<I>The Perfect Scam</I> had an (almost) perfect plot that had so much potential but didn't quite deliver a full punch for me. Eliot is a former mobster who fakes his death and focuses on remaining a low-profile businessman in France. When he witnesses a crime in progress at a party, he knows walking away is his best option for staying off the radar of the crime lord that he double-crossed, but instead he goes to investigate and discovers Ada emptying a safe. A two-faced character herself, Ada is not just a burglar by night, she's an Interpol investigator by day. When the owner of the safe is found dead, the two team up to investigate the murder themselves -- with sparks flying between them along the way.

While this book had many elements I enjoyed, including dual POVs, some romantic tension, and of course a solid whodunit, I found it more difficult to get into the voice and flow of the story than I hoped. In truth, some of this may be on me, as I'm not much of an e-reader, and struggle with that format a bit. Definitely if this sounds up your alley, I recommend giving it a go just to see!

Many thanks to NetGalley, Crimson House Books, and Susanna Shore for providing a copy of this book for review.

A former mafia employee has successfully escaped his former life. Or so he thinks. He simply has to remain hidden but this all changes when he meets a cat burglar with a double life.

Eliot witnesses a crime in progress and instead of walking away quickly he walks towards to investigate. Before he knows it he is enmeshed in a deception and investigation that crosses borders and has to work alongside the aforementioned cat burglar. But do things go to plan? Of course not!

It’s a fun novel, with likeable characters and a great read!

A light, fun read that won't challenge but won't bore you. Yes, some parts are a little predictable, and yes, on occasion you will roll your eyes at the slightly smug Elliot's actions, but overall a winner. Balancing serious, nasty crime with a 'gentleman burglar' feel isn't easy, but somehow the author makes it work.
I shall definitely be on the lookout for the next in the series.

Thank you Netgalley, Crimson House Books and Susanna Shore for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you're looking for a quick and easy mystery novel with a dash of romance, look no further, this book is it for you!
This dual POV narration is fluid, the story fast paced, the characters well written and developed! I love how the budding romance was slowly growing, all the while not taking too much space in the story, letting the mystery component its rightful center place!
And of course, the story is based in Lyon, France 🥰 I absolutely love this city and spent time there whenever I can, so it was a real pleasure for me to recognise the landmarks and neighbourhoods mentioned in the book ❤️
Will be keeping an eye out for book 2, I can't wait to see how the story will unfold!!

Chronique : (french review)
Si jamais vous souhaitez vous lancer dans une lecture VO simple, rapide et légère, ce roman est parfait pour vous !
Ce roman policier se concentre sur deux criminels qui résolvent une enquête de meurtre, avec humour et une touche de romance très bien dosée. L'histoire est très fluide et intrigante, les personnages bien écrits et développés, et bien sûr, la narration comporte les points de vue des deux personnages principaux, ce que j'adore tout particulièrement 😍
J'ai également eu mon petit moment "fierté française" étant donné que l'histoire se déroule majoritairement à Lyon. J'adore cette ville et j'ai adoré les moments que j'y ai passé ! Ce fût donc un plaisir pour moi de retrouver les monuments, les quartiers et les ruelles citées dans le livre 😍
En tout cas, j'ai hâte de livre le tome 2 de cette saga, et de voir comment l'histoire va se poursuivre !

Eliot Reed and Ava are interesting characters. Each has a secret life that no one knows about...until Eliot figures out Ava's secret life as a safe cracker. I like that the detectives become their friends. There is lots of action in the book that spikes the adrenaline. I thought the story was entertaining and held my interest. I look forward to the next book!

Thank you to NetGalley, Crimson House, and Ms. Shore for the opportunity to read an ARC of this title. An honest review was requested but not required.

I'm not familiar with this author's other works but it was clear to me that this wasn't a debut. Crime novels are really difficult to pull off well - there are SO many moving parts, and you are basically creating a plot within a plot - and Ms. Shore does a very creditable job here. I would say that the title is a bit misleading - neither Ms. (Ada) Reed nor Mr. (Elliot) Reed are perpetrating a scam, per se, but rather leading a double life and a new life, respectively. Both are on constant lookout against discovery. Somehow they also get embroiled in a murder case which threatens to expose them both.

It's clear that there is an attraction between Ada and Elliot and I was pleasantly surprised that Ms. Shore chose to draw it out rather than gratify readers with a relationship so early. It's not quite a will-they-won't they (they CLEARLY will) but more of a when?. The side characters were also good; Ada's friend Laïla Diab particularly compelling character who I hope sees more page time if the series is continued. The two Lyonnaise police officers, Bellamy and Gagne, were fun too; their roles in this particular narrative seem to be at an end but perhaps they will feature in future installments somehow as well.

There were a few spots in the story where the narrative dragged a bit due to so much detail, and a few times the dual POV was redundant as the reader got first Elliot's and then Ada's version of events (sometimes helpful, sometimes not) but overall this was a fun mystery and I would certainly seek out more of The Reed Files.

Eliot used to be a mobster. When he "died," he changed his appearance and his identity. Currently, he is living in France and keeping a low profile.
After being invited to a party in his building, he inadvertently catches a thief in the act of robbing the safe. The thief, Ada, turns out to work for Interpol (and be crooked as well.)
With more twists and turns, the pair end up befriending a pair of detectives and helping them solve a case that involves murder, drugs and more.
Opinion
This first book in the series will leave you excited for more yet mad you have to wait. The whole book is action packed and full of sexual tension between Eliot and Ada. This book reminds me of Janet Evanovich but with more action than flirting. I am super excited to read more and absolutely loved this one.
Many thanks to Net Galley and to Crimson House Books for providing me with an ARC of this book.

I was indeed fascinated by Eliot Reed and his encounter with a safecracker. It became even more interesting as Eliot's neighbor is found murdered in his apartment. This story offers the advantage of alternating POVs. So we are able to see that the safecracker works at Interpol and get her awareness of the events that occurred. Before this, she was married to a cop who faked his death during a robbery that their gang was pulling off. So at this point, she and Eliot have a lot at stake. Especially since he is hiding from both the Mafia and the cops and has gone to lots of trouble to avoid any attention. Neither is who they appear to be and if the police look too closely or the bad guys, they will both be in a lot of trouble. instead of running from trouble, they head into it to investigate the death of Eliot's neighbor, who is the guy Ada the Interpol investigator, robbed. It is a good read with some unexpected twists right at the beginning.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Net Galley for providing a free ebook ARC copy of this title in exchange for my review.

This was a quick, fast moving read. I"m not sure if it's what I expected or not, but it was fun!

The Perfect Scam is an action-packed, well-paced read. It follows the journey of Eliot Reed and Ada Reed (no relation), an unlikely pairing who navigate a mysterious death, slow-burn attraction and find themselves amongst the international crime league. I enjoyed reading the alternative points of view, which helped me decipher the pacing and plot. At times, too much detail made a few chapters drag on. The ending of every chapter was well done, as it sparked my curiosity to keep going. The end was a surprise cliffhanger, and I'll keep my eye out for the next book. A 3.5-star read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Crimson House Books for a review copy. This honest review is left voluntarily.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, from Crimson House Books and #NetGalley. Thank you for the opportunity to preview and review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.


Hard to put down. An advantage of alternating POVs, you have insight into characters. It's advantageous to be able to develop your opinion with that intel rather than just the MC, narrators POV.

I couldn’t put it down, although some chapters felt like they just dragged on with unneeded information. I’m a fan of alternating POVs so I enjoyed that we got to see how both of them were feeling and thinking throughout the book. The way this book ended although slightly rushed does have me interested in continuing this book series when they come out.