If you like engaging historical mysteries with gorgeous period details, you’re in for a treat. Read on for my full review of An Artful Dodge!
The Synopsis
She’s stolen gems, purses, and hearts—but can she steal her life back from the ring of thieves that’s claimed it?
London, 1879: Twenty-year-old Kit Jimeson has fingers so nimble she can nick a necklace off a lady in a crowded theater without raising alarm. Kit and her dodge partner, Mary, are the highest earners in the notorious all-women thieving ring in South London’s Elephant and Castle district.
Kit, whose mother had been a thief before her, dreams of a different life, one where she’s not constantly on the lookout for constables and plainclothes detectives, and where a mistake or pure bad luck won’t land her in the hangman’s noose. She has been saving her earnings so her younger sister, a maid for a wealthy Mayfair family, might have a shot at respectability.
Kit is very close to leaving the life entirely when the legendary former thief Maggie O’Connell brings her plans to a halt. Beautiful, charismatic Maggie has returned to reclaim leadership of the ring after twenty years in a brutal Australian penal colony. But Maggie desires more than mere wealth or power: She longs for revenge against those who sent her away. Kit, with her quick mind and dangerously clever hands, is Maggie’s best weapon. If Kit wants to walk away with her life, she must carry out a heist that will demand every skill she possesses.
My Review
I have been a fan of Karen Odden’s books for years now (see my reviews of A Dangerous Duet and A Trace of Deceit), and even got a fellow LQer in on the fun (see Katie’s review of Under a Veiled Moon). And then when An Artful Dodge was next on my list to read, I was flipping through the month’s Booklist Reader magazine and found a mention it. I was so pumped to see that, because Karen’s books really are that good and she deserves that mention!
Suffice it to say I was really looking forward to reading An Artful Dodge, and it definitely did not disappoint.
I think what I like the most about Karen’s writing is the way she weaves the setting and meticulous period details into her mysteries. She’s got that balance just right of putting in the right amount of details but not going overboard so that they distract from the mystery. In fact, they add to it in the best kind of way by expanding the reader’s understanding of exactly what’s going on, what it looks like, and even how it feels.
I also love the author’s female main characters. They’re always scrappy and strong, but not in a way that’s obnoxious or overdone. In An Artful Dodge, Kit is trying so hard to just provide for her sister after their mother’s passing. It’s clear she’ll do a lot to to keep them above water, yet she still has her head on her shoulders and is smart with what she takes on.
And that’s…incredibly important when what you’re taking on is stealing jewelry and other goods for a woman-run crime ring.
At first, I wasn’t sure how I’d feel reading a story from the point of view of essentially a criminal, but as I got to know Kit, I I could empathize with her and her predicament. And as the mystery and tension grew, I was fully drawn into the story and didn’t want to set the book down.
And that little bit of budding romance that’s weaved into the story was *chef’s kiss.* I’m giving this one a 4.5!
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More About Me
- Review: An Artful Dodge by Karen Odden - August 3, 2026
- How to Get AI-Free Book Recommendations in 2026 - August 1, 2026
- Review: The Story Keeper by Kelly Rimmer - July 23, 2026