Stan Parish is a new-to-me author, but with the promise of a sharp and shrewd noir heist thriller, in a similar vein to Roger Hobbs’ Ghostman or Patrick Hoffman’s The White Van, I was very intrigued by the premise of Love and Theft, and boy, was I hooked from the start. Opening with the very slick heist of an upmarket jewellery store in Las Vegas, one of the perpetrators Alex who is considering turning his back on his chosen criminal profession, then finds himself unwillingly involved in an altogether different sort of heist, and one that can only lead to a whole heap of trouble, for himself and those closest to him…

Being a real admirer of the pared down, punchy and lean narrative form, I found the prologue and first few opening chapters, completely held me in their thrall, as we bear witness to the initial robbery in a Las Vegas that is painted with vivid and energetic detail. The level of tension that Parish injects into this first compressed section of the book is flawless, seamlessly grabbing the reader by the throat to see what the crime is and how it is carried out, and leading us to an overriding keenness to see what happens to the perpetrators in its wake. I actually re-read this section a couple of times, and the pace and smoothness of the writing, gradually ramping up the dramatic tension and holding the readers’ attention wholly was absolutely sublime. I noticed throughout the book that this strong grip on tension evident in the carefully manipulated pace of the narrative, ebbs and flows allowing for Parish to not only immerse his reader in high octane danger, but also to slow the book down to some scenes of such poignancy and emotion that leads us to take pause and really see behind the masks of the characters that they present to the world.

This is particularly evident in the character of Alex Cassidy, a man with a troubled past, indoctrinated into a criminal lifestyle from a young age, and having encountered a personal loss that haunts him still. He is a man on the cusp of change, and as he endeavours to turn away from his criminal roots, he meets Diane Alison, with whom he shares a historic connection, but also finds that his one last job is anything but, and, put under extreme emotional pressure, finds himself involved in a dangerous kidnapping plot. Alex is a mercurial man, exuding an air of total calmness whatever the situation, but in reality he is trapped in a maelstrom of self-questioning and doubt, belied by his outward exterior. As his relationship with Diane develops, we see him caught between this cool headed attitude, and an inner turmoil as to how far he wants this relationship to develop, and should he be bucking against the twist of fate, that has brought each of them into the other’s orbit.

Likewise, Diane, the other major protagonist. initially outside of Alex’s criminal cohort until the situation escalates enough for her to bravely ingratiate herself in it, grows from a position of relative emotional weakness, gradually becoming more emboldened as events progress, and seeking to release her son, and Alex’s daughter from the heat of the situation that develops. The way that Parish peels back the layers of both Alex and Diane, ably surrounded by a supporting cast of equally well-drawn characters, is another standout feature of the book, building a creeping unease in the reader as to how events will play out for them, and more importantly will they survive, and change the direction of their lives.

Parish’s choices of locations, Las Vegas, Mexico and Spain, and the way the action develops through each, adds another level of interest to what in a lesser writers’ hands could have been a quite linear set up if rooted in one place. There is a real verve and energy as to how he employs each backdrop as the story progresses, capturing the unique character of each, from the illusional quality of Las Vegas, to the colour and joie de vivre of Mexico, and finally tapping into the rich, ostentatious air of wealthy Marbella, for the book’s stunning and violent denouement. The author ensures that each locale is brought vividly into the readers’ consciousness, with an eye for not only the landscape of the place itself, but how the feel and energy of each imprints itself on those who exist within them.

I thought that Love and Theft was an exceptionally understated and clever book, with the seeming simplicity of the language, and both the alternating quickfire and then the more languorous use of dialogue and action, subtly determining the pace of the book as a whole. I loved the shifting locations, the high octane heist scenes, and the overwhelming sense of poignancy and redemption that lies tantalisingly beneath the main plot itself, evinced in the characters of Alex and Diane. A smooth, sassy and ultimately very satisfying ride indeed. Highly recommended.

Love and Theft is a very good crime novel. Complete with exciting heists and elaborate operations, it is populated by interesting and well-rounded characters. I really enjoyed this.

Love and Theft kicks off with an audacious robbery in Las Vegas. Cleverly and perfectly executed, it kicks off a series of events that will see Alex Cassidy's life upended. Parish portions out details from Alex's past over the course of the novel, gradually painting a full picture of his quiet, highly competent thief's character and life. He's an interesting protagonist: calm and cool on the surface, but often in turmoil under the surface. He's not a James Bond-type character: he makes mistakes; while he is violence-averse (it's more efficient to avoid it), he can be ruthless when necessary. He's struggling with guilt over the long-ago death of his childhood best friend. When Diane walks into his life, this pain resurfaces. In fact, the ghosts of his past play a large role in the events in this novel.

After the initial heist, events inevitably spiral out of Alex's and his crew's control. Despite his desire to leave his life of crime behind, as well as a strong new desire to make a real life for himself -- one with a family, stability, and a lack of danger -- he is drawn into an even more dangerous job, one he cannot refuse, and one with potentially deadly consequences for his family and friends. No matter how honourable he may try to be, no matter how much he wants to go legit, the world he inhabits has little time for such concerns.

Parish is a very good writer. The novel moves along at a very good clip, but never felt rushed. Maybe some of the ending could have been slowed down a little bit, but given what was happening I doubt anyone would have slowed down their reading -- I zipped through Love and Theft in just a couple of sittings. The characters are very well drawn, and their lives and interactions are engaging and interesting throughout. Learning about Alex's past was interesting, and especially his less-than-smooth entry into a life of (high) crime. His budding relationship with Diane was very well done, too -- it's both hesitant and urgent, sweet and confounding.

A very good crime novel, and one that is as interested in the characters as it is the action. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys crime fiction, and also fans of movies like Ocean's Eleven, The Italian Job, and Heist. Clever, well-written, and with intense action, this ticked a lot of boxes for me.

This was a bit so-so/hit and miss for me. It sounded right up my street from the sypnosis, however I found it was very rushy rushy in the beginning, in the sense that by only a few chapters in, I already knew everyone. The remainder of the book just followed Alex and his wish to leave behind his criminal life.
Won't be recommending.

There were definitely interesting parts to this story, but it felt a bit rushed and not fully fleshed for this many characters. Overall, a good read.

Thanks a lot to NG and the publisher for this copy.

Stan Parish's edgy and vibrant heist thriller has a cinematic and colourful feel to it, with a compelling central protagonist in 41 year old Alex Cassidy, a professional thief who undertakes highly lucrative heists with his regular crew, hitting the likes of casinos and jewellery stores. So far he has been remarkably successful, little does he know it but his life is about take a far more seriously dangerous turn. The story opens with an audacious $22 million jewellery heist carried out by spectacularly skilful motorbike riders in Las Vegas. There is an incredibly tense moment when a young boy, mesmerised by the motorbikes, inadvertently ends up filming the heist on his mobile phone, and when an attempt is made to grab the phone by the gang, his terrified mother manages to get a hold of him, snatching him out of danger.

The resulting video goes viral across all the media, pored over and becoming a regular conversation point for millions across the country and internationally, garnering the kind of publicity and notoriety that Alex could do without. No-one is identifiable from the video and Las Vegas Head of Robbery Detective Ramirez and FBI agent Dave Harris are left frustrated with no leads whatsoever, although their hopes rise when an unrelated arrest offers the possibility of closing in on the perpetrators. At a Princeton New Jersey party, overseen by a doctor, Alex meets beautiful 46 year old Diane Alison, who runs her own small catering company, something serious ignites between the two, so important that Alex is determined to drop all his criminal activities for good, for love and family. However, it emerges that Alex and Diane have met previously years ago, an instrumental encounter that is to have repercussions in the present.

When Alex and Diane's children, Paola and Tom, are threatened, Alex is forced to carry out another impossible heist in Spain, only to discover there is more to Diane than he could ever have imagined. Parish writes an intense and suspenseful thriller, full of twists and turns, located in Las Vegas, New Jersey, Mexico and Spain. The narrative goes back and forth in time to Alex's childhood, his closely forged relationship with his buddy, Clay, and the shaping of his future career under the tutelage of his trusted friend and advisor, Maricel and her husband, Robert. A highly entertaining and intriguing read of crime, loss, friendship, family and betrayal, depicting just how far someone will go to protect their own and fight for love. Many thanks to Faber and Faber for an ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and Faber and Faber Ltd for the arc of Love and Theft by Stan Parish.

This follows Alex whom ends up meeting Diane and there is very a strong connections and spark between them. They are single parents whom are living wealthy suburbia, they are solely independent, capable, and very settled in their own lives easily. Diane whom has her very own successful business within the catering industry whereas Alex is a rough one who is a down right big thief in whom likes to rob very successful and wealthy places like casinos, banks and even jewelry stores. alike. They immediately are into each other, but shocking thing is that
neither of them in whom realizes they have actually crossed lives before but whom and which it is , under unsafe and threatening circumstances. Then things start to go wrong in which Alex's biggest job ends up going very bad to in which the children lives are actually at danger..... Alex is then pushed into pulling off one very last astounding international Jobs in specific order in which is to save his own family from grave danger. Then he ends up realising that Diane also has very dark secrets to! he has found his deadly match of all...

This was a 4 star read for me I loved the way in which it was written with all the twists, turns, mysteries and dark secrets, it had me gripped from page 1 and I read this within 1 day

recommend
4 stars

I am rather disappointed with "Love and Theft". It is advertised as "high-octane" with a "charismatic" hero, "the next great American crime novelist" ... I found it to be moderately interesting and exciting, but populated mainly with a "cast" of either unpleasant or at best unlikeable characters. It seemed to me to be in a hurry too, with short paragraphs urging the reader forward, but then interspersed with descriptions of Mexican beach parties and the antics of the younger characters which to me didn't develop the story one bit.

I didn't dislike the book but nor did I enjoy it particularly. Having said that I can easily imagine it being made into a smart and glossy film with a George Clooney-like male lead.

My thanks to NetGalley and Faber & Faber for the ARC.