{"product_id":"an-artful-dodge","title":"An Artful Dodge","description":"\n\u003ctable align=\"center\" border=\"0\" cellpadding=\"2\" cellspacing=\"0\" width=\"100%\"\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd class=\"productDetailSmallElements\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Quotes\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003ePraise for \u003ci\u003eAn Artful Dodge\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eA CrimeReads Most Anticipated Book of Summer\u003cbr\u003eA Junior Library Guild Selection\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Brilliant . . . Odden matches vivid details of the hard-knock life in Victorian London with complex backstories for her large cast. Readers will be rapt.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e, Starred Review\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\"Historical crime fiction at its most authentic.\" \n\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e--\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\"A surprisingly moving tale with loyal and courageous characters.\" \n\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e--The Christian Science Monitor\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\" \n\u003ci\u003eAn Artful Dodge\u003c\/i\u003e is a heist novel par excellence.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e--BookPage\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\"Odden's latest is an enthralling tale of an all-women thieving ring in Victorian London... \n\u003ci\u003eAn Artful Dodge\u003c\/i\u003e is lush with detail and populated by characters you won't soon forget.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e--CrimeReads \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"Riveting.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e--Nerd Daily\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\"A triumph! The story of one whip-smart young thief's audacious battle for her freedom, integrity, and true love.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e--Susan Elia MacNeal, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of the Maggie Hope series and \u003ci\u003eMother Daughter Traitor Spy \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"Dickens fans--if you ever yearned for Nancy to kick Bill Sykes to the curb and go off thieving with Bet and the Dodger, this is your new favorite book. Vibrant with the authentic sights and sounds of Victorian London, \n\u003ci\u003eAn Artful Dodge\u003c\/i\u003e is the riveting tale of a gang of female thieves and what one clever dodge artist must do to survive when the gang's old boss returns seeking power--and revenge. A crime novel that centers the power of family bonds both natural and chosen, this thrilling adventure will have you frantically turning the pages.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e--Mariah Fredericks, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Girl in the Green Dress\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\"Engaging characters, unusual story, and impeccable research make \n\u003ci\u003eAn Artful Dodge\u003c\/i\u003e a thoroughly engaging novel. The icing on this cake is Odden's beautiful prose. Here's a writer who cares about her craft. Brava.\" \n\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e--Sara Paretsky, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestselling author \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003ePraise for Karen Odden\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Period and place are exceptionally well-drawn.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e--Oprah Daily \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Enter a world of teeming and dangerous cities portrayed in vitality and amazing detail. Meet characters with tremendous courage and appetite for life, and be glad you can return at will to the present.\" \n\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e--Anne Perry, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\"Pulls the reader into the place and time as Karen Odden weaves this complex and compelling mystery! A must read for mystery fans!\" \n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e-Charles Todd, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of the Inspector Rutledge mysteries\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"A captivating tale of mystery, history, and a dash of romance--with an ahead-of-her-time heroine who not only plays the piano with aplomb, but defies Victorian conventions, courts danger, and solves mysteries.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e-- \n\u003cb\u003eSusan Elia MacNeal, \u003ci\u003e New York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestselling author of the Maggie Hope series\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"This riveting historical debut is chock-full of details about Victorian England, spun into a masterful tale of romance, railroads, and mystery. Propelled by an engaging heroine and a deftly plotted conspiracy, it's a great read!\" \n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e--Stefanie Pintoff, Edgar Award-winning author of \u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eHostage Taker\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Odden never strikes a false note, and she combines a sympathetic lead with a twisty plot grounded in the British politics of the day and peopled with fully fleshed-out characters. Fans of Lyndsay Faye's \n\u003ci\u003eGods of Gotham\u003c\/i\u003e trilogy will be enthralled.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e, Starred Review\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"A lyrical tune whose words demand equality and justice.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e--Washington Independent Review of Books\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Impossible to put down.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e--Historical Novel Society\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBiographical Note\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eKaren Odden\u003c\/b\u003e received her PhD in English from New York University and taught Victorian literature at UW-Milwaukee. She is the author of five crime novels set in 1870s London, including her award-winning \n\u003ci\u003eUSA Today\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling debut, \n\u003ci\u003eA Lady in the Smoke\u003c\/i\u003e. Her work has been nominated for the Lefty, Anthony, Agatha, and Derringer Awards, and appeared in \n\u003ci\u003eBest Mystery Stories of the Year\u003c\/i\u003e. A transplant from New York, Karen lives in Arizona with her family. Find her online at www.karenodden.com.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher Marketing\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eVictorian London comes to vivid life in this riveting heist novel about an all-female thieving gang and one young woman's heroic plan to escape a life of crime, from the \u003ci\u003eUSA Today\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eDown a Dark River\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eShe's stolen gems, purses, and hearts--but can she steal her life back from the ring of thieves that's claimed it? \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eLondon, 1879: Twenty-year-old Kit Jimeson has fingers so nimble she can nick a necklace off a lady in a crowded theater without raising alarm. Kit and her dodge partner, Mary, are the highest earners in the notorious all-women thieving ring in South London's Elephant and Castle district. \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eKit, whose mother had been a thief before her, dreams of a different life, one where she's not constantly on the lookout for constables and plainclothes detectives, and where a mistake or pure bad luck won't land her in the hangman's noose. She has been saving her earnings so her younger sister, a maid for a wealthy Mayfair family, might have a shot at respectability. \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eKit is very close to leaving the life entirely when the legendary former thief Maggie O'Connell brings her plans to a halt. Beautiful, charismatic Maggie has returned to reclaim leadership of the ring after twenty years in a brutal Australian penal colony. But Maggie desires more than mere wealth or power: She longs for revenge against those who sent her away. Kit, with her quick mind and dangerously clever hands, is Maggie's best weapon. If Kit wants to walk away with her life, she must carry out a heist that will demand every skill she possesses.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations:\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"italic\"\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/span\u003e 04\/06\/2026 (EAN 9781641297622, Hardcover) - *Starred Review\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"italic\"\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/span\u003e 06\/01\/2026 (EAN 9781641297622, Hardcover)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"italic\"\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/span\u003e 06\/05\/2026 pg. 1 (EAN 9781641297622, Hardcover)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\n","brand":"Soho Crime","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51496189985046,"sku":"9781641297622","price":35.94,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0857\/9910\/8886\/files\/9781641297622.jpg?v=1783057132","url":"https:\/\/lusper.myshopify.com\/products\/an-artful-dodge","provider":"Lusperbooks","version":"1.0","type":"link"}