When a criminally-minded teen meets the law, prepare for a showdown…and a lot of explosions.
Book: Phantom Thief (A.K.A. Simon Lee #1)
Author: P.D. Atkerson
Genre: Young Adult Suspense
ABOUT the Book:
Lee is known as many things. A con artist, master thief, and most times smarter than anyone else in the room. One thing he’ll never be is normal. He never has been, nor will he ever be.
That’s why the agency needs his help, and that’s why he’ll give it to them, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have his own plans too.
Joining up with the team that arrested him won’t be easy, but he’ll do anything to bring down the man who ruined his life. After he’s worn so many faces, how does he really know who he is underneath?
Most teenagers have hobbies, his is crime.
Rating:
5 Stars
Review:
Phantom Thief is set in a genre I don’t typically read (spy work/thriller), but this book may make me reconsider that. It is also an example of how you can have a solid story with no profanity, extreme violence and gore, and sex, and still have plenty of action to keep you on the edge of your seat.
The Plot
Very intriguing. I’m not investigatory-minded, so it kept me guessing. I definitely did not see some of the twists coming. The thought and detail put into it really shines through and as a fellow author, I couldn’t imagine trying to keep all of it straight. But, somehow, Atkerson easily achieved that.
Settings
Can’t say much without giving away the plot, but they were nicely done.
Characters
I think Simon Lee–oh, excuse me, Phantom Thief is one of the most multi-faceted characters I’ve read in a while. Mysterious, master snoop, snarky, and a child in an adult’s setting (I know, I know, he’s no mere child–but let’s all admit he’s fifteen. He’s a kid.). The others were interesting as well. I guessed one-point-five characters’ real identities (kudos for me because that doesn’t happen often) but not the rest.
Faith
Not a ton of it, but what there was proved to be impactful. I believe it will increase as the series goes on, if I’m reading it correctly.
Content Warning
Fights, injuries, and explosions, none of which are gratuitous. Lies, lots of stepping-around-the-subject, and tempers lost, though it’s not portrayed as a good thing. Overall, it’s a clean read with clean action that I think most ages can comfortably read.
Conclusion
Phantom Thief is an interesting story able to be read by most ages. Atkerson’s bio says she has a black belt in sarcasm; I think her characters do too.
This was a fun read that will keep you snickering at the humor and anxiously awaiting to see what happens next.
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed therein are my own.
days pass and the dragon grows, Eragon fears the attention it will draw. But is the attention of simple townspeople all he should fear? 
Madi's Musings 