Review: Perfect Scoundrels (Heist Society, #3)

Author: Ally Carter
Series: Heist Society, #3
Release date: February 7th 2013
Publisher: Orchard
Paperback, 352 pages
Source: Publisher for review
Buy: The Book Depository



Perfect Scoundrels was my Waiting on Wednesday pick just over a month ago, and no wonder; I’ve been looking forward to it for months. I loved Heist Society and I loved Uncommon Criminals (although maybe just a tiny bit less), but Perfect Scoundrels exceeded all my expectations. It was by far the best of the series, exciting and virtually unputdownable.

Finally (finally!) things moved forward between Kat and Hale, but just as Kat recovered from the panic attack their new girlfriend-boyfriend status caused her, the news came that Hale’s grandmother is dead and that he inherited his family’s billion dollar company.

In Perfect Scoundrels, Kat and her crew faced the most cunning enemy yet, and the stakes were even higher because they’re defending one of their own. W.W. Hale the Fifth may be an heir and a billionaire, but he is also the most loyal, wonderful person any of them has ever met. Kat’s entire family (and it’s a very large family) had to work together to fix the mess and steal back the boy that has become irreplaceable to them all. As difficult as that sounds, it's still easier said than done. Kat’s usual crew – Gabrielle, Nick, Simon and the Bagshaw brothers – needed help from their elders to outsmart Hale’s enemies and save his company.

It was exactly what Kat would have done – what she had done on a number of occasions – and she felt the sting that comes from knowing that turnabout is absolutely not fair play.

In this emotionally difficult situation, Kat shone brighter than ever. I’ve always admired her, but here she showed the presence of mind and astounding maturity one simply doesn’t expect from a 16-year-old, not even an accomplished thief. Hale always seemed more mature to me, but that was not the case in Perfect Scoundrels. While he was busy mourning and showing us his more vulnerable side, Kat was fighting everyone (including him at times) to steal back the boy she just wasn’t ready to let go.

Once again, Ally Carter’s trademark sense of humor was present on every page, but in this book, she showed a different side of her characters as well – a frightened, more vulnerable side that gave them more credibility. I’ve complained in my earlier reviews that this series lacks emotional depth, but that’s not the case anymore. Finally these characters are three-dimensional. I just hope this won’t be the last time we get to see them.

I think my overall enjoyment of this series is largely due to my love for W.W. Hale the Fifth. He is the perfect love interest (and possibly a hero in his own right) , good looking and genuinely nice, but mysterious enough to keep me on my toes the entire time. He still didn’t share what W.W. stands for, although he came very close in one heartbreaking scene, but we did get to learn the nickname his family uses for him, and let me tell you, it’s not one you’re likely to forget. *g*

Objectively speaking, this isn’t a 4.5-star book, but I gave it the extra half just because it made me happy – and objectivity be damned. It’s my party after all, and I fervently wish there were more books like Perfect Scoundrels out there. I’d read them all. And then I’d re-read them.