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bargainsleuth's review
4.0
For this and other book reviews, visit www.bargain-sleuth.com
This past year I read two books by C.W. Gortner ,The Romanov Empress, and M.J. Rose's The Last Tiara and enjoyed both of them, so when NetGalley and Blue Box Press offered me The Steal, a collaboration between the authors, I was all in. I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. The book will be released August 10.
The Steal is a quick read, more like a novella than a full-length novel. Things move fast with the plot, too. The setting is practically Cannes one day, Paris the next, and New York the third. The plot keeps moving along with both Ania, the jeweler, and Jerome, the insurance investigator’s points of view.
Overall, I enjoyed the story and the pacing, and while I have no need for them personally, imagining hundreds of thousands of dollars of jewels in intricate designs was fun. Jerome is sort of a stereotypical detective, of scruffy face and schlumpy dress, ala Columbo, but he’s a lot younger and handsome in his scruffiness. He eludes to a dark past, which is revealed in time.
I was a little disappointed in the depiction of Ania as an icy woman who’d never had a proper man show her a good time. Sparks fly between her and Jerome, and you know it’s just a matter of time before they get together. What surprised me was how quickly they got together. Like I said, things move FAST in The Steal. And things get a bit graphic, for those that don’t like that in their romantic mysteries.
As Jerome and Ania try to avoid the Leopard, the famous jewel thief who’s never been caught but seems to have a vendetta against Ania’s company in particular. Jerome figures it has something to do with his shady past post-WWII as someone in covert ops hunting down Nazis because the guard Ania employs happens to be one of his old army buddies. The Leopard knows who they are and what they’ve done.
Jerome and Ania close in on the elusive thief, and just when you think the story is about to wrap up, it just ENDS! Looking into it, it appears this is the first in a series of caper books about The Leopard. Apparently Gortner and Rose enjoyed Alfred Hitchcock’s To Catch a Thief as much as me because this book reminds me of it. Even the cover features a woman who looks suspiciously like Grace Kelly. That being said, I will continue with the series to get to know Ania and Jerome a little better.
This past year I read two books by C.W. Gortner ,The Romanov Empress, and M.J. Rose's The Last Tiara and enjoyed both of them, so when NetGalley and Blue Box Press offered me The Steal, a collaboration between the authors, I was all in. I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. The book will be released August 10.
The Steal is a quick read, more like a novella than a full-length novel. Things move fast with the plot, too. The setting is practically Cannes one day, Paris the next, and New York the third. The plot keeps moving along with both Ania, the jeweler, and Jerome, the insurance investigator’s points of view.
Overall, I enjoyed the story and the pacing, and while I have no need for them personally, imagining hundreds of thousands of dollars of jewels in intricate designs was fun. Jerome is sort of a stereotypical detective, of scruffy face and schlumpy dress, ala Columbo, but he’s a lot younger and handsome in his scruffiness. He eludes to a dark past, which is revealed in time.
I was a little disappointed in the depiction of Ania as an icy woman who’d never had a proper man show her a good time. Sparks fly between her and Jerome, and you know it’s just a matter of time before they get together. What surprised me was how quickly they got together. Like I said, things move FAST in The Steal. And things get a bit graphic, for those that don’t like that in their romantic mysteries.
As Jerome and Ania try to avoid the Leopard, the famous jewel thief who’s never been caught but seems to have a vendetta against Ania’s company in particular. Jerome figures it has something to do with his shady past post-WWII as someone in covert ops hunting down Nazis because the guard Ania employs happens to be one of his old army buddies. The Leopard knows who they are and what they’ve done.
Jerome and Ania close in on the elusive thief, and just when you think the story is about to wrap up, it just ENDS! Looking into it, it appears this is the first in a series of caper books about The Leopard. Apparently Gortner and Rose enjoyed Alfred Hitchcock’s To Catch a Thief as much as me because this book reminds me of it. Even the cover features a woman who looks suspiciously like Grace Kelly. That being said, I will continue with the series to get to know Ania and Jerome a little better.
beastreader's review against another edition
3.0
I have read books from both of these authors. In fact, I am a fan of MJ Rose. Therefore when I saw that these two authors had teamed up I had to read this book. It is a fun, quick read. I was definitely getting the vibes of the nineteen fifties. Readers of cozy mysteries will want to check out this book.
Instantly, I was transported back in time with Ania and Jerome as they tried to track down and stop the infamous Leopard, jewel thief. They dynamics between Ania and Jerome is nice. At first I did feel like Jerome came off a bit chauvinist towards Ania. However, the more the story progressed, he and Ania worked well together.
The ending does lead to there being more to come hopefully with these two. Which I can see being a nice series. My only fault with this book is that I did not personally jive as well with Ania and Jerome but if there are more books, I could see myself getting closer to them.
Instantly, I was transported back in time with Ania and Jerome as they tried to track down and stop the infamous Leopard, jewel thief. They dynamics between Ania and Jerome is nice. At first I did feel like Jerome came off a bit chauvinist towards Ania. However, the more the story progressed, he and Ania worked well together.
The ending does lead to there being more to come hopefully with these two. Which I can see being a nice series. My only fault with this book is that I did not personally jive as well with Ania and Jerome but if there are more books, I could see myself getting closer to them.
bookswritingandmore's review against another edition
5.0
The Steal has such a great premise. Jewelry has been stolen from Ania and she and her insurance agent Jerome are on the case. What follows is fun travel mishaps, some love thrown in and an awesome mystery to be solved. I highly suggest you get a copy of this one. This reader was impressed but not surprised. Both authors are ones I read all the time and their work never disappoints.
tessisreading2's review against another edition
4.0
I went back and forth between three and four stars for this one. The setting and the premise are both excellent, but the writing and the romance felt kind of flat; the MMC is very film noir and the FMC doesn't have a ton of interiority. (Is that a word?) It felt like reading a novelization of a movie and didn't quite work because it didn't have the same advantages that a movie does - the banter wasn't particularly great, there weren't a lot of long and loving costume descriptions, etc. Basically, the setting is cool but the authors weren't in love with the glitz and glamor of it, so it didn't really pop - it's just a setting.
Plot wise,.
Plot wise,
Spoiler
the book ends on a semi-cliffhanger, with the Leopard identified but on the loose, and our FMC and MMC allied but sort of broken up, but I'm not sure I'm interested enough to continuemarbooks88's review
4.0
When a fortune in jewels is stolen from the Carlton hotel in Cannes Jerome Curtis is brought in by the insurance company to try and find the jewels. Ania Thorne is trying to restore the reputation of her family jewelry company and will do whatever it takes. Together they are trying to figure out the crime before something else happens but is it already to late?
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an arc for my honest review
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an arc for my honest review
eu_reka's review against another edition
I seldom say that but this book made me want to throw it out of the window. I didn‘t Luke the writing, some parts felt incredibly forced or really cliché and not in line with the “romantic caper” the book wants to be.
Content Warnings
Minor: War
brancrisp's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
shirin_mandi's review
5.0
The mystery/romance story set in 1957, France, Cannes film festival, is told by Jerome and Ania.
Jerome Curtis works for, insurance firm, Lambert Securities.
Ania Thorne is the director of his father's company (Thorne and Company) and designs jewelry. She designed the jewels for Cannes and has been robbed. This made the actresses furious and put Ania in a difficult situation.
This was a time that Jerome came to investigate from the insurance company. He saw his old friend of war who works for Ania in a very unexpected situation.
"In war, friendship is a luxury that’s less important than loyalty to your fellow soldier. It’s life or death, not happy hour at the bar after a bad day at work. In war, it’s never happy hour. It’s always a bad day at work."
Leopard, a jewelry robber is a very dangerous man, a thief, and a murderer. Jerome and Ania make a plan to catch him.
A short and quick story that you are in the middle of it from the first page. The story moves along knowing the characters. Well written, and easy to follow. I liked the end and very interesting if the story continues that way.
"I'm in awe of the stones. I bow to them. Respect them. Adore them. I fall in love with every stone I work with." me too. :)
"Every Gem contains a bit of magic."
Thanks to Netgalley, I have given an honest review of The Steal by M.J. Rose and C.W. Gortner.
Published Date 10 Aug 2021
My review on 09 Jul 2021
Jerome Curtis works for, insurance firm, Lambert Securities.
Ania Thorne is the director of his father's company (Thorne and Company) and designs jewelry. She designed the jewels for Cannes and has been robbed. This made the actresses furious and put Ania in a difficult situation.
This was a time that Jerome came to investigate from the insurance company. He saw his old friend of war who works for Ania in a very unexpected situation.
"In war, friendship is a luxury that’s less important than loyalty to your fellow soldier. It’s life or death, not happy hour at the bar after a bad day at work. In war, it’s never happy hour. It’s always a bad day at work."
Leopard, a jewelry robber is a very dangerous man, a thief, and a murderer. Jerome and Ania make a plan to catch him.
A short and quick story that you are in the middle of it from the first page. The story moves along knowing the characters. Well written, and easy to follow. I liked the end and very interesting if the story continues that way.
"I'm in awe of the stones. I bow to them. Respect them. Adore them. I fall in love with every stone I work with." me too. :)
"Every Gem contains a bit of magic."
Thanks to Netgalley, I have given an honest review of The Steal by M.J. Rose and C.W. Gortner.
Published Date 10 Aug 2021
My review on 09 Jul 2021
christinesreads's review
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
shankl's review against another edition
4.0
France, the 1950's and a jewell heist in Cannes - this is the allure of The Steal. A short, quick story that throws the reader into the fray, with a socialite and a insurance investigator, when millions of dollars of custom jewelry are stolen.
The Steal is a mystery and a romance. And, the authors have done nice job in pairing the two together as detectives and lovers. This caper sparkles like a diamond.
Thank you to Lets Talk Book Promo and the authors for a complimentary copy.
#letstalkthesteal #thesteal #letstalkbookspromo
The Steal is a mystery and a romance. And, the authors have done nice job in pairing the two together as detectives and lovers. This caper sparkles like a diamond.
Thank you to Lets Talk Book Promo and the authors for a complimentary copy.
#letstalkthesteal #thesteal #letstalkbookspromo