“Honesty is a virtue. Deceit is a talent. Theft is an art form.”

NO MAJOR SPOILERS

I picked up a stack of Chris Brookmyre books really cheaply at a school fete on a whim because I liked one of the covers and I’m really, really glad I did! The Sacred Art of Steal is a non-stop thrilling ride with a lot of fun thrown in and a few chuckle moments too!

As the title suggests, the book starts with a robbery but not just any normal robbery, this one has style and panache. I won’t spoil it for you but it’s truly excellent. From here you have the premise of the entire book because things don’t go to plan, which means you read this novel with your heart in your mouth, on the edge of your seat.

The Sacred Art of Stealing is dramatic, it’s funny, it sends itself up a little bit and the central character, Zal the art-loving thief is absolutely yummy! Although marked up as crime, this is witty Scottish satire, it’s black humour, it’s romance and it’s full of strong language, but mostly it’s unputdownable!

From clumsy idiots with guns to smooth talking, witty thieves this novel smashes all the stereotypes, turns crime writing on its head and keeps you turning the pages long after the lights should be off!

The only thing I’m sad about is that the sequel wasn’t in the stack I bought!