Ally Carter’s Perfect Scoundrels is the third book in the Heist Society series.
After the events of Uncommon Criminals, Kat and Hale have finally started dating. As a couple, they continue their life of thievery until Hale receives some urgent news during a con in Buenos Aires. His grandmother has just passed away and has left an unexpected will. Hale has inherited the entirety of his family’s company and returns to his old life, a life where Kat is not invited. Before she can finish moping about Hale, Kat receives information that the will might be a fake and that it could be part of an elaborate scheme to destroy Hale’s company. She gathers her crew to rescue Hale’s company, but in the process, she may lose Hale forever.
Throughout the series, Kat hasn’t changed much. In Heist Society, she was tasked with reforming broken bonds. In Uncommon Criminals, Kat had to relearn how to trust and rely on other. While both books included many difficult scams, few allowed Kat to grow as a person. Despite this, it would be a lie to say she hasn’t grown at all. She has gained confidence, wormed her way into and out of difficult situations, and relearned what it means to be a spy. While the Heist Societyseries is narrated by Kat, the character that grew the most in Perfect Scoundrels was Hale. Damaged by the weight of his new responsibilities and broken by the death of his grandmother, Hale begins to act out of character in self-damaging manner. Kat must do her best to support her grieving boyfriend and save their relationship.
Perfect Scoundrels was another great read. As with most Ally Carter books, the plot remained enticing from beginning to end. The book was well-paced and full of many unexpected surprises. The stakes were also much higher due to the fact that this heist was personal. While I could, continue to praise the book for its humor and pacing, Perfect Scoundrel’s best feature is Hale. In this book, we learn so much about Hale’s history and family. The difference between Kat’s family and Hale’s family is not only introduced, but accentuated in this novel. Hale truly grew as a character and learned many lessons about family. Compared to previous installments, this book was much more personal, allowing readers to become invested in the characters and the plot. Hale wasn’t the only character to become more dimensional in this novel. We were introduced to Kat’s many family members and the ones we already knew were given more prominent roles.
I give this 328 page book 4 stars.
Series Analysis
Despite the possibility of a fourth installment, we're going to do our series analysis now because this mystery installment hasn't been given a title in the 3 years since Perfect Scoundrel's publication. The Heist Society series centers around Kat Bishop. Kat belongs to a family of gifted thieves and has participated in heists since she was small. One day, Kat decides she has had enough of her spy life and enrolls herself in a prestigious school. Unforeseen circumstances force her back into a life of thievery and elaborate cons. Good reads gives this series an average of 4.116, while this site gives it an average of 4 stars.
Heist Society
Katrina Bishop comes from a family of art thieves. With her crew of teenage thieves, Kat travels around the world looking for her next job.