Book Review - Perfect Scoundrels

Perfect Scoundrels
Author: Ally Carter
Series: Heist Society #3
Genres: Mystery, Contemporary | Young Adult
Release Date: 5th Febuary 2013
Publishers: Disney Hyperion
No. Pages: 328
Source: Borrowed
Rating: 
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Katarina Bishop and W.W. Hale the fifth were born to lead completely different lives: Kat comes from a long, proud line of loveable criminal masterminds, while Hale is the son of one of the most seemingly perfect dynasties in the world. If their families have one thing in common, it's that they both know how to stay under the radar while getting-or stealing-whatever they want. No matter the risk, the Bishops can always be counted on, but in Hale's family, all bets are off when money is on the line.

When Hale unexpectedly inherits his grandmother's billion dollar corporation, he quickly learns that there's no place for Kat and their old heists in his new role. But Kat won't let him go that easily, especially after she gets tipped off that his grandmother's will might have been altered in an elaborate con to steal the company's fortune.

Forced to keep a level head as she and her crew fight for one of their own, Kat comes up with an ambitious and far-reaching plan that only the Bishop family would dare attempt. To pull it off, Kat is prepared to do the impossible, but first, she has to decide if she's willing to save her boyfriend's company if it means losing the boy.

The following review may contain spoilers concerning earlier books in the series.
If you have not read the previous installments, please proceed with caution.

After an enjoyable first installment and slightly disappointing second, Perfect Scoundrels needed to do an awful lot to get itself on a par with The Gallagher Girls or anywhere close, it needed to solidify my attachment to Kat and Hale, it needed to develop those characters and the secondary character's extremely well, but not only that, it needed to delve deeper into the world of stealing and thieving and screwing people over and let me tell you, Perfect Scoundrels did just that, blowing both previous installments out of the window.

It wasn't all sweetness and roses though - the repercussions in Uncommon Criminals not only shook Kat's character a little, but also put her relationship with Hale of slightly cracked ice and it was clear to see that while they were clearly developing their feelings for one another in this installment, there was still some issues they had to iron out, for example, their completely different walks of life. But what was interesting was to see just how much Carter developed Hale's character in this novel, even when it wasn't with Kat as much as I, and Kat, would have liked. Seeing a different side to him, a genuine business side with much more at stake was a stark contrast to the laugh-about, easy going, daring Hale we meat in Heist Society, he's not only become much more than a love interest and secondary character, but he's developed into a fully fledged main character, and I loved this, but I could, after all, be biased.. Seeing the romance between Kat and Hale blossom too was an absolute highlight in this novel - how through it all, everything they've been and go through in this installment, there's a realistic romance between it all, with tension and passion, with real emotions and fears and it's definitely one of my favourite romances of the year, without a doubt. Kat's character also went through a large amount of development, but instead of focusing on the thieving side of things, Perfect Scoundrels dealt with a much more character and agenda written features, and this was something I really found myself surprisingly enjoying. If character development in all the characters, even Uncle Eddie and Kat's father, whom I both now adore, wasn't enough, the actual plot in Perfect Scoundrels also hit the ground running.

After Uncommon Criminals slightly disappointing and slow plot, I had much lower expectations with Perfect Scoundrels, and that could be where everything, or near enough everything, went right. I admit, there were some dry and slower moments, but when the plot moved, it moved. There were twists, there was back-stabbing and faith and loyalty were tested the the maximum. My emotions went through a rollercoaster, my feelings were all over the place, and I was sucked into the darker, deeper and more enthralling plot more than I had been in Heist Society and Uncommon Criminals. The pace was close to constant, the mystery element was brilliant and the actual reveals in the crime and the scenes was almost, on occasion, too much for my little heart. Yet I was also impressed with the extra touch of the legal and law in this novel, there's a lot more at stake, and so there's a lot more serious issues to consider, there's a whole business surrounding this novel, there's relationships and commitments at stake, there's people's live's at risk and there's so much more to loss and I think Carter really highlighted and covered this aspect so well, even touching on the stress and emotional changes people will go through when dealing with these issues. Was I sad about Kat and Hale? Yes. Was I pleased to high heaven when her father requested goats? Damn to hell I was. This installment was humourous, dark, dangerous, light-hearted and serious all at the same time, and I was most definitely impressed.

Perfect Scoundrels, to me, was what Uncommon Criminals should have been, it should have hit on the darker, more dangerous side of the real life, and it should have developed Hale and Kat's relationship more, but the wait was worth it, I even got my 'passionate Kale kiss too, hurrah! With a fantastic plot, great character development and a romance to die for, the third installment to Heist Society was definitely the best so far. I was heartbroken and over the moon, I was distressed and impressed, I was enthralled, excited, amazed and fell head over heels for this series once and for all. I would have liked more when it came to the actual job front, the dealing with breaking the law and being a thief, and while I understand that Kat has taken a back seat on that front, it was my favourite feature in Heist Society and I'd hate to see Carter lose this feature among the darker plot points and the romance she's started to create now. I'd love to see more in this series, I'd love to get some more answers on Kat's background, I'd love to see more jobs and heists and I can never say no to more Hale, but if Carter decided to leave this series here, I can definitely say she would have ended on a high and, even with some questions unanswered, she's left me pleased and impressed.