The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch

Summary from Goodreads:

They say that the Thorn of Camorr can beat anyone in a fight. They say he steals from the rich and gives to the poor. They say he's part man, part myth, and mostly street-corner rumor. And they are wrong on every count.

Only averagely tall, slender, and god-awful with a sword, Locke Lamora is the fabled Thorn, and the greatest weapons at his disposal are his wit and cunning. He steals from the rich - they're the only ones worth stealing from - but the poor can go steal for themselves. What Locke cons, wheedles and tricks into his possession is strictly for him and his band of fellow con-artists and thieves: the Gentleman Bastards.

Together their domain is the city of Camorr. Built of Elderglass by a race no-one remembers, it's a city of shifting revels, filthy canals, baroque palaces and crowded cemeteries. Home to Dons, merchants, soldiers, beggars, cripples, and feral children. And to Capa Barsavi, the criminal mastermind who runs the city.

But there are whispers of a challenge to the Capa's power. A challenge from a man no one has ever seen, a man no blade can touch. The Grey King is coming.

A man would be well advised not to be caught between Capa Barsavi and The Grey King. Even such a master of the sword as the Thorn of Camorr. As for Locke Lamora ...

Review:

As I mentioned on Goodreads, it's not often my husband recommends a book that I 100% love, but this qualifies. Excellent characters, laugh out loud humor, well-developed world building in fantasy version of Venice Italy, and I was hooked from the beginning. Then add high stakes heists, gang rivalries, multi-layered disguises, robbing the wealthy, the best of friendships, ultimate revenge stories, battles, sword fights, escapes, explosions, and even a little bit of magic. This was a fun book that surprised me.

Technically, it’s an adult fantasy book. There is certainly a plethora of adult language. The gentleman bastards do not hold back on swearing. However, The timelines go back and forth a lot between when Locke is a child and when he an adult. Speaking as an avid YA/Kids book reader, I definitely enjoyed the childhood timeline more (at least at first). Locke is an orphan that outsmarts the worst adults. He also gets into one hilarious problem after another. He’s like Matilda, mixed with America’s Funniest Home Videos. Eventually, he’s sent to the “right” place, aka: his home for life, and his remarkable brain is put to use. Then, there’s almost this Hogwarts kind of story for master thieves. What about any of this sounds bad?

However, I got sucked into the adult timeline eventually too. It’s pretty much Ocean’s 11, mixed with Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows, mixed with Robinhood: Men in Tights, and I mean all these things in the highest of respect. It’s basically one insane heist, filled with disguises, sub-plots, back tracking twists, and tons of action, after another. To add to this, the author isn’t afraid to kill off beloved characters and shock you at a moment’s notice, so readers truly never know what to expect. By the midway point, it didn’t matter which timeline I was in; they were all good. I loved the mischievous young Locke, and I loved the revenge-driven adult one too. And I would hand this book to the right young person too; just know there’s a lot of swearing.

I guess the one thing I can say against this book is there are a lot of holes in the story. There are characters that are alluded to, but not really talked about, and stories briefly mentioned, but then never exaggerated on. I have a feeling they will come up later in the sequels, which I now definitely want to read. This is a massive book (530 tiny pages/tiny font), so I get not being to include it all in book 1, but I wanted it all!

I do have to say the other thing this author excelled at beyond belief was world building. The setting for this book was crazy. The city divided by gangs was so real. I definitely think it was loosely based off of Venice, but it wasn’t just an afterthought. The world leaked off the pages. Lynch even creates his own slang, his own calendar for the year, and his own religions. This is a well developed world.

The story was fast-paced, action packed, and filled with suspense and surprises. I loved the characters. The world building was unbelievable. I’m excited to read book 2. I give this a 10/10.