatical errors, and no issues with spelling or plot holes or exposition potatoes or any of the other issues that one often sees in YA. This also isn’t a story about some “chosen one” super girl who does all the things because “of course she does.” This is the story of a girl who is dealing with figuring out who she is, and whom she was, without worrying about who she should be. All she cares about is her family, and what it means to be a good daughter.

Sure, YA has a lot of “daddy issues,” but this book briefly touches that star and only hints to them. Never once am I stuck with wanting to roll my eyes about things that have been crumpled upon many times in the world of plot holes. There is a touch, and brief at that, of love triangle issues that you find in YA far too often, but again brief.
Here is the other great thing this book did, and that is to make me laugh and dream. I love heist films, the tradition of the original “Oceans 11” which Sinatra did back in the 60’s was one of my first favorites. I used to love the old Nancy Drew stories, and of course Inspector Clouseau. I tell you this because these beautiful tales from my youth, and my father’s addiction to AMC on TV, granted me a life of stories that made me smile. “Heist Society” delves into, has so many things that I enjoyed from my favorite old stories, and it fueled my imagination while I read.
I will admit, I took my time with this book, and I savored it like one might an expensive bourbon. It’s delicious. It doesn’t push the YA feel, it takes merely a series of ingredients found in YA, and turned it into a book that is worth reading slowly and enjoy it.

Mostly the thing I want to say about this book is that like “Iron Man” I am excited to see another one. There wasn’t a huge push toward other books, merely a drop of something in a pool of my imagination telling me that this is worth more investment in the series. That is how you set up a series of books, get just enough of attention to the next, but don’t push it. The first book should not ever be an info dump that is designed to write later as if it were an advertisement for a book that is not there. Instead, the first book should be its own book, and Ally did that with this one. We who aspire to write and want to do more with the writing community could learn some lessons from Ally on how to tastefully write in both a small scale of one book and the overarching picture of a series of books.

Recommendations
With all of that in mind, I’m giving this book a well-deserved 94/100. The only reason this does not get a higher score, very minor things that pestered me, that really are super minor. I don’t particularly like hearing about a 16-year-old boy being dreamy, but that’s because I am not in the YA demographic. Most likely a 15-year-old version of me being the girl I was, would be all over it. Otherwise, honestly, this is a crown jewel among universe or even series starters.
I look forward to reading the rest of the series and just enjoy myself.

Heist Society is a past-paced caper about Kat Bishop having to return to a life of art theft, to pull off her greatest con yet, in order to save her father. Kat wanted a slice of normal life, and she managed to con herself into a prestigious boarding school, but barely 3 months in, her friend from her former life, Hale gets her expelled so that he can get her help to save her father from a notorious, uh, bad man (?). Anyway, she has to steal back some stolen art, but the original theft was committed by a master adopting a famous pseudonym. So, she and her squad of Hale, her cousin Gabrielle, and other family friends have to figure out how the theft was done, trace the steps and guess where the art could be hidden now - all before the deadline of 2 weeks set by the person holding a sword over her father's head.

This book is a fast read - they are jumping from city to city, tracing clues. It is a mystery wrapped with a heist - and it is exciting. There are some elements that defy belief, however, like the fact that even in disguise, they are still teenagers (Kat is only 15!) and still don't get called out, and that even under surveillance, the Interpol couldn't put a name to her face when she meets her father. There is a nice cast of secondary characters - the geek, the weapons specialist, the goofy siblings, the cool collected bad boy - which seems cliche, but hey, it was still fun. The story arc of the paintings also calls on the Nazis stealing art from families, and how they were used in shady deals. The ending, open-ended though it may be, brings out excitement for what the next adventure will be.

Kat and her friends are just kids... kids who were forced to grow up years ago because of their circumstances. Raised by parents who are master thieves, the teens have been pulling major jobs for years. But now Kat has tried walking away from the life to live a normal one. She thinks she's made the break, until she learns her father has been targeted by a dangerous criminal. Kat knows she's back in, but she doesn't know how she will pull off the biggest job of her young life. Her best friend Hale by her side, the teens begin a whirlwind journey that that spans North America and Europe in a effort to assemble a crew that can pull it off.

It's fresh and fun, the teens are immediately likeable, criminals though they may be, and the story is fast paced. I didn't want to put this book down. It may seem far-fetched because of their age, and yet all over the world there are children on their own at a young age, so I don't think it is. Great start to this series.

Heist Society by Ally Carter is a fun, adrenaline pumping read! I loved the Ocean's Eleven style of meeting all the members of the thieving crew.
Kat is done with the thief live. She has pulled her greatest con of all by getting herself into the Colgan School. Kat has left her thieving family behind until a set up of her father brings her right back in.
Arturo Taccone, a very bad guy, is after her father for stealing five of his priceless paintings. The only problem is her father could not possibly have worked this job as he was busy with a different robbery that night. To save her father Kat has only one choice: find the paintings and steal them back. She gathers a team around her to find the artwork and reclaim them for Arturo Taccone to save her dad.
I enjoyed reading Heist Society more than Ally Carter's other series, Gallagher Girls. Heist Society, while still a young adult book, is written for a more mature audience than Gallager Girls.
My only complaint was not having enough backstory for Taccone. We are told over and over he is a very bad guy but I needed a little more convincing of just how scary he was.
I rated Heist Society by Ally Carter 4 out of 5 stars and am excited to continue the series!

Katarina Bishop is not your ordinary teen-age girl. At her tender age of 3, she had been witness to her father's various heist adventures that made her family infamous in the field of theft. But Kat has a rule - "I don't take things that don't belong to me."

When she got tired of his family's affair, she enrolled herself in the highly reputable Colgan School and was enjoying being a normal student when after 3 months, she was accused of trashing the headmaster's car at 2am. She got expelled, of course, but she was surprised when Hale came to fetch her.

Now, imagine a younger Brad Pitt from his character in Ocean's 12, or a teenage Pierce Brosnan from Thomas Crown Affair - dashingly handsome and witty - and you'll get a picture of W.W. Hale the Fifth. Hale has been part of the Heist Society where Kat & her family belongs. Kat discovered that her father was accused of stealing valuable paintings from a mobster, Arture Taccone and it's up to Kat and Hale and their teenage gang (with newcomer gorgeous Nick!) to get everything right - including an operation of stealing 5 paintings from one of the greatest museums - The Henley Gallery.

I love this book! I was impressed with Carter's take on Heist. Although this is still for YA, which I am not, I really couldn't put the book down. I had to skip my 30 mins break just to read and finish the story. I really like Kat, she's strong-willed, knows what she likes and how to get it - even having to turn her father to the Interpol just to make sure that the mobster Taccone won't hurt him. That's how she values her family and friends.

Furthermore, I really like he way Carter gently nudged Kat's attention to Hale without making their potential love story the focus of the book. It's great to read something that doesn't involve in head-over-heels love affair. As mentioned above, it was like imagining the younger Ocean's 11 or 12 cast, only with Julia Roberts at the helm and not George Clooney or Brad Pitt.

I commend Ally Carter for starting a wonderful series. She manages to combine great action, humor, history and romance in this well plotted novel. I loved this story of teen thieves pulling the ultimate con/heist. Really well written and a fun plot.

I love mysteries that keep me guessing. Heist Society remains elusive to the very end.

There are a number of novels about families of thieves, in which the trade secrets of successful thievery are handed down within the family. Kat is a reluctant member of such a family. She attempts to escape into a "normal" life, but fate has other ideas in store for her.

The opening scene is hilarious, and the book just keeps getting better. Ally Carter sure can write! We need humor in our lives these days, and Carter delivers.

Heist Society by Ally Carter
?????
❄☕?⏰?
No one—and I mean no one—creates spy girls and art thieves like Ally Carter. Feisty, secretive, and…sometimes forgotten (since all thieves must be unseen), Katarina "Kat" Bishop has created her first Heist Society. She’s on a mission…but not of the usual type. This time, she’s stealing paintings back, and a villain beyond villains has set a deadline…or everyone gets it. ;] You know what I mean.
One of my favorite parts of this novel is how believable it is, even when the main paintings discussed aren’t real. The titles blend so perfectly, as do all of the settings in this novel, so much so that it’s impossible not to believe that somewhere, right now in the world, Kat and her art-stealing family are planning their next move.
The wild and crazy family is uniquely organized, and the rules and expectations bring quite the charm to every member of the group, right down to the pyro brothers and the oh-so-perfect cousin. You can’t hate a single person, not even when you learn more about them. Now if we could only learn Hale’s name…
Heist Society is ultimately about family and friendship, and, somehow, the exaggerated circumstances are still relatable and fun. I give credit to the ingenious Carter. But not before I swoon for Hale.
Recommended to: Ally Carter fans and lovers of girl-centric stories, friendship plots, spies, art thieves, and everything that makes your heart pound.
~SAT
Favorite Quote: Pretend and it will be true.

Originally reviewed at http://www.shaelit.com/2012/07/review-heist-society-by-ally-carter/

Heist Society is the ideal summer read. It’s light-hearted and fun with just enough banter and action to keep the reader entertained. Oh, and the boys are super-cute.

Anyone who’s read the Gallagher Girls series will immediately feel comfortable in Heist Society. Technically, HS was written before GG, but as I read GG first, I draw my parallels backwards.

Both series follow a smart girl (Kat in HS, Cammie in GG) who was raised in the family business (thievery or spying). Each girl has a parent who has died mysteriously, and is close in a non-dysfunctional way to the living parent. That’s such a relief, by the way, to read about non-dysfunctional families. Some of us do have them, you know! In HS, the living parent (Kat’s dad) plays a vital role when he’s accused of stealing an evil man’s paintings and Kat has to go steal them back.

Both girls have a semi-nemesis in the form of a girl who is kind of scandalous in her attire and very much a guy-magnet. In HS, Kat’s nemesis happens to be her cousin, the long-legged Gabrielle. I say semi-nemesis, because Gabby isn’t trying to kill her cousin or anything like that. They just don’t particularly get along, especially when Gabby is flirting with Kat’s best friend, Hale.

Oh yeah, that thing where I mentioned the boys are super-cute? SUUUUUUPER-CUTE. As in GG, Heist Society has a bit of a love triangle situation going on. See, Hale is clearly smitten for Kat. Kat is attracted to Hale but isn’t so forward about it. But then Kat meets a pickpocket named Nick who is also clearly smitten with her. I mean, she’s a talented thief from a legendary family. What’s not to like?

The rest of Kat’s crew are all charming in their own rights. There’s the Bagshaw brothers, two rollicking Scottish boys who remind me of Merry and Pippin, and Simon, the tech nerd. They’re all typical boys – a bit rowdy, a bit awkward, and a bit obsessed with girls. The last part gets a little awkward, since they notice Kat and Gabby (especially Gabby) as girls… even though they’re all related, albeit distantly.

I think, in the end, Heist Society beats out GG for me. While the supporting characters in GG are stronger (Liz and Bex are such fun), Kat steals the show. While the heroine in GG sometimes comes across as a girl who happens to be a spy-in-training, Kat is a freaking awesome thief (NOT in training) who just happens to be a girl.

I plan to go out and buy this book immediately (it’s on sale at my store), because it was such fun. Nothing in the plot is terribly deep or twisty, but that’s okay. It was FUN, and sometimes fun is enough. Especially when that fun involves W.W. Hale.

[Update: I ended up buying THREE copies of this book – one for me, one for my sister, and one as a gift. I also read the second Heist book, and it was just as awesome.]

Points Added For: Hale, being fun, thievery, a creepy bad guy.

Points Subtracted For: Some glossed-over issues (still not completely sure I understand why Kat’s dad stuck around).

Good For Fans Of: The Gallagher Girls series by Ally Carter, Stephanie Perkins’ quirky books.

Notes For Parents: Boys talk about boobs (nothing graphic, just that girls have them), thievery (theft is wrong, but this IS a book about thieves).

This is a series about teenage thieves, which would be awesome by anyone else but with Ally Carter it surpasses awesome and heads right toward epic, as any Ally Carter book should.

Katherina Bishop just wants to have a normal life. She wants to go to boarding school and not have to plan heists or wiggle through air ducts or jump off buildings. But naturally her plan is put to a halt by none other than her best friend, W.W. Hale the 5th, who somehow managed to get her headmaster's car wedged upside down in a fountain.

It turns out that a dangerous, wealthy man's paintings have been stolen, and the man has zeroed in on none other than Kat's dad. So of course, Kat has to help.

The world building in this is absolutely fantastic. Ally Carter adds enough detail to make you curious (Why does the Rumpelstiltskin Heist need a hypnotist?), but she doesn't make Kat explain every little heist a character mentions.

The characters are all fantastic, too. The quite, smart Kat, the secretive, sarcastic Hale, the (seemingly) shallow, flirty Gabrielle...the list goes on, and each character is more interesting and unique than the last.

And, for a book with a lot of scenes of people sitting around planning, it somehow manages to not be boring. I think it's because of the air of realness that in the book, you can easily imagine all the teenagers going in and doing the heist in the real world.

This book is quite worth the read.

Have you ever watched the movie Agent Cody Banks? You know how it is super cheesy and you probably shouldn’t enjoy it as much as you do? (Let alone own it and its sequel?) Heist Society is kind of like that. I know it’s cheesy and I know real life is nothing like this book but I can’t help but love it.

The Bishop family doesn’t operate your normal family business. Unless, of course, normal families are in the business of thievery and my family is the odd man out. Katarina is ready to leave that life behind and craves a life where she can just be a somewhat normal teen, attending a private, boarding school spending her days worrying about homework. Her father has gotten into a bit of a sticky situation so she is removed from her early retirement and thrust back into a life of crime. This time she has to pull of her biggest heist yet.

What I loved most about Heist Society was the writing. I could very clearly picture what was happening and each of the characters throughout the novel and because of that I found myself thoroughly entertained. This was really a light, fluffy read and the feeling I had upon completion of the novel was similar to the feeling I have when I finish watching a Julia Roberts rom-com from the nineties. I’m satisfied overall. While I will watch that movie over and over again it is by no means labeled as my favorite movie of all time. Heist Society is the type of book I would have read over and over again as a child because I would have believed that by sixteen I could probably do something similar to the teens in this story. I guess what I am trying to say is that if you have a twelve-year-old in your life then you should really recommend that they pick up Heist Society at some point soon because I think that would have been around the age that I could have loved this book something fierce.

I haven’t quite decided if I liked Heist Society to read the rest of the books in this series. Maybe I’ll just wait until my little one is twelve.

Total thumbs up for HEIST SOCIETY! I think the best way to put it is a teenage Ocean’s 11 (which is still one of my favorite movies). I love a little bit of espionage and for some reason any story with thieves always has a lot of snark and some cocky sarcasm, which I happen to adore. All thieves need to be a little bit cocky or else they wouldn’t have the confidence to do their jobs!

I guess all heist teams have the same general players in one way or another… Let’s say Kat’s the Danny Ocean, Hale is Rusty, Simon’s our Livingston, and the Bagshaw brothers are the Malloy twins. Gabrielle I guess is more of the Tess in the story except she’s actually involved in the heist as the beauty and some brains.

I loved the character interaction and the semi-unsure relationship between Kat and Hale. They’ve known each other a very long time and now that they’re teenagers it’s like the romantic inklings are just starting to bubble to the surface. It seems like a great best friend turned boyfriend story (or the potential for it) and I can’t wait to see how that develops! I definitely look forward to more heists and more shenanigans as the series continues.

Ally Carter is a genius!! She creates a world full of so much excitement and adventure. Every book that she creates has so much intricacy put into the world she lays out foor you. Each character is so beautifully described and incredable in there own way. Ally Carter really made each and every person in her books come to life.

I really enjoy going on all these adventures Ally creates for me! They are so much fun to read! Ally really makes you think through the whole story because you will find there's always some mystery that needs to be solved!

I really hope you all enjoy these amazing adventures Ally has created for us!!

Thank you Ally Carter for such incredable stories!!

Kat is a crafty, inventive, understated, gorgeous, witty, sarcastic powerhouse of a character. She is very Sherlock Holmes in with her sleuthing skills, and ingenious with her catchy names for robbing methods. The smallest details were fun, and just unbelievably quirky. Kat is so likable and easy to identify and sympathize with. Her confusion over boys, and internal struggle between who she is, and who she wants to be feels so genuine.

The writing style is simple, to the point, and flows smoothly.

Playful banter, cheeky comments, hilarious lines, and flirty dialogue flowed throughout.

The whole story was lighthearted and just a feel good book despite the threat of her father's death, Kat was so passionately determined that there was little doubt that whatever Kat set her mind to she would succeed.

Hale and Nick. Both love interests have their own positive qualities and easily swoon worthy.
If you know nothing about spy technology don't worry! You'll learn and be amazed by the sheer information and how it is applied to make the story feel authentic.

The depictions of various countries and the use of Russian heritage was very interesting.

CONS:

There weren't really any cons it just didn't have the special something that takes a book to 5 star level.

Katarina (Kat) Bishop is retired as a thief at least she’s trying to be she’s attending a boarding school. However being normal isn’t easy but it’s consistent unlike being a thief. When a guy from her past shows up at school he plans to bring her back to the life she’s tried to move past. Her father is in trouble being blamed for robbing five painting from a mobster and unless Kat can get them back they will all be in for a world of hurt.

With the help of her cousins and Hale the young billionaire Kat has to hunt down the missing paintings. When the trail leads them to the Henley one of the highest security museums it’s up to Kat to figure out a plan. Both her uncle and father agree she should pass but she has to save her friends and father from the mobster. Besides the painting don’t really belong to him in the first place and Kat wants to do what’s right. Will she be able to break into the Henley? Who is this mysterious robber who stole the paintings and hid them behind the other paintings at the Henley?

I didn’t connect with Kat at first she just frustrated me but as the book progress I was able to make a connection. She’s a good person at heart she just happened to grow up in a family of thieves. I liked Hale right from the start he’s the only one who didn’t grow up in a family of thieves but he’s a perfect addition to the team. Plus I like the idea of the handsome billionaire with Kat. We will have to see how the series progresses I have high hopes.

I’ve been hearing great things about Ally Carters books so when the chance came up to read Heist Society for not one but two challenges I jumped at the chance. While I didn’t connect right away with the main characters I grow to enjoy all the characters and Kat got better as the book progressed. I found the concept new and exciting this is my first book with thieves and the fact that it was about art was fascinating. I enjoyed the writers style it flows along from start to finish it's a books teens as well as adults will enjoy. The book started a little slow for my tastes but was worth it in the end. It’s a quick fast paced action packed read once the story picks up a little. I enjoyed the book and plan to read the rest of the series as well as check out her other books.

5 out of 5 stars.

“Heist Society” begins with Katarina Bishop getting kick out of Colgan School for something she did not do; she’s done a lot of things but putting the Headmaster’s Porsche on top of a fountain… really? First of all she wouldn’t have been caught on camera committing vandalism, and on top of that the whole job was just too cliché for her, much too obvious for her style.

Kat would have been just fine with taking the fall for something she had done, but to be framed… so not cool! Katarina would have liked to have told Colgan School the truth but that would have implicated her in a completely different way; forging your way into the most prestigious school in the United States might be slightly incriminating. All Kat had wanted was a fresh start, away from the family business. But for poor Katarina, it seems she will never be able to get out of the net her family has so intricately wound around themselves and her.

Back on the road with her friend and billionaire, Hale, Kat finds herself in the middle of something for more dangerous and mysterious than your average pick pocket job. With her family’s and friends’ lives hanging in the balance, Katarina must pull off the biggest heist in her family’s history: rob the Henley museum in England, and return the stolen paintings to their own who just so happens to be a mobster… No big deal right? But there is more than meets the eye to this heist, and can Kat finish this job and move on with her life, or is she forever doomed to steal instead of own her own destiny? And how can she leave her family if she decides to quit the business? And what about Hale, her best friend who seems to have become much more to Kat than she ever thought possible?

Wonderful. Fabulous. Amazing. These are three words I would use when describing “Heist Society” by Ally Carter. I have waited forever for a new, fabulous and amazing book like this; I was getting a little scared that I wouldn’t have another book for quite a while to write a review on. But alas, there finally came along a book that absolutely surpassed all my expectations; they may have been significantly lowered from waiting for so long, but that is completely beside the point. The “Heist Society” is well written, entertaining from beginning to end, and was the perfect kind of fluff. Just what the doctor prescribed. I enjoyed every minute of this endearing and fun story, and look forward to future installments in this series.

“Heist Society” was so wonderful. I just sat down and read the whole thing in one sitting. It was interesting, fun, and I thought the travels as well as the bits of history woven throughout the story were fantastic. I found the whole history of the Nazi’s stealing different peoples’ art pieces fascinating and it really opened up my eyes to just how horrible they were to anyone who disagreed with their philosophies. It is a very interesting history lesson that they don’t go into too much depth on when you’re in school.

I also really enjoyed Kat as a character. I haven’t found a nice, funny, intelligent heroine in ages, if ever, and that was absolutely refreshing! Kat was awesome, and her and Hale together were just great; the whole gang in general was so much fun, and they all were thoroughly entertaining. “Heist Society” might not be for everyone but I know that I LOVED it. This book was just pure, clean, enjoyable fun. I think that if you like a little mystery, a sprinkle of romance, a bit history, and a lot of fun and well written fluff, than I think you would really enjoy this YA book very much. Check-out my blog at booksandwonderfulthings.wordpress.com

My first thoughts: It’s like all the stealing movies!
My second thought: Oh, wait, it IS the stealing movies.

Can anyone say Ocean’s Eleven (Twelve and Thirteen, too)? What about The Italian Job? Or even Fast and Furious 5!?! The whole we-need-to-put-together-a-group-of-remarkable-people-so-they-can-steal-stuff is a very overdone principle and hard to make fresh. It is, though, totally awesome to read/watch. I NEVER get tired of the awesomeness behind a well-planned heist.

I was really torn what rate this book, though. For the above reasons. I’ve WATCHED this book before (several times), so while I laughed and had a good time, everything felt so done before. I know, I know, I’m being callous! But still. It’s actually my first time reading a heist like this (though I watch them a lot), so I ended up rating it the 4 because I loved that kids could be so awesome and get away with it.

Plot? Cool. Awesome. I looved how they did the heist on The Henley art gallery (I want to know if The Henley is a real place now!). I loved the details, the execution, the betrayal, the wittle loooove battle there. (so *coughadorablecough*) I love the creepiness behind the villain and the family-criminal-thing-happening-there. I have loads of unanswered questions, which is why I want to read the next one! (I also DO like the Gallagher Girl series, though I confess I’m waaay behind on the times and haven’t read them all. Yup. Throw tomatoes. I can take it.)

Characters? I have to verge on the snarky-bookworm-here and say Kat (the narrator) didn’t have the strongest personality. She was “nice”, yeah, but niceness only carries so far. She needed a bit of oomph into her muchness (to quote the Hatter, here). She was really outshone by the secondary cast, I thought. The other members of her crew blew her out of the water, particularly her “hot and attractive” cousin: Gabrille. Gabrielle obviously had “it going” in all directions of attractiveness (so we’re told), but yet, the guys kept falling for Kat? What are we, the readers, not being told?

The rest of the characters were awesome, if not a tiny bit cliché. I mean, come on! The tech-geek (Simon) was stutter-y and shy and a total dork. Hale (the totally “awesome” dude, and love-interest) was all cool-calm-and-collected 99% of the time. (He totally reminded me of Rusty from Ocean’s Eleven. Minus the continual eating.) Angus and Hamish were the typical foot-in-mouth brothers (like the brothers in Ocean’s…seeing a pattern here?). Gabrielle was the hot gal who the boys drooled over, but actually was useful for things other then her…um, legs. See? Awesome, but cliché.

But I’m being way too tough! I DID love this book. I had a good time reading it (one afternoon snack, peoples!) and it played out like a movie in my head. A really cool movie. Minus the theme music. Anyone got popcorn? I could do with popcorn…

An adventurous mission with a lot of twists and surprises and a complicated romance? With a bunch of teens? The reasons why Ally Carter is one of my favourite authors is beautifully shone in this novel. I felt for Kat and her crew throughout. The writing is smooth, enjoyable, and kind of perfect. Heist Society is like a teen version of Ocean’s eleven or Catch That Kid. Only more badass with characters that stick with you long after the book is done. They all feel real, like I was watching this in a movie theatre or quietly watching from a distance while its being told. The ending was not what I was expecting either.

The only thing that I probably didn’t like about this book is how little the relationship between Kat and Nick is. I wish the relationship between them formed a little bit more.

There is a mysterious grace that Kat Bishop has and it makes everyone around feel intimidated. She’s strong, determined, and is as quiet as a cat. I flew through this book because it’s fast paced with so much happening that I couldn’t put it down. Heist Society made me laugh more than once and also pulled on my heart-strings. I love the mystery that surrounds Hale and his family because it kept me guessing throughout the book about how his life was before he met Kat. The many twists and turns was easy for me to follow the ride along with her. I love that Ally Carter decided to write the book in third person too because I get to know the story from some of the other characters’ perspectives.

Even though I only shed a few tears for this book, it is still an amazing read, one that I will never forget. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a good heist book that will defiantly keep you entertained and surprise you. I am anxiously awaiting the third book in this series, Perfect Scoundrels which will be out next year February.

Katarina Bishop belongs to a close-knit extended family whose members have been international art thieves for generations. Her mother brought her father into the business when she married him, and Kat's dad developed a brilliant flare for art theft. Kat, too, has the family gift in spades--she has been trained by her parents since she was three years old to participate in heists, doing them with both her parents until her mother's death a few years ago, and after that in conjunction with her father and other family members.

When Kat was 13 years old, she met 14-year-old W.W. Hale the fifth when he interrupted her while she was attempting to steal his grandmother's Monet in his family's enormous mansion. Much like's Kat's father's romance with her mother, Hale's instant attraction to Kat, and his willingness to, quite literally, follow her to the ends of the earth, pulled Hale into Kat's family business. Over the previous two years, Hale has become nearly as adept at art theft as Kat, but during the past few months, though Hale has remained an art thief, Kat has attempted to retire for her own survival.

She has decided that if she does not imprison herself willingly in a boarding school, sooner or later she will inevitably become an unwillingly inhabitant of an actual prison. Fabricating the records required to get herself accepted into the school was to have been her final con. Unfortunately, Hale's means of informing her that her father is in big trouble, which only Kat can rescue him from, is to pull off an outrageous prank that gets her expelled, leaving her no recourse but to abandon her boarding-school plan.

I am not normally a fan of stories about thieves, no matter how charming, unless they are trying to go straight (To Catch A Thief and The Town), stealing back something that is theirs (How To Steal A Million), trying to right a wrong by stopping a heist (Die Hard), or stealing back something that has been stolen by others and returning it to the rightful owners (the upcoming 2013-release movie, The Monuments Men, written, directed and starred in by George Clooney).

This book falls into one of those categories, but it would be a spoiler to say which one, because we don't know that information until the very end of the book.

It is a tribute to the amazing writing of Ally Carter that she pulled me into this story without my knowing for sure that it portrays a laudable type of heist. I did, however, suspect that might be the case because, as a rule, YA novels tend to avoid protagonists who are unrepentant criminals.

Kat Bishop is an ideal heroine. She is smart, talented, loyal to those she loves--and unwilling, no matter how much the odds are stacked against her, to give up when the going gets rough.

The subcharacters in this book are outstanding, too, especially Hale. He is a terrific romantic interest, though the romance is, sadly for those of us who enjoy romance as the A-Plot of a teen novel, only a relatively minor focus of the plot. The main emphasis is on a presumably impossible heist that Kat has to pull off within a very tight time limit in order to save her father's life.

Parental guidance: Other than the dubious morality of Kat's relations as thieves, there is no sex, no drinking or drugs, no swearing, and no overt violence.

I rate this book as follows:

Heroine: 5 stars
Subcharacters: 5 stars
Heist plot: 5 stars
Romantic subplot: 4 stars
Writing: 5 stars
Overall: 5 stars

Heist Society was one of those books that had been on my TBR for basically as long as I've had a TBR. I decided to pick it up, finally, from the library as I thought it would be a great summer read.

The main character, Katarina, comes from a family of thieves. Her Dad is a thief, her mother was a thief, her uncle, and all of her close friends. She tried to escape from that life, and conned her way into a prestigious boarding school but.. that didn't go over. When she leaves the school she learns that an unknown thief has stolen valuable paintings from an extremely dangerous man... and that man thinks it's Katarina's father. Katarina (and company) takes off on a round the world chase to try to and find out who stole those paintings so she can save her father.

I liked Katarina quite a bit. She was snarky, sarcastic and super smart. I enjoyed the back and forth banter she would have with her peers, especially Hale. I liked Hale as well. Honestly, I didn't dislike any of the characters but I did not form a strong attachment with them either. Heist Society is much more plot driven, than character driven in my opinion so while there is a ton of characters being introduced the small amount of information you are given on them is more than enough to carry you through the story.

The plot was great. I love the idea of a family of thieves and con artists. I thought the travelling back and forth across the globe was exciting and kept the novel interesting. One thing I had a hard time getting used to though was Ally Carter's writing style. It was really jumpy, and sometimes I had to re read pages just to see if I missed something. Once I got used to the writing style however it was really enjoyable and the pacing is very fast paced.

All in all, Heist Society, is exactly what I wanted it to be: a light, fun, summer read. The "surprises" were very predictable but that doesnt ruin the story. It's fun and entertaining and I will definitely be continuing on with the series. I recommend picking up Heist Society before the summer ends, it's a great beach read!

Rating: 4

The Low Down: Katarina "Kat" Bishop has decided to leave the family business for high school. She wants to feel like the opposite of a thief, like a normal teen. Even though she has to create a backstory and scholastic history to get in, she is determined that will be the end of the dishonesty. However, only three months into her first term, she finds herself hauled in front of The Colgan School Honor Board for putting the headmaster's Porsche on top of the school fountain. Which she absolutely didn't do.

Now Kat is at the closest thing she can call home, hearing that her father is in danger because of some paintings he stole. But when Kat finds out that there was no way he could have done it, she is determined to locate the paintings herself to prove it. The only thing that stands in her way is the thief they were stolen from and Visily Romani, the most notorious thief who doesn't exactly exist.

Best Thang `Bout It: This was kind of like Oceans 11 for the Young Adult set. Kat has a crew that she pulls together and they plan the most elaborate scheme to steal back some paintings. And these paintings, by famous artists, have been stolen themselves at least a couple of times prior to that.

Kat's conflict between wanting to experience a "normal" life and leading the life she has always led makes the story more than just your typical "caper" story. It adds depth to it.

Ally Carter is one of those authors that I love to read because I know what I am going to get with her: lots of humor, a subject that's interesting (thievery/art/organized crime this time), great characters, locales, twists and turns, and a bit of romance. They are by no means cookie-cutter stories like a Nancy Drew tale, but solid, exciting and inventive.

I'm Cranky Because: I know this is a series, but the potential romance between Kat and Hale was VERY slow building. Maybe I am just being impatient. Harrumph.

To Read or Not To Read: Absolutely.

Heist Society by Ally Carter was published February 9, 2010 by Hyperion Book CH.

Genre: Young Adult Fiction Thriller Romance Series
Ages: 11 and up
You Might Want to Know: Nothing of note

Katarina Bishop has been in the family business for 15 years when she decides to embark on the biggest con she’s ever done — leaving a life of crime behind for a perfectly normal one at the best boarding school in the country. It doesn’t take long though until a friend drops by to give her an important message: Her dad’s suspected of stealing from a powerful mobster and he doesn’t care if Kat’s dad did it or not; he just wants his paintings back. Now it is up to Kat to prove her dad’s, well, innocence and find the stolen artworks before anyone gets hurt.

Ahhh, Ally Carter, stop making me stay up well into the middle of the night on a work day! Heist Society was another fab read and I just adore Ally Carter’s writing. I didn’t love it as much as the books in her Gallagher Girls series (which are set in a boarding school for girls becoming spies), but that only means there’s room for my affection to grow!

Kat was a very fascinating character to read about — she’s strong-willed and intelligent and an excellent con artist, but she’s also persona non grata with her family at the moment and that definitely affects her. Luckily there are still people who’ve got her back and I love every one of them, especially Angus and Hamish (who remind me a lot of the Weasley twins).

The plot was definitely interesting too and I hope we get to find out more about the mysterious master thief that surfaced in this book. I’ll be thoroughly disappointed if we don’t, actually. I’ll survive, but I want to know more! The only thing that bothered me was that the book moved too fast. Not the plot, but I found that the chapters were sometimes a bit too quick and I would’ve liked more reading time with the characters and places.

The thing I really really love and at the same time hate the most about Ally Carter’s books is that they’re really quick reads, though. The writing is very captivating and easy to slip into, it only took a page or two before I was completely lost in the universe and pretty much gobbled it all down. It’s great because yay three hours and I’m done and happy and full of new amazing information and worlds. But it’s also frustrating because I wish I could have more time with it. Oh well, I shan’t complain, because I love it more than I hate it. ;)

I’m giving four teacups for a really enjoyable read! I think the series has a lot of potential and can be better than this and I dearly hope it will in fact get even better! I’d definitely recommend this book. :D

I found the premise of this book very intriguing and the execution adequate. The idea of a teen who finally escaped the "family con business" only to be pulled back in against her will to match wits against enemies that her elders wouldn't even take on was very exciting. (Okay I will admit here for all to see that I was predisposed to like this book. I love me some cons and capers- The Thomas Crown Affair with the beautiful Pierce Brosnan, Oceans 11, The Italian Job, Leverage and the like. Sure all of my examples are movies and TV shows but I think the genre can transfer nicely to either book or film form.) Carter starts right in from the beginning with a very great intro for Kat and Hale, providing background and Kat's motivation for going to Colgan School. She then continues on by creating a fascinating world in which Kat's friends and family are always looking for the next job. Carter managed to keep me eager to find out what was happening next through the whole book (which is not always easy considering she is competing with two kids, a husband and all the things I need to get done on a daily basis to keep our household running smoothly as possible).

The writing, while not elegant, was readable and very easy to get through. Carter cleverly uses the two week deadline to pace her chapters and add drama and suspense to the writing. Carter was very good at getting the mood and feel of a place, but not quite as good at painting a word picture of the different locations. I found her description a little too generic for my taste

This story starts out as Kat Bishop's quest to find out who she is beyond her family, but this is only part of the whole story. Kat's quest brings her right back to where she started, and in doing so Kat finds a bigger purpose in helping right a decades old wrong. I like how Carter used Gabrielle in comparison to Kat to show how different people can use very different approaches to achieve the same goal. Sadly, the blossoming romance between Kat and Hale, while certainly a focal point in their relationship dynamic, felt very artificial. I hope in the next book it will be a bit more seamless and flow better in the plot line.

For the full review and others visit whymsylikesbooks dot blogspot dot com

HEIST SOCIETY is another tale of teen thievery by Ally Carter. While it is a fun and entertaining read, much like her Gallagher Girls series, I could not help but think that something was missing. Something that put it over the top, made it memorable.

Katarina Bishop comes from a family of master thieves. Tiring of that life, she steps away and pursues a normal life at a prestigious boarding school. Soon after, she is framed for a crime and kicked out. Her family needs her again, and going back to her life as a thief is the only way she can save her father.

HEIST SOCIETY is never boring. The plot keeps you engaged and there is a great balance between the action and other elements. On the other hand, so much going on made it a little difficult to keep up at times. At other times, readers were obviously supposed to be able to put two and two together but sometimes there were not enough clues to do so and that was frustrating.

As for the romance, I am not much of a fan when the main character and the boy best friend obviously like each other but it takes three novels for a real confession to take place. It's cliche and I just want to shove them together already!

Overall, the novel was a pretty quick read but one that leaves you wishing there was just a little something else to make it truly great. I will be reading the sequel.

(this review has also been posted on readerswonderland.com)

Also reviewed on my blog, The Vintage Bookworm. [...]
I first started this book back towards the end of 2010, but I never got to finish it before I had to give it back to the library. I'm so glad I snagged this from the eBook catalog from my library. It was an enjoyable read!

This is a very unique contemporary book! The main protagonist, Kat, is born into a family of thieves basically! They pull heists and steal from museums, art galleries, rich people, and other things! Some even pickpocket! It's crazy! But so interesting!

Kat was an interesting character. She's fifteen, but she acts a lot older. She's really mature, but there are times you can tell she is really just a teenage girl. She is so smart, too. She learns her father is in trouble with a rich bad guy, someone stole a collection of his paintings and the guy thinks its her dad! She hasn't seen her dad in a while after pulling a good heist herself and getting into boarding school, but she runs to his aide whenever she knows he's in trouble and gets a group together herself to pull a tricky heist!

All the other characters were really interesting as well, and really funny. One of my top favorite characters, besides Kat, was Hale. I loved them two together, they were always bickering and he's just so calm and collected and such a smart ass! LOVED it. I can't really tell you a character I didn't like, even the rich bad guy was interesting.

You're all over the place in this book as well! Paris and London and other places that I can't think of right now. Ha!

Overall, this was a very enjoyable read. I can't wait to read the sequel. The writing in this book flowed well and had be flying through the pages. Yes, it may not be believable really for a bunch of teenagers to rob a museum, but that's the good thing about FICTION sometimes, right? Sometimes you've got to kick back and just enjoy the ride. And that's exactly what I did. I recommend this book to anyone who loves a good enjoyable adventurous read. =) This is my first Ally Carter book, I think I will definitely have to try out her Gallagher Girls books now. I wasn't sure before, but I have to see what they are about after reading this!

Take one part The Thomas Crown Affair, one part Oceans Eleven, a smidge of The Usual Suspects, shake (not stir) them all together and you have Ally Carter's Heist Society. I picked this up at my local library and burned through it in the course of one evening. Heist Society is fast paced with loads of twists and turns to keep the reader on the edge of her seat, and features a cast of unforgettable characters. I have not read Carter's Gallagher Girls Series but may just have to pick it up now that I have been introduced to Heist Society. Ok so let's get to it.

First off: Characters. Talk about a great female protagonist! Katarina Bishop is smart, funny, feisty, gutsy, loyal and remarkably moral for a girl who has been pulling cons with her family since she was old enough to walk. I love that she is one of the best con artist's around yet she still decides to toss it all aside for a chance at a normal life. And I love that when she discovers her father is in trouble, she has no qualms about turning her back on that very decision to stand beside her family when they need her.

Next up: Hale. Hello, Mr. Perfect. I mean what's not to like about him? He's clever, handsome, funny, and completely loyal to Kat. In short: best "boy" friend/ potential "boyfriend" EVER. Oh, and he's loaded. Hale has homes across the globe, complete with personal jet, hot car, and awesome manservant, Marcus (who is the perfect Alfred to Hale's Bruce Wayne.) The flirty scenes between Hale and Kat are some of my favorite in the book.

I love the cast of co-conspirators as well: brothers Angus and Hamish who provide comic relief, the brilliant but perpetually geeky computer genius Simon, the cunning siren Gabrielle, the mysterious Nick, and my favorite member of the family, patriarch Uncle Eddy, who is just the right combination of endearing and intimidating. Lastly we have Uber villain and Godfather-ish Arturo Taccone to round out the cast of characters.
But, wait! It would be so wrong to leave out our mystery/enigma character that is Visily Romini. Aptly described by Uncle Eddy:

"He is no one, he is everyone."'

I love the inclusion of this shadowy figure. He reminds me of the mystery figure of Keyser Soze in one of my all time favorite film's, The Usual Suspects.

So while this book is a classic heist/crime caper, and has some great romantic undertones, it is above all else a book about family. Kat walks away from her family for the promise of a better life, but in the end realizes that family, the good, the bad and the ugly of it, is all that really matters.

Ok, so here's a little tidbit about me: I have a degree in Art History, and I worked as an associate curator at an art museum. So let's just say that any book that features a story line about art, or better yet art theft, is going to be something that appeals to me. Add to that the back story of Old Master's artwork looted by the Nazi's during WWII, all the cool in's and out's of museum security systems, and brazen art theft and you have a winning combination in my opinion! But honestly, even if I wasn't an art historian, I think I would have enjoyed Heist Society. Cat burgler's in crepe soled shoes slinking around in rooftop shadows. Jet-setting con artists and art thieves schmoozing in casinos. Yes, please! It's just all so Cary Grant and James Bond and I love it.

Some of my favorite parts: the little names for all the various cons the crew discuss: The Benjamin Franklin, the Fallen Angel, the Five o'Clock Shadow, the Smokey the Bear... that's just plain awesome. I liked trying to guess what these particular cons are. I also liked the countdown aspect in the chapter titles to help build the suspense.

All that being said, there were a couple of minor things with which I had issues. I had a bit of a struggle suspending my reality that these were actual teenagers traipsing all over the world, planning outrageous heists and living such a big adventure. They just didn't seem like teenagers in their actions and reactions. No way does Kat seem like a fifteen year old girl. I know she grew up in an unconventional family who makes their living through lies and deceit, but still. And Hale. Come on. I was a teenager once (a long time ago, ahem) and I never, ever, no matter how hard I may have wished and hoped for it, came across a sixteen year old boy that is as smooth and suave as Hale. Now, is this a deal breaker for me? Nope. Does this detract in any way from how great I think the book is? Not at all. Does it work as a young adult book? Yes. Would it have worked as an adult or "New Adult" book if you had raised Kat and the rest of the character's ages say five or ten years? Absolutely.

Which brings me to my second minor gripe. Well, it's actually more of a whine or whimper. Lack of physicality. I am all about the slow burn, and I know this is written for a teen audience, but I cannot tell you how many times I just wanted to shout " Kat. Just shut up already and kiss him!!" I feel pretty sure I am not alone in this feeling of frustration. So, I am hoping for, at the very least, some heavy petting in the sequel, Uncommon Criminals.

The good thing about not catching on to a book when it's first released is that, more times than not, the sequel has already been published, so yay for that! I have heard that this book has been optioned for a movie, and I can easily understand why. A few pages in, I thought to myself how very easily this could transfer to the big screen.

Take one part The Thomas Crown Affair, one part Oceans Eleven, a smidge of The Usual Suspects, shake (not stir) them all together and you have Ally Carter's Heist Society. I picked this up at my local library and burned through it in the course of one evening. Heist Society is fast paced with loads of twists and turns to keep the reader on the edge of her seat, and features a cast of unforgettable characters. I have not read Carter's Gallagher Girls Series but may just have to pick it up now that I have been introduced to Heist Society. Ok so let's get to it.

First off: Characters. Talk about a great female protagonist! Katarina Bishop is smart, funny, feisty, gutsy, loyal and remarkably moral for a girl who has been pulling cons with her family since she was old enough to walk. I love that she is one of the best con artist's around yet she still decides to toss it all aside for a chance at a normal life. And I love that when she discovers her father is in trouble, she has no qualms about turning her back on that very decision to stand beside her family when they need her.

Next up: Hale. Hello, Mr. Perfect. I mean what's not to like about him? He's clever, handsome, funny, and completely loyal to Kat. In short: best "boy" friend/ potential "boyfriend" EVER. Oh, and he's loaded. Hale has homes across the globe, complete with personal jet, hot car, and awesome manservant, Marcus (who is the perfect Alfred to Hale's Bruce Wayne.) The flirty scenes between Hale and Kat are some of my favorite in the book.

I love the cast of co-conspirators as well: brothers Angus and Hamish who provide comic relief, the brilliant but perpetually geeky computer genius Simon, the cunning siren Gabrielle, the mysterious Nick, and my favorite member of the family, patriarch Uncle Eddy, who is just the right combination of endearing and intimidating. Lastly we have Uber villain and Godfather-ish Arturo Taccone to round out the cast of characters.
But, wait! It would be so wrong to leave out our mystery/enigma character that is Visily Romini. Aptly described by Uncle Eddy:

"He is no one, he is everyone."'

I love the inclusion of this shadowy figure. He reminds me of the mystery figure of Keyser Soze in one of my all time favorite film's, The Usual Suspects.

So while this book is a classic heist/crime caper, and has some great romantic undertones, it is above all else a book about family. Kat walks away from her family for the promise of a better life, but in the end realizes that family, the good, the bad and the ugly of it, is all that really matters.

Ok, so here's a little tidbit about me: I have a degree in Art History, and I worked as an associate curator at an art museum. So let's just say that any book that features a story line about art, or better yet art theft, is going to be something that appeals to me. Add to that the back story of Old Master's artwork looted by the Nazi's during WWII, all the cool in's and out's of museum security systems, and brazen art theft and you have a winning combination in my opinion! But honestly, even if I wasn't an art historian, I think I would have enjoyed Heist Society. Cat burgler's in crepe soled shoes slinking around in rooftop shadows. Jet-setting con artists and art thieves schmoozing in casinos. Yes, please! It's just all so Cary Grant and James Bond and I love it.

Some of my favorite parts: the little names for all the various cons the crew discuss: The Benjamin Franklin, the Fallen Angel, the Five o'Clock Shadow, the Smokey the Bear... that's just plain awesome. I liked trying to guess what these particular cons are. I also liked the countdown aspect in the chapter titles to help build the suspense.

All that being said, there were a couple of minor things with which I had issues. I had a bit of a struggle suspending my reality that these were actual teenagers traipsing all over the world, planning outrageous heists and living such a big adventure. They just didn't seem like teenagers in their actions and reactions. No way does Kat seem like a fifteen year old girl. I know she grew up in an unconventional family who makes their living through lies and deceit, but still. And Hale. Come on. I was a teenager once (a long time ago, ahem) and I never, ever, no matter how hard I may have wished and hoped for it, came across a sixteen year old boy that is as smooth and suave as Hale. Now, is this a deal breaker for me? Nope. Does this detract in any way from how great I think the book is? Not at all. Does it work as a young adult book? Yes. Would it have worked as an adult or "New Adult" book if you had raised Kat and the rest of the character's ages say five or ten years? Absolutely.

Which brings me to my second minor gripe. Well, it's actually more of a whine or whimper. Lack of physicality. I am all about the slow burn, and I know this is written for a teen audience, but I cannot tell you how many times I just wanted to shout " Kat. Just shut up already and kiss him!!" I feel pretty sure I am not alone in this feeling of frustration. So, I am hoping for, at the very least, some heavy petting in the sequel, Uncommon Criminals.

The good thing about not catching on to a book when it's first released is that, more times than not, the sequel has already been published, so yay for that! I have heard that this book has been optioned for a movie, and I can easily understand why. A few pages in, I thought to myself how very easily this could transfer to the big screen.

Title: Heist Society

Author: Ally Carter

Publisher: Disney Hyperion Books

Number of Pages: 287

Date Released: February 9, 2010

Synopsis From Back of Book:

"EITHER WE'RE A TEAM OR WE AREN'T. EITHERYOU TRUST ME OR YOU DON'T." HALE TOOK A STEP TOWARD HER. "WHAT'T IT GOING TO BE. KAT?"

It is an occupational hazard that anyone who has spent her life learning how to lie eventually becomes bad at telling the truth; in that moment. Kat didn't have a clue how to say. I can't do this without you sounded trite. What they were doing was too big for a simple Please.

"Hale, I-"

"You know what? Never mind. Either way, I'm in, Kat." He seemed utterly resolved as he slipped on his sunglasses. "I'm all in."

Review: Ok I have never read a book quite like this before, but I utterly adored it. I loved the way the chapters were divided into days. It made the whole book seem more real. I could totally relate with every single character. Carter is a mastermind at creating a beautiful landscape with equally beautiful characters. The whole plot of thief's stealing for the good is a wonderful classic. I also enjoyed that parts of the plot were true like how the paintings really were stolen by Nazis in WWII. I couldn't believe Carter managed to tell a story around it without getting too hooked on it.

Kat had only been at Colgan School for a few months when someone pulled a prank and she was framed for doing it and kicked out. Her friend Hale is there when she leaves and takes her to one of his many mansions. Kat's father is in trouble for he is being blamed for a theft of an EVIL mans paintings. Kat knows this isn't possible though for he was busy on another job that night. So Kat decides to take it upon herself to prove him innocent and keep everyone she loves out of danger. The only problem is she has to break into the Henley a super fancy art museum and Kat's favorite. She won't be stealing anything that belongs to the museum. What will Kat do when no one has done what she is trying to do? What is going on between her and Hale?

I was pleasantly surprised with this book! I highly recommend it. It is witty and smart and doesn't stop delivering surprises with every flip of a page. Sometimes you feel like scolding a character or hugging them. I got really attached to this book I guess. Ally Carter is a brilliant writer and I look forward to future books from her. So go run as fast as you can to your local library or bookstore and start reading Heist Society!

This book was exciting, thrilling, and a little bit emotional for me. I have to admit I am a softy and found myself really touched in some parts.

The book is about a teenage girl, Kat, who wants nothing more than to escape the life of crime her family has always been involved in. Seems simple enough and she was doing a great job until her father is suspected of robbing a mob boss. Now Kat has to involve herself once again in the family business and pull off the biggest job of her life. With the help of her family and friends, she puts the plan together and into action.

I found myself really engaged in this story. It was fun to see how all the young con artists minds work and how all the puzzle pieces fit together. It was thrilling to be on this side of the crime. Most of the books I read are from the good guys point of view not the bad guys. Even though Kat is attempting a huge robbery, I couldn't help but root for her.

Kat is a good girl, she really doesn't want to live the life of crime, but one the one thing that means more than a crime-free life to her is family. She may have not grown up with the best father, but she loves him. She will do what is needed to save him. She is smart, lovable, and witty. I pictured her as a girl next door with a tendency to be devious. She learns more that what she has bargained for in this story, and soon finds her abnormal gifts to pull off cons may have a purpose after all.

This book had me laughing out loud one moment and tearing up in the next all while on the edge of my seat. I am really looking forward to reading the next installment.

When I went to the library last week, Heist Society was facing out on a bookshelf, screaming my name. So what does every good book nerd do? I checked it out.
First of all, let's talk about the cover. The cover has a girl who looks very Audrey Hepburn a la Breakfast at Tiffany's. With knowing the synopsis of the book, well I was definitely intrigued.

Carter tells the story of Katarina, Kat, Bishop. Kat is young at fifteen, trying to find herself in this large world, attempting to step away from the family business. Did I mention that her family business is thievery? She has enrolled herself into Colgan School, an all boy's elite private school that has opened their doors to females. Kat is the first, and with being accused of stealing the dean's car and expulsion, she may also be the last. Kat may be a thief, but she's not a petty thief.

Enter Hale. Excuse me, I meant W. W. Hale the fifth. Hale has framed Kat, resulting in expulsion, to bring her back to the business that she was trying to get away from. Hale explains the nature and urgency of going back to the thief life - to save her father from one of the most dangerous men out there, Arturo Taccone. Taccone is accusing Kat's father of stealing priceless paintings from his own collection. This misunderstanding, added to a few complications, leaves the job to Kat.

Did I say a few complications? Because I really meant many, multiple, tons, A LOT. With the help of Hale, Kat has built an unconventional society. Kat is a strong character and an interesting female lead. Kat is complex, brilliant, and also your average fifteen year old. She is like a puzzle that I want to figure out. She's a thief, but she has these morals. One thing is for sure, she is very loyal. It's mind-boggling to try to imagine how Carter came up with this character.

Let's talk about Hale for a minute. He was also born into a not so normal family. Where Kat is used to a cunning life of stealing and stealth, Hale was born into a life of riches and luxury. Hale is a good balance to Kat's character. He may have been introduced into the life of thieving through Kat, but there is a great moral compass on him. Besides, he is Kat's knight in shining armor, which always adds an extra point to the dreamy male lead factor.

Carter does a fantastic job pacing the story progression as well as the character development. Carter takes you through different parts of the world, following Kat on this world adventure. I felt the thrill of the chase of the clues, fearing for Kat's life when something would go amiss. I thought it was similar to the excitement that I got when I was watching Ocean's Eleven, except a young adult version.

I loved this story so much that I went out and bought the sequel, Uncommon Criminals, the next day. My review on that will be posted soon.
I definitely suggest this book. If you love adventure, world travel, and a touching young romance, this is the book for you.

Katarina Bishop comes from a family of world class thieves. Her parents and her Uncle Eddie are some of the most cunning criminals out there, but Kat is determined to leave behind the family business. At fifteen, as her last con, she scams her way into an elite boarding school, sure that she'll no longer have to deal with the complications and politics of coming from a crime family. But turning her back for good on her past is much easier said than done, especially when she finds out that her father may now be on a dangerous mobster's hit list for stealing his priceless art collection. It makes no difference that Kat's father did not do that job; the mobster will go after him anyway--unless his art is returned. This leaves Kat with only one choice to save her father: track down the paintings and steal them back. With a ragtag teen crew and a rapidly approaching deadline, it'll be a miracle if Kat can pull off her biggest heist yet unscathed.

I am a huge fan of Carter's Gallagher Girls series and stories involving activities on the other side of the law, so I knew that I had to read Heist Society. As I expected, this novel is just full of espionage, carefully laid plans, and lots of sneaking around. This makes for a plot that is undoubtedly exciting and action packed, yet also well balanced with the politics and family life of elite crime. Carter also presents readers with a rather varied cast of characters whose little personality quirks liven up the story. I actually found Kat's character an unusual protagonist for this story as she doesn't initially seem like a girl who can lead a team in one of the trickiest heists ever attempted. When the story opens, Kat seems more like a girl who would do anything to be just normal, but gradually her sense of loyalty to her family force her to use her wits. Heist Society is a truly fun and enjoyable read, but if I had to pick between Carter's series, I would honestly say that I still prefer the Gallagher Girls series, even if the Heist Society series is shaping up to be really good.

Heist Society will be enjoyed by fans of the Gallagher Girls series, also by Ally Carter, Model Spy by Shannon Greenland, and the Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz.

Looking for something adventurous? Look no further! Haven't we all dreamed of being able to travel the world, being rich, talented and able to go on sneaky missions? Kat Bishop has grown up in this life, her family of con artists and thieves dating back for generations. After making the decision to be normal, Kat attends a posh academy filled with the rich and privileged, but when someone vandalises the headmaster's car and frames her for it, she's expelled and forced to attend to important matters at hand...

W. W. Hale the Fifth was Kat's partner in crime. He's good looking, filthy rich and has a great personality - what's not to like? Throughout the novel these two characters feel an attraction and strong friendship for each other. The romance is very subtle, which will make you cherish every single moment! While I would have liked to see more romance, I enjoyed the fact that Heist Society is very focused on the plot. This isn't a mystery that gets solved in one hour episodes with impossible coincidences. Kat faces many complications and has much to achieve over the span of a few weeks.

This novel has strong characterisation and I loved meeting every single character that was introduced. From Gabrielle (the gorgeous cousin of Kat) to Hamish (one half of the Bagshaw brothers) to Nick (random-stranger-off-the-street-turned-ally)...Carter does a fantastic job of developing their personalities and making us like them. When they all worked together as a strong unit, they accomplished a lot of amazing things and this was a joy to experience!

Heist Society should be on your to-read list if you enjoy a good mystery, adventure and humour. It's a fast-paced and interesting read, which will also educate you in art and history along the way!

Katarina Bishop grew up all over Europe, but she isn't an heiress. She has a Faberge egg, but she isn't a Romanov. Kat is used to looking at a room and seeing all the angles, but that was before she stole a whole other life at the Colgan School only to walk away from it months later without a trace.

That was before everything went sideways.

While Kat was busy trying to steal a new, legit, life the family business prospered. When a powerful mobster's priceless art collection goes missing it isn't all that surprising that Kat's father is on the list of suspects. It isn't even surprising that he is the entire list of suspects.

The only problem is the mobster wants his paintings back. And he isn't taking no for an answer.

Kat has two weeks to find the paintings and steal them back with her own heist society and the help of her friend and long-time co-conspirator W. W. Hale (the fifth). Her pursuit will criss-cross Europe and reunite Kat with some of the most talented teenagers in the world--if, that is, by talent you mean skills like picking pockets, hacking computers, and running a con.

Time is short and the job is monumental but Kat has a crack crew and, hopefully, enough talent to pull off an impossible heist (and maybe right a few wrongs along the way) in Heist Society (2010) by Ally Carter.

Carter's writing is poised to dazzle and enthrall right from the first page. Filled with twists, turns, criminals and even some restitution Heist Society is a sleek, clever, and subtle book that somehow exceeded even my (high) expectations.

Stories about criminals and their crimes have been around for years, but never has life on the other side of the law looked this exciting and dangerous all while being glamorous. A must-read for anyone with a little larceny in their soul (or a little love for an old-fashioned heist).

One of the best books I've read so far this year (with one of the best covers).

Possible Pairings: White Cat by Holly Black, What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell, Museum: Behind the Scenes at the Metropolitan Museum of Art by Danny Danziger, The Rescue Artist: A True Story of Art, Thieves, and the Hunt for a Missing Masterpiece by Edward Dolnick, The Disreputable History of Frankie-Landau by E. Lockhart, Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough, Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta, Confessions of a Master Jewel Thief by Bill Mason and Lee Gruenfeld, The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner, Leverage (television series), White Collar (television series), The Italian Job (movie)

Some of Katarina Bishop's earliest memories are of globetrotting with her parents to exotic locales, such as Paris, London and Vienna --- where her family of master thieves pulled off audacious heists. At age 15, with her mother gone and her father circling the globe in search of the next big job, Kat wants to leave behind the family business and lead the normal life of an ordinary teenager.

In a brazen con of her own, Kat forges her way into Colgan School, where she hopes to steal an expensive education from one of the most exclusive boarding schools in the world. Her clever ruse lasts a few months, but when she gets blamed for planting the headmaster's mind-condition 1958 Porsche Speedster in the quad on top of a fountain, it's goodbye Colgan.

After being found guilty of pulling off "Porsche-gate," Kat wonders who framed her. As she exits the school gate, a stretch limo pulls up to the curb. In the backseat sits her friend and former cohort, 16-year-old W.W. Hale the Fifth. Hale has arrived just in time to whisk Kat away from Colgan, a place where she never really fit in, to return her to her family, where a life-or-death situation awaits. During the ride, Hale, a neglected teenage billionaire who could "buy a Monet yet couldn't resist stealing a Vermeer," tells Kat about her father's precarious situation in Europe.

Master thief Bobby Bishop has gotten himself into a bit of a jam. While being followed by Interpol as a suspect in the theft at a gallery in Paris, Bobby is also being tracked by Arturo Taccone, a cunning and cruel mobster who believes Bobby has stolen priceless works of art from his highly-fortified Italian villa. Kat flies to Paris to see her father, who proclaims his innocence of the Italian job and warns Kat to steer clear of Taccone.

Before she can leave Paris, Taccone snatches Kat and tells her she has two weeks to convince Bobby to return the stolen paintings or suffer the consequences. With the clock ticking, Kat and Hale join forces and recruit a talented crew of unique and clever teenagers to recover the stolen paintings and save her father's life. Using cunning, skill and her ability to speak many languages, they crisscross the globe to plan the heist of a lifetime.

HEIST SOCIETY is a high-energy novel that transports readers on an exciting adventure while gently weaving in historic facts about Nazi thefts before and during World War II. New York Times bestselling author Ally Carter does an amazing job creating likable characters to root for, despite their flaws and moral shortcomings. Kat is clever and wise beyond her years, yet vulnerable and unsure of the ways of love. Hale is handsome and witty, yet desperately in need of love and belonging. Together they make a charming pair. I hope to read more about them in future novels, as well as have answers to unresolved questions such as what happened to Kat's mother and the identity of Visily Romani.

Crime is in Katarina Bishop's blood. Her parents, her uncle, and everyone she knows are successful con artists, always looking forward to the next heist. Sick of that life, Kat scams her way into a prestigious boarding school, hoping to leave it all behind. But she's forced back into that world when several invaluable paintings are stolen from Arturo Taccone, a dangerous man bent on vengeance, who accuses Kat's father of being behind the theft. Kat knows her father is innocent, but Taccone wants only one thing: his stolen property returned. And with her father being constantly tailed by Interpol, that leaves Kat and her group of friends to pull off the impossible.

Heist Society is much like an Ocean's Eleven for teens, and it has many of the same excellent elements--intelligence, friendship, quick thinking, and familial drama--that made Carter's Gallagher Girls series so popular. Though at first Heist Society seems to lack the charm and charisma of Carter's sharp teen spies, the quirky, humorous characters, their easy camaraderie and the dilemma Kat faces will quickly win readers over. Carter packs in a lot of tension and suspense when Taccone gives Kat a deadline to return the paintings, and she must figure out how to give him what he wants while staying a step ahead of him and come out on top. Carter also addresses morals in the book, adding the enigma of a Romani Visily and playing the idea of returning stolen art and artifacts to their rightful owners.

Kat's team is full of clever tricks and will keep readers laughing, as well as intrigued as Kat has a different relationship with each one. Kat's feelings for newcomer Nick are a little confusing at first, but everything becomes clearer in the end with a most impressive heist and the requisite unexpected twists. Carter leaves Heist Society with an open ending, hinting at more books to come. Overall, though it is perhaps a little more serious than her other books, Carter has pulled off an exceptionally clever read.

I dub Ally Carter "The Queen of Pacing". Never have I read such a rapid-paced, unputdownable YA book.

Her story is an international thrill ride whose short chapters will take you jet-setting across the world.

I wanted to hang out with every character in the book from the patriarchal Uncle Eddie to the nerd-suave Simon.

Kat is truly a riveting character, a 15-year-old girl who walked away from the family business (thieves) to con her way into a boarding school and have a normal life. Who wouldn't want to know more about a girl like that?

Carter gives you just enough backstory to keep you yearning for more and turning those pages.

The book flap hooked me with its first line "When Katarina Bishop was three, her parents took her to the Louvre...to case it."

Mind-decimatingly high concept.

I picked the book up and devoured it in 24 hours.

Better than a bag of Sour Patch Kids. I kept saying just one more and then finished the book.

This is my kind of YA, where the romance is a minor element of the story. Maybe I'm not girly enough, but first love gets me gagging after the dozenth version of it.

The book has already been optioned for a movie. I can see why. I fell in love with it at first read.

Heist Society by Ally Carter
Disney-Hyperion Books, 2010
287 pages
YA; Contemporary; Suspense
4/5 stars

Summary: Kat thought she was out. But now she's back in and has to pull off the biggest con of her life in order to protect the people she loves.

Thoughts: I had read a couple of books by Ally Carter (The Gallagher Girls series) but they came out so far apart that I kept forgetting what had happened in the meantime (okay it was only like a year but I did enjoy them and didn't want to wait). Then I read some reviews of this describing it as more young YA so I thought I wouldn't like it. I was surprised though because I loved this!

It was such a cute book-Kat was a great heroine (once you move past the moral implications of a her being raised to be a thief). She's loyal to her family and is anxious about being a thief. She returns to crime partly because her family is threatened and she will do what she can in order to protect them, including breaking in to one of the most secure art museums of all.

Great secondary characters-Hale, Gabrielle, Angus, Hamish, Simon, Uncle Eddie, her father, Nick, and the terrifying Arturo. It's always important to me to see fun characters around the main one. These didn't have much depth but they were distinguishable and they had their own motivations. Hale is a particular standout as a potential love interest for Kat. I would have liked more love story but that's not always necessary for a book so I'll let it go.

Overall: Thrilling caper with a bit of history mixed in.

Cover: Great cover-I love the font on "Heist," and the picture reflected in her glasses; the model also seems age-appropriate.

I love the Gallagher Girls series by Ally Carter, so Heist Society was on my wishlist since it was published.

Kat and her family are thieves. Although she has helped her father to steal, now she wants to have a new life where she can go to school and just be a regular girl. But it's difficult to run from your life while your father is being accused of stealing to a dangerous Italian millionaire. It's in her hands to find the paintings stolen and give them back, to save her father's life.

I liked the idea of thieves, but I loved that Kat felt guilty about it. All members of her family are thieves, even her best friend Hale. It's not easy to come back to the family business while everybody is judging you.

What I love about this author is that her books aren't just another love story. Obviously there is a possible romance between Kat and Hale, but the book doesn't focus only on that.

Although is was interesting the theme about thieves and plans to steal, I think the characters needed to be more developed. Kat is a girl everyone will like and probably any girl can relate to her. Hale has more personality, as her cousin Gabrielle.

Heist Society is an interesting book, original and easy to read. I definitely recommend it if you want to read something different. It's the first book of the Heist Society series, but the next one, Uncommon Criminals, is already available.

When I picked up Heist Society, I was pre-disposed to appreciate it, and I've got to say it's a fun read. Katarina Bishop has high-class thieving in her blood. Her great uncle Eddie is a living legend in the We-Steal-Stuff community, and her dad isn't too far behind. Kat's tired of "the life" and has tried to go clean, but now her dad is in the biggest trouble of his life, and she gets roped right back into the illegal action. Her best friend and frequent partner in crime, the posh, enigmatic Hale, joins her in planning the most impressive multiple art theft (is that even the correct phrase?) ever, which will also clear her dad's name. Yeah. It's complicated.

Ups: Kat's quite an enjoyable heroine, and her theivish thought process is very Holmesian. In chapter one she's wrongly accused of vandalizing her headmaster's vehicle, and she does a detailed mental rundown of how she would have done the crime, if she'd been so inclined. Her budding romance with Hale is cute; his side of the attraction is especially convincing, and it becomes evident that he'd give up his Monet collection for her. Or maybe just steal her something really, really nice. With a two-week deadline to do the thefts, they assemble a teen heist team and jet from country to country gathering info, and the multiple settings are refreshing and keep the novel moving at a brisk pace.

Downs: 1. The zooming in and out of the narrative voice. It'll stick close to Kat, then offer commentary on something Hale does after she falls asleep. Then it will zoom out further and say something akin to, "If anyone were watching, they might notice such and such, but they weren't watching, and so they didn't." Eek. I'd prefer if the narrative stayed with Kat, because her thoughts and attitudes are definitely solid enough to sustain a continuous narrative. I don't mind omniscient POV in literary fiction, but sporadically omniscient POV never really floats my yacht. 2. The constant hints toward the future: "If Kat had known___she never would've___" or "In the future, Kat would regard this decision as a good/bad/diffident/lugubrious move". I'd rather just see the action and the consequences.

I have to admit I typically get pulled more towards fantasy/paranormal but once I started reading Heist Society I couldn't put it down.

Katarina Bishop is a strong, smart main character that readers will gravitate to. Katarina's family is anything but normal in fact they are really more like the best thieves in the world. Katarina doesn't want to be a thief and manages to con her way into a prestigious private school in order to build a life for herself. Unfortunately walking away from the game doesn't mean the game walks away from you.to

Katarina is pulled back in by Hale, the son of a millionaire, who wants nothing more than to belong in Katarina's world. Hale and Katarina are on a mission to prove her father didn't steal paintings from a very dangerous man. The only problem is in order to prove he didn't do it they have to get the paintings back. The story takes you through Europe to some of the most amazing museums in the world seen through the eyes of the ultimate con artist.

I truly loved this book. The cast of characters are fun and relatable. I loved getting lost in the plot and mystery surrounding this family of thieves.

Audiobook Review: Sixteen as in the age of the protagonist. I normally hate teen romance/trash novels as they are predictable, boring and filled with cliches or glowing vampires. Books that cater to the lowest denominator. However, this novel is a pleasant and surprising change. There are a few of the cliches like the teen boy that others swoon over and the girl who pretends not to notice. But where this is different is that it's well written and entertaining. The cliche's are mentioned then dropped, not dwelt upon and milked to death. The plot though not new is well done and has a feeling of other stories like "The Italian Job".
The reader has a wide range of character voices and each has a unique voice easily recognizable. Her pacing and delivery are on spot.
I look forward to the next installment from this author.

Heist Society was indeed a short, funny read, but I expected more from it. I thought it was going to be something like the Spy Kids or Ocean's 11 movies with a lot of action, the main character stealing paintings, running from the 'bad' guys and much more. Instead, there was a lot of talking - around 70% of this book - and just little action, towards the end.

I liked the characters, they were funny, but at the same time I didn't care that much about them. I didn't really get to know them and I think there should have been a little more backstory.

I liked the author's writing style and the parts like "The guards might have seen the boy throw his arm around the girl's neck and hold a camera out in front of them, snapping pictures. They didn't, of course, see that the pictures were really of the positions of the cameras; that their paced steps were mapping out the dimensions of the perimeter wall." were my favorites.

This book is certanly for younger readers, but I think it can be enjoyed by everyone.

Ally Carter has created another fine storyline for what I hope will be another series. Katarina Bishop just wants to have a normal teenage life at the Colgan School. She's trying to keep up with her studying when it becomes apparent she has been framed for a prank involving the headmaster, a porsche and a fountain. Turns out some of Kat's family thinks she needs to return to the family fold, as her father is in a spot of trouble. The family business is one of thievery and cons, and her father has made a very bad man very angry.
With family friend Hale and her real cousin Gabrielle, the teens travel Europe to discover what may have happened to Arturo Tuccone's five priceless masters, hidden for years in a secret gallery under the moat of his estate. Tuccone gives Kat two weeks to find and return the paintings, or her father will be found by his men.
A la Ocean's Eleven or the Sting, Kat manages to assemble a motely crew of teens to work together to find and then procure these five priceless works of art.
I enjoyed Carter's characters in The Heist Society. I also thought it was a nice twist to touch on Nazi plundering during and after World War II, as a way to teach the reader about a sad bit of history. Although Carter's Gallagher girls were always very entertaining, Kat's crew, and their slight bent to the wrong side of the tracks were fun to read about.

This should be three stars, but I had fun reading it. Hence the four stars.

Can I just point out the writing style? It's so dang BEAUTIFUL. While that may have made it difficult to connect to Kat, it kept me glued to the story. Ally Carter's got talent, y'all. And is she a former FBI agent? Because the details in the Henley's protection system were amazing.

Kat has the potential to be relatable (except for, you know, being the thief. I can't relate to that, I swear), but she was lacking. I understand she isn't a normal teenager, but doesn't she have normal teenage feelings? Is she, or is she not, falling for Hale?

Would I read other books by Ally Carter? I just pulled a copy of Uncommon Criminals from the library shelf, so...yes.

I haven't read many books with strong ensemble characters, but this book slipped into that shoe quite nicely. In short, this novel is about a "family" of thieves. From the beginning, you're shoved into Katarina Bishop's world of the professional art thief. At first, I felt a little unbalanced, slow to wrap my head around a character that seems way too mature for the situations that unravel before her, and I was uneasy about the fact that she's always a step ahead with an even and cool demeanor.

And then I sat back and realized that if you've been doing it since you started playing with Barbies, those opinions needed to be thrown out the window.

I love, love, love a strong-willed, intelligent protagonist. Similar to Katniss in The Hunger Games, this particular Kat is always second guessing, always thinking, her brain is always on fire. I love characters that think, problem-solve, and plan. Throw them all into a group to plot a heist, and it's like winning the lottery. While always thinking in an even, steadfast tone, Kat still has her nervous, scared, and unsure moments that still make her a human, and very much a teenage girl.

The pacing is even, and at the point where you feel it starts to slow down and take on a hint of repetition, it quickens, and doesn't overwhelm or exaggerate. Carter's writing style makes you feel as though you're peering into a snow globe, but then takes you through the glass and on the edge of Kat's thoughts as she methodically tries to maneuver in a game she's playing against very high stakes.

I loved the backdrop of this world, as this novel takes you from Paris to Vienna to New York and back, in tinted-window limousines and private jets. I enjoyed her characters, (Hale, Gabrielle, and Marcus were my favorites), and those mysterious characters that kept you guessing throughout the book. An easy read about family, trust, and art, a good book to burn through when you're in the mood for some time to steal.

Taken from [...]

Refers to hardcover edition

My Thoughts: I'm a big fan of the Gallagher Girl series so wanted to give this one a try. I really liked it a lot. It has all the action I like and of course the characters! We meet Kat whose dad gets pegged for a art heist that she believe he is innocent of so she decides she will prove he's innocent by stealing the paintings back herself. I liked the characters. We meet her friend, Hale who is just hilarious. I loved his sense of humor, I loved him! The whole book I wanted him and Kat to get together! We also meet her family members. They all play a part in this book and work together! Honestly, I can't say much about this book without giving away EVERYTHING, and I hate to ruin plots so just go and read the book! If your a fan of GG you will enjoy this one! Kat and Hale make a good team, but does Kat have her eye on someone else? Is there a mysterious guy I'm not telling you about? Go read the book to find out!!!!

Overall: Really liked it a lot!!! Is there going to be a sequel?? I hope so!

Cover: Love it! Its gorgeous and totally fits! I can see Kat looking like that girl and her glasses are to die for!!!