The Frame-Up by Gwenda Bond
Supernatural Mystery
February 13, 2024- Del Rey
ARC

Review by Angela

I don’t know why I thought this would be a lighter heist book, but The Frame-Up was much darker than I expected. I blame it on the cutesy cover (which I like) but might be a bit misleading.

The Frame-Up starts off by introducing its main protagonist, Dani Poissant, daughter of an infamous art thief, currently on her own pulling jobs. She gets sucked back into her former life when a mysterious man comes to visit and makes her an offer she should, but can’t, refuse. Which means Dani headed back home to pull off an impossible heist, and she’ll need the help of all of her mother’s crew to do it.

This is a story with a unique premise. Dani lives in a shadowy world of magic, and those with magic use it to their advantage. In Dani and her mother’s case, their magic enables them to pilfer the most expensive works of art from museums, replacing them with duplicates that are almost undetectable. Dani grew up in this world and knows how to pull off a caper or a con. But then her mother got out of control, and she turned her in to the FBI. Now she’s back in the world she left all those years ago, and determined not only to complete the heist, but to solve a mystery.

In addition to being lured in thinking this was a lighter book, I ALSO kind of thought there would be more romance in it. I mean there is mention in the blurb of Dani having to reunite with the old gang, INCLUDING HER EX. But, alas, this is not a romance, so don’t get excited. I will say that the premise drew me in and kept me reading. Even though there were lulls in the pacing, I really, really wanted to know how this seemingly impossible theft would occur, and if they would be able to pull it off cleanly. I also really wanted to know what would happen to Archer and Dani’s mom at the end.

Despite this book being nothing like I expected when I opened it, (that will teach me to make assumptions), I did enjoy.

Grade- B-