In this thrilling steampunk fantasy that will have you on the edge of your seat, a young and clever thief must pull off a major heist with a life-changing prize.
Twelve-year-old Lira Angleson has only one goal: to become a Master Thief. If she’s successful, she’ll be the youngest in New York City’s Honorable Thieves Guild to accomplish it—an extraordinary feat. But when her final heist to earn the title goes wrong, she’s about to lose everything she’s worked so hard for. Desperate, she strikes a risky deal with the Guild’s Grandmaster: If she can complete an upcoming heist so dangerous that most thieves aren’t willing to try, he will grant her the coveted title. If she loses, she’s out of the guild forever.
There’s just one catch. Lira’s brother, William, famously known as the city’s greatest thief, has his own reasons for needing to win the prize. Can Lira outsmart her brother to snatch it first, or will the heist prove too deadly for either of them to pull off and survive?
What People are Saying:
“A twisty-turny, breakneck ride through a richly imagined steampunk New York City. Dark and immersive, the heart-pounding action will have young readers turning pages to the thrilling end.”
- Kate Albus, award-winning author of A Place to Hang the Moon“Cohen’s steampunk version of New York City is as intricately constructed as clockwork and will have readers longing to explore its edges. The Second Greatest Thief walks the tightrope of allowing readers to sympathize with a thief-in-training without glorifying a life of crime, all while exploring themes of grief, family, and friendship. This book will steal your heart!”
— Carolyn Leiloglou, award-winning author of The Restorationists series
“An instant classic. The Second Greatest Thief is a magical adventure with everything you want in a novel—brilliant characters, immersive world-building, plotting as intricate as clockwork, and storytelling that sings. I love a good heist and I couldn’t put this one down.”
— Emily Bain Murphy, USA Today bestselling author of the Lightseekers series“This is a wonderful book for middle school because the focus is on the young people in the story and how they perceive the world. I enjoyed the finely detailed characters and those who were more broadly portrayed. I could picture the priests and the mechanical creatures easily. I think this book will do very well upon publication and I am interested to know if there will be a sequel.”
— Magical Forest Bookstore Bookseller“An absorbing gem of a story set in a world so richly imagined, it will swallow readers whole.”
— N. D. Wilson, bestselling author of the 100 Cupboards trilogy