The Lies of Locke Lamora

"Richer and cleverer than everyone else!"

That's the cry of the Gentleman Bastards, in The Lies of Locke Lamora by debut author Scott Lynch.

Lies is the first volume in a planned seven book series called the Gentleman Bastards.

Set in the canal city of Camorr, Lies is part Oliver Twist, part heist movie and is as fun of a romp as you could want to read. The prologue starts with our young protagonist, Locke, being sold from one gang of thieves into another where he is trained into adulthood where most of the story takes place. Scott uses interludes between the present day chapters to tell more of the backstory of the Gentlemen Bastards. Its a toll he uses very well, at least for the first 3/4 of the book. The flashbacks set up action in the present with a wonderful sense of timing and flair. However, the last few interludes, are not flashbacks, but more history lessons, and while they were informative, they felt a bit out of place to me.

While some of the plot elements are fairly standard, the way they are executed keeps them from seeming cliche. In fact and exciting as the plot was, I don't think its the best part of the book. Its the dialogue that I fell in love with, the witty banter that brings to mind some of the best I've ever read, like GRRM's Tyrion Lannister. The thief with the heart of gold would be all to easy of a trap for Lynch to fall into, but he manages to avoid all pitfalls, and deliver a book that should be heralded as a classic of the genre twenty years down the road.

I loved this book, it has all I could want, action, drama, suspense, plot twist, fun characters, witty dialogue. Do me a favor, do yourself a favor, read this book. Buy it now. If you cant buy it, beg borrow or steal it. The Crooked Warden will reward you. :p

9.5 out of 10