When I showed interest in this book, I thought I was getting a Young Adult version of this story. I was completely wrong, but I got my satisfaction from the childlike behavior of the main character, Grantchester "Duke" Ducaine, the young, best safecracker in the region and worst gambler ever. But understand that this book is complete with adult material. There's a lot of mob enforcement, bullets flying, and knife work throughout the story. The action was intense and satisfying to hear.

Even though I loved the characters and action sequences, I had mixed feelings about the story. Nothing memorable stood out to me. But still, it was a promising debut for DeRoy. The chapters were short and sweet, and the plot wasn't too political.

Thank you Union Square & Co and NetGalley for the digital review copy! Appreciate it!

“Duke” Ducaine was raised to be a thief. He was the best safecracker in the business until it all went wrong. Now his dad, who taught him everything, is in jail and his sister is in a coma after a job went bad. Duke’s been on the straight and narrow since then. He’s eking out a living as a locksmith, but he has debts to pay. His bookie is threatening to break his thumbs if Duke doesn’t come up with some cash fast. When Duke is approached by some sketchy feds looking for help breaking into an unbreakable safe and promising a big payday, he knows he shouldn’t take their offer. But the challenge and the money are too hard to resist. Duke might be opening a Pandora’s box of danger.

I love a good heist novel and this is a good one. Duke is a likable character. He’s a good guy who just happens to be a thief. Duke’s life has gone off the rails since the bad job that left his sister in a coma and he’s racked with guilt about that.

Kudos to author Jesse DeRoy on this first rate debut novel. The pace of story is pretty quick and it had a lot of twists and turns. There were flashbacks to Duke’s childhood and the job that went horribly wrong. The chapters helped round out Duke’s character and motivations. This is a good choice for readers looking for a crime caper novel featuring a smart and complex main character.

This is the first book in a series and I’m definitely looking forward to the next installment. Safecracker publishes on November 12. Don’t miss this one!

🔒Safecracker by Jesse Deroy. Publishing November 12th, 2024.

“Grantchester “Duke" Ducaine was born and raised a thief, so working the straight and narrow the last two years has felt like surfing without water. His dad is in the pen and his sister is . . . well, Duke doesn’t like to think about all of the things that are his fault. He’s got more pressing problems, like a bookie who wants to break his thumbs, and a couple of possibly shady Feds who want him to break into an unbreakable safe. When Duke agrees to take the job, thinking he might have the answer to his problems, he discovers that some things are best left unopened.” (Blurb)

Saw this book advertised on Netgalley and the cover and synopsis intrigued me. Good story. Engaging Characters. Funny at times, nail biting at others.
Perfect kind of book to read curled up on a comfy couch.

#books #booksaredeadly #booksaremylife #jessederoy #bookreviews #bookreview #YYT

Thank you for the opportunity to preview The Safecracker. Wow. Great debut. This is a well written fast paced novel about a crime family of safecrackers and thieves. Duke is the son of the family boss and A major error on a job cost his family dearly. But Duke has gone straight but that’s only true till he is offered a job too good to be true, an offer that is too hard to refuse.
The money and the possibility to make things right again are tempting to Duke. And although he has his doubts he takes the job and he soon finds himself in trouble with bad guys who will do anything to get what they want and Duke maybe just a pawn in this dangerous game. Great dialog and plot. Could be a series. 4 stars

Great read!! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one! This book had a bit of everything! It had great suspense, intrigue, action packed, murder, mystery, safe cracking, high end theft, and some crazy twists and turns! The storyline was very interesting and kept me glued to my kindle! I highly recommend reading this book! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!
Grantchester “Duke" Ducaine was born and raised a thief, so working the straight and narrow the last two years has felt like surfing without water. His dad is in the pen and his sister is . . . well, Duke doesn’t like to think about all of the things that are his fault. He’s got more pressing problems, like a bookie who wants to break his thumbs, and a couple of possibly shady Feds who want him to break into an unbreakable safe. When Duke agrees to take the job, thinking he might have the answer to his problems, he discovers that some things are best left unopened!