The book opens in the city of Camorr, a Venice-like labyrinth of deceit, splendor, and luxury. Locke Lamora is known as the Thorn, one of the best con men in a city full of them. Stability is maintained by the Secret Peace, an agreement between the city's law enforcement and its powerful mafia network. When a mysterious figure known as the Grey King starts murdering important capos, Locke and his gang, known as the Gentleman Bastards, have to drop their current con--their biggest one yet--to investigate what's going on. Everyone wants their revenge: the question is who's going to come up on top.
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As Locke and Jean get closer to the truth, they discover that it's not just the capos and mafia the Grey King is after; it's nearly everyone in the city. They spend the back half of the book trying to stay one step ahead of their mystery enemy, but they may have to sacrifice more they're willing to win this cat and mouse game. The book revs up its pace through a final series of (spoilery) character reveals and wraps up in a thrilling showdown between Locke and the Grey King.
Best part of story, including ending:
The world building is outstanding, well thought out, and clever. Lynch gives this story a lot more character work than many other books in this genre.
Best scene in story:
SPOILER ALERT: The scene where the Camorri nobles realize that Locke has sunk all their money to the bottom of the harbor as a death offering for his friends. It both fits the tone of a book all about con men and provides a gut wrenching emotional moment.
Opinion about the main character:
He could easily fall into the trap of being an unsympathetic, flawless genius lead, but instead his virtues feed into his mistakes.
