Good Thief's Guide

Charlie Howard doesn't just write books about a career thief, he also happens to be one.In Amsterdam working on his latest novel, Charlie is approached by a mysterious American who asks him to steal two apparently worthless monkey figurines from two separate addresses on the same night. At first, he says no. Then he changes his mind. Only later, kidnapped and bound to a chair, the American very dead, and a spell in police custody behind him, does Charlie begin to realize how costly a mistake he might have made.The police think he killed the American. Others think he knows the whereabouts of the elusive third monkey. But for Charlie only three things matter. Can he clear his name? Can he get away with the haul of a lifetime? And can he solve the gaping plot hole in his latest novel?

Charlie Howard-globe-trotting mystery writer, professional thief, and poor decision maker-is in Paris. Flush with the success of his latest book reading, Charlie agrees to show a complete novice how to break into an apartment in the Marais. Fast-forward twenty-four hours and Charlie's hired to steal an ordinary-looking oil painting-from the exact same address. Mere coincidence? Charlie figures there's no harm in finding out-until a dead body turns up in his living room and he finds himself evading the law while becoming caught up in a quite outrageous heist. And that's before Charlie's literary agent, Victoria, finally decides that they should meet face to face. Nobody ever said a life of suspense was ever easy, but Charlie, the most disarmingly charming burglar since Cary Grant in It Takes a Thief, soon finds things are getting way out of control.

Charlie Howard isn't only a part-time crime writer and part-time thief; he's also a magician. For his next trick, he'll relieve Josh Masters, the famous illusionist vying for the affections of Charlie's friend Victoria, of $60,000 in casino chips stashed in his hotel safe. Revenge would be sweet if there weren't a dead redhead floating in Masters' bathtub and if Masters hadn't just disappeared in a puff of smoke after cheating at roulette. Convinced that Charlie was in on the scam, the casino's owners give him an impossible mission: either pull off an elaborate heist to reimburse the house for every dollar his "accomplice" made off with, or enjoy a one-way trip into the desert.

After a particularly bad streak of luck in Vegas, Charlie has retreated to Venice, having vowed to give up a life of crime to write crime fiction full time. But inspiration has yet to strike. And to make matters worse, Charlie's agent Victoria shows up at his door just as his prized first edition of The Maltese Falcon flies out the window with a femme fatale burglar. Blackmailed into committing a dastardly crime in order to get his book back, Charlie is catapulted into yet another adventure, this one even more explosive than the last.

Charlie Howard, part-time writer, part-time thief, has been engaged in a veritable spree of larceny and misappropriation since moving to Berlin. He's supposed to be working on his next novel. But high rent and a love for thrill-seeking has been hard on his word count.  But Charlie's larcenous binge is interrupted by the call to duty-on behalf of Her Majesty's Government. Four embassy employees are suspected of stealing a sensitive item. Charlie is to break into their homes, find the culprit, and recover the stolen property. But there's a catch. The item is so sensitive, Charlie isn't told what he's looking for. Not its size, not its weight, nothing. He's only told that he'll recognize it when he sees it.  Charlie has been a successful thief because he follows his own rules, the first being "Don't get caught." Well, after he enters the first suspect's home, he has to add a new rule: "Don't admire the view." As Charlie stares across the street, he sees something he really wishes he hadn't-a woman being murdered. And that's just for starters. What follows is a wild adventure in the former cauldron of spies.