Book Review: The Lies of Locke Lamora

Book Review: The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch

Disclaimer:  I received this book in a Goodreads giveaway on the premise that I would review it.

Locke Lamora is a con artist and thief living in the city of Camorr, a sort of fantasy version of Venice strongly influenced by Dickens and Machiavelli, and probably named after the Camorra, a real-life Italian organized crime group.  Orphaned…presumably…at a young age, Locke learned thieving early on, and took to it well.  He has his own gang, the Gentleman Bastards, and they are secretly far more successful than they’ve been letting on to Capa Barsavi, the local crimelord.

The Gentleman Bastards are in the middle of a really big scam when their plans collide with other plotters, one of whom is willing to do the unthinkable in order to achieve their goal.  Tragedy ensues, and Locke must scheme faster and meaner than ever before if he is to survive, let alone come out ahead.

This book doesn’t have any likable characters, though a few are somewhat sympathetic or act for a cause greater than themselves.  Locke’s one virtue is loyalty to his very small group of friends.  He also has a bottom line he won’t cross, which makes the person who will the villain of the story.  He and his compatriots are quite clever, however, which makes this a good caper story.

Trigger Warning: Torture is practiced by several characters, including Locke.

Due to much of the plotline being dependent on twists, it’s hard to be specific without being spoilery.   I did feel that one section towards the beginning was a bit padded.  We see a twist, then the reveal that it’s a con game, and then flash back to a long sequence of Locke and his gang preparing for this trick.   It didn’t establish much that wasn’t covered elsewhere in the book, and could have been cut, allowing the reader to figure out how it was done.

This is the first of seven planned books about Locke Lamora.  The second, Red Seas Under Red Skies, is already available, and the third, The Republic of Thieves, is scheduled for release in October.   (This giveaway was presumably to create buzz for that.)

The lack of characters I want to continue reading about really hurt the book in my opinion.  Others may find Locke more lovable.