Monday, October 14, 2024

Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: The Confidence Games by Tess Amy


Tess Amy writes the popular Marion Lane historical mysteries under the name T. A. Wilberg. Her first contemporary crime fiction novel was released in July 2024. The Confidence Games highlights Emma Oxley and Nellie Yarrow, two school friends turned international con artists who specialize in stealing high-end jewelry and watches and then selling them to the highest bidder on the dark Web. Nellie comes by her tricks naturally, having been trained from a young age by her grandmother. Emma had to acquire pickpocket and scam artist skills as an adult but she managed. Together they are an unstoppable duo, until one night when Nellie is kidnapped and Emma is told that she has to steal a famous diamond necklace to ransom Nellie. Emma isn’t used to working alone but how she collects her self-confidence and rises to the occasion is witty and clever and makes for an amusing and absorbing read.

While the book starts off as a light-hearted caper and keeps the vestiges of a heist, the story soon veers into more serious territory, examining concepts of identity, self-discovery, and family. Hardly anyone in the book is who they say they are, contributing to the confusion and the surprises of the ultimate resolution.

The inventive cast of characters includes an 8-year-old girl who carries a book of advice with her everywhere and consults it on all occasions. I was especially amused by Dax Frederick, the duo’s so-called computer “expert”. While most fictional IT gurus know technology inside and out, Dax is apologetically ignorant of most of the conventions of breaking into a system. His apartment is full of textbooks about hacking as he tries to bring his skills up to the standard the two con artists need to function safely on the dark Web. Playing against type he is hopelessly inept.

The ending is immensely rewarding, as the bad guys get their comeuppance and Nellie and Emma are re-united in a suitably dramatic fashion. Highly readable, possible series potential. Recommended.

 


  • Publisher: Berkley (July 9, 2024)
  • Language: English
  • Paperback: 288 pages
  • ISBN-10: 0593642503
  • ISBN-13: 978-0593642504

 

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3NHehQF 

 

Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2024

Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.

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