Pretty Things

February 1, 2020
The daughter of a grifter plans to fund her mother's cancer treatment with a revenge con. Rich people suck, don't they? Nina Ross found this out in her adolescence, when her romance with Benny Liebling was broken up by his status-obsessed, old-money father, who found them screwing in the guest cottage of the family's Lake Tahoe estate. Back then, Nina had a future--but she's since followed her con-artist mother into the family business with the help of a handsome blue-eyed Irish confederate named Lachlan. "Here's my rule," Nina tells him. "Only people who have too much, and only people who deserve it." Of course, he agrees. "We take only what we need." With her art history background, Nina is usually able to target a few expensive antiques they can lift without the rich dopes even noticing they're gone. But now that Nina's mother is hovering at death's door without health insurance, she's going after the $1 million in cash Benny mentioned was in his father's safe all those years ago. So back to Lake Tahoe it is. The older Lieblings are dead, and Benny's in the bin, so it's his sister Vanessa Liebling who is the target of the complicated caper. Vanessa is a terribly annoying character--"I couldn't tell you how I went from a few dozen Instagram followers to a half-million. One day, you're uploading photos of your dog wearing sunglasses; and the next you're begin flown to Coachella on a private jet with four other social media It Girls..."--but, in fact, you'll hate everyone in this book. That is surely Brown's (Watch Me Disappear, 2017, etc.) intention as she's the one making them natter on this way. She also makes them vomit much more than is normal, whether it's because they're poisoning each other or because they're just so horrified by each other's behavior. Definitely stay to see how it all turns out. Why you double-crossing little double crossers! Fiendishly clever.

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February 17, 2020
In this mixed heist tale, Brown (Watch Me Disappear) pits two con artists against a socialite, but a shared history makes their job messier than usual. Nina and her boyfriend Lachlan prey on Los Angeles’s young, careless, and wealthy, taking largely unmissed goods from their homes that can be resold for small fortunes. When Nina’s mom learns that her cancer has returned and the police turn up investigating Nina and Lachlan’s crime spree, the couple decide to leave town and take a swing at an instant payday—the $1 million Nina knows is in a safe in the Lake Tahoe mansion of her ex-boyfriend, Benny, which is currently occupied by his Instagram-influencer sister, Vanessa. But their efforts to scam Vanessa turn up more surprises than they expected, and Nina’s attempts to hide her identity blow up. Despite a catchy opening, the stakes fade and the narrative flags during Nina and Lachlan’s overlong ruse, and long flashbacks and shifts in perspective drag out what quickly becomes a predictable storyline. There’s promise here, but many readers will find their interest waning.

April 10, 2020

Brown's fourth novel (after Watch Me Disappear) is a riveting tale of secrets and deception. Nina Ross is a grifter, following in her con artist mother's footsteps after her bright future failed to materialize. Vanessa Liebling is beautiful and rich, and a top Instagram influencer. She is also the older sister of Nina's teenage boyfriend Benny, a relationship that was shattered by his bullying father, setting Nina and her mother on the move again. A decade later, their lives are brought together by Nina's biggest con yet--the prospect of revenge only adds spice to her plans. But when Nina's new boyfriend and coconspirator Lachlan changes the plan, Vanessa and Nina become reluctant partners in a fight for their respective freedoms. Moving back and forth between Nina and Vanessa's perspectives, the story is a slow burn that comes to an explosive conclusion. VERDICT With flawless suspense, masterly storytelling, and a plot that hits all the notes of our Instagram world perfectly, this novel is a must-read. Recommended for readers of Miranda Beverly-Whittemore's Bittersweet or Kathleen Barber's Follow Me. [See Prepub Alert, 10/14/19.]--Melanie Kindrachuk, Stratford P.L., Ont.

Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from March 1, 2020
Nina thought she'd be able to break the cycle, but the lure of easy money was too strong. She learned how to hustle from her mother, Lily, a former Vegas barfly, and her crafty Irish boyfriend, Lachlan. Using Instagram to profile potential marks, usually those with a penchant for partying, lengthy travel itineraries, and houses full of antiques, Nina would befriend the upper crust at the latest LA hotspot, case their houses for valuables, and swoop in with a moving truck at the most opportune time. Nina convinced herself that she was doing a small amount of good in the world?these people were unimaginably wealthy, and the funds helped pay for Lily's cancer treatments. When Nina finds an opportunity to embed herself in the life of a wealthy childhood acquaintance, it has the potential to be the biggest con she's ever pulled. But all the careful planning in the world can't account for chaos. Brown (Watch Me Disappear, 2017) offers a glittering, high-stakes drama, stacking childhood nostalgia against the power to reinvent oneself in the age of social media. Packed with plot twists, this casts a deep spell for fans of the 2013 book-turned-film The Bling Ring.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)