Crooked

The con had seemed like a good one: tricking people into buying artwork supposedly by the new Banksy - and they should have made a decent profit from it. The problem was they were too successful: one of the marks had bought a few and then discovered that they were valueless. Henry Martin Holmes had fallen for a simple con and his father, celebrity criminal Harry Holmes, was determined that he and his family could not lose face like that. The grifters were going to pay. Ashia 'Ash' Cox and Max 'Colorado' Ying needed to be got out of the country. In the course of bringing this about, Luke Gaines, Ash's foster father, lost his life. Ash is just sixteen but she became a pickpocket at thirteen and she's a good con artist. She'd learned a lot from Luke Gaines but she's now heading for Norway and the legendary Esther Crook. Crook's day job is poker player but what she doesn't know about the long-con isn't worth knowing. And Esther has her own reasons for going after Holmes: he killed her mother. It's not long before she's persuaded to put together a crew, with Ash as the insider, to hit Holmes where it hurts - in his reputation. It's not going to be easy though: Holmes is after Esther and the crime agencies are closing in too. That actually sounded quite simple, didn't it? Well, it isn't. You're going to have to be in the wide-awake club to keep track of what's happening in Crooked: this book has real pace and you can't really relax until you've turned the final page. Even then you'll wonder if you've missed something important. There's that sort of dramatic tension. Strings are being pulled but by whom - and who is doing the conning? There's only one person you feel is really in control and that's Esther but it's not only in poker that she plays her cards close to her chest. Sometimes you'll wonder if you're being conned too... I've not really been into TV programmes such as Hustle, so this was a whole, new genre for me and, boy, was I impressed. Don't worry if you're unfamiliar with a lot of the terms - there's an excellent glossary at the back of the book and I made a lot of use of it in the early pages - and then I was caught up in the story and it wasn't necessary. Bronwen John does a great job with her characters: I'll quibble very slightly and say that the women are better than the men but that is me being very picky. Esther has a strict moral code: she's not a thief and I loved her mantra: You can do what you like with the law; bend it, twist it, hide behind it... just don't break it. Esther might be the star of the show but she has a splendid supporting actor in Ash Cox. John's skill as a writer is shown by the way that she brings out Ash's vulnerable side, her uncertainties and her impetuousness: she might be living in a world that's far from ideal for a girl in her mid-teens but John captures that moment in her development superbly. For another heist story, have a look at Doors Open by Ian Rankin: it might be Rankin but Bronwen John has created a far-more gripping story in Crooked.

This book was completely unexpected, I could never tell where the story was going to end up. John writes this story in such a way that you're constantly rooting for Ash even if she does do questionable things at times. Her writing drags you into this story and refuses to let you go until you finish the book. Highly recommend!

Really enjoyed the style of writing. The plot draws the reader into the world of con artists and scams. Ash one of the ‘con' artists cons the wrong person who just happens to be a gangster's son. It reminded me a lot of the film Now you see me. The characters and plot were cleverly wrote. Really excited for more books from this author.

‘Crooked' is so clever and slick that at times you stop and go what just happened? It is a great heist/grifter novel that just is begging to be read. I was so impressed with the story and the code of honour that these guys have. It was full of twists and turns right up to the final page, it hooked me right in and I devoured it over a couple of sitting. Oh boy it was hard to put down! The novel begins with Ash pulling a con not realising that the mark is a notorious gangster's son and due to this they now have a price on their heads. Events occur which place Ash in Norway working with the best con artist in the business - Esther Crook! The action soon reverts back to London though in an attempt to con Harry Holmes, that notorious gangster from the start. This is definitely a clever book and it made me think of BBC drama Hustle which I loved. I could definitely see this working as a movie for sure. The narrative is so fast paced that you don't get time to recover from one part of the con till the next one is right there bang in your face. But this is how this genre should be and I loved this story! I would love to read more about these characters. I hope Bronwen has more up her sleeve. Also as a side note she wrote me a lovely wee note along with the book and I love authors who do this and interact with their readers. Plus it was on cute stationary so I'm guaranteed to love her! You won't go wrong if you get this book a try. Great plot, great characters, fast paced and intelligent to boot. What more do you need

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. There were some elements that come across as poetic. The relationship built between Ash and Esther makes me laugh and I connected with them. I don't want to go into the plot too much as I don't want to spoil it but the ending made this book for me! I'd love for this to be a running series featuring Ash and how her life progresses, that could just be because I'm greedy and I want more of things I like!