Review by Booklist Review
A sort of sexier, more violent Ocean's Eleven, Golden's book stars Bee Cardello, known as Shelby when she was young. Shelby got involved in her father's criminal enterprise and turned out to be quite good at forgery, theft, and luring gullible marks with her blonde cuteness. But when her dad carried out a crime that violated Shelby's principles, she decided to go straight. She met Charlie Cardello, a wealthy businessman, married him, and had a child, Oliver; then, tiring of Charlie's shallowness, she divorced him. T hen Charlie steals $37 million from Theo Alvarez, a notorious drug lord, and Alvarez's men kidnap Oliver. Bee knows she has to solve the problem, which means diving back into the criminal world, and she has a devious plan that just might work. With the help of Oliver's tech-minded nanny and Adam Gage, a criminal Bee has known for years, she puts her plan in place. Blood and gore, white-knuckle suspense, clever double- crosses, wacky humor, and colorful characters plus a happy ending make this the perfect escapist read.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A retired art forger is tossed back into peril when the victim of her ex-husband's latest caper puts out a hit on her and her 10-year-old son. In her day, Beatrice Cardello broke every rule in the book. Recruited as a forger by Thomas Osbourn, her gambling father's creditor, she traveled the world executing copies of famous paintings, at least one of which hangs in a museum unaware of the switch. But all that's behind her--until her ex-teammate and ex-lover Adam Gage turns up to warn her of big trouble: Charlie Cardello, Bee's mobbed-up ex-husband, has not only taken up with Cassie, a 21-year-old, but gone a step further by lifting $37.5 million from Cassie's kingpin uncle, Theo Alvarez, who's sworn vengeance on Charlie (no great loss) and his family (even if they're not legally his family anymore). Calling on Oliver's improbably resourceful nanny, Malika, for help, Bee hastens into hiding. But all of them are snatched by someone who's under orders from one of the major players. From that point on, Bee's minute-by-minute life becomes a nonstop attempt to strike acceptable deals with Alvarez, who wants his money back; with Charlie, who wants to maintain his lifestyle; and with Adam, who wants to resume his affair with Bee. Fans of Golden's earlier cozies will appreciate the content warning that opens this funhouse: "While Stolen Pieces is a light-hearted story overall, there is a mention of miscarriage/stillbirth, as well as depictions of violence throughout." You can say that again. Gangsters, thieves, CIA agents, double-crossing allies, and a foul-mouthed forger with a heart of gold. Your move. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
