Would you do anything to save someone in your family? Well Katarina Bishop, the main character of Ally Carter’s Heist Society, would. This becomes Kat’s world, as she tries to clear her fathers name. Kat wants to get away from the ‘family business’ of stealing paintings, but once again is thrown back in. Her father is being accused of stealing priceless paintings from a French mobster. Katarina must prove that her father is innocent and steal the paintings back, with a little help from her friends of course.

The Heist Society is the first installment of the Heist Society series by Ally Carter. I love many things about this book, but I do admit there are a few things I wish could be changed. One of the things I love about this book is that its part of a series, but its not one of those books that leaves you on a complete cliffhanger, until you read the next. This book’s end is satisfying, but makes me want to read more adventures with Kat and her friends.

Another thing that was great about this book was the twists and turns. There is a decent amount of foreshadowing that, while reading, allows me to take a guess at what will happen next. What is best about the guessing is I’m not always right. Especially with this book. Ally Carter writes in a great way, where she continues to introduce new possibilities that I never could have thought of.
Finally the part of the Heist Society that I love the most and dislike the most, the characterization. I have so many compliments about the personalities of the characters. Katrina’s serious and brave, Hale is witty and easy going, and Gabrielle is devious yet caring. The personalities are all, so well written. Certain characters have traits that conflict with each other, but that makes it even more interesting. Gabrielle, for example, cares for everyone but is very devious on the job when she is stealing paintings. These two traits don’t seem like they go together, but the way Ally Carter distributes and executes them throughout the characters and the story is near perfect.
The appearance part of the characterization, I felt was a little lacking. Throughout the entire story the reader only gets three or four details about the characters appearance. For readers that enjoy visualizing the character, this would not be the best choice. I was hopeful that I would get further into the book and learn more about them physically so I could visualize and maybe even connect. As I continue to go further I still did not receive the details I wish for. Nevertheless, I still think that the characterization is a very strong quality in Ally Carter’s book.
I definitely recommend this book to other readers. The Heist Society is a great book for teen readers that like a sense of mystery and adventure in a modern setting. This is a very good book, which I would give four out of five stars. Hopefully everyone who reads it will enjoy it as much as I do.