Book Review - The Lies of Locke Lamora, by Scott Lynch

Title: The Lies of Locke Lamora
Author: Scott Lynch
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 5 out of 5 clever plots

The Lies of Locke Lamora (which I will now refer to simply as Lies), by Scott Lynch, tells the tale of Locke and his group of Gentlemen Bastards: con artists, masters of disguise, and all around likeable rogues. Lies outlines their plot to dupe some of the most wealthy nobles out of their money, and the complications that arise when they become the target of a dark plot take over the city.

Lies is extremely well-written. The main plot is broken up by chapters outlining Lamora's past and how he became the daring confidence man that he is. The past and the present interweave to make a story that is both very complex and easy to read.

The things that Locke Lamora comes up with in order to steal from the upper class are great, but some of the most fun parts to read are what he does when things do not go his way. Caught off guard, Locke Lamora & Co. are spontaneous and hilarious. One of the best aspects of these characters is that they aren't perfect and that their plans don't always work out like they planned. Because of this, the reader never knows what to expect.

The characters in Lies are extremely complex. They evoke a broad range of emotions, and there are always new things to learn about them. Although the plot is amazing, it is really the characters that keep the reader going.

The only problem with Lies, in my opinion, is the lack of a well developed antagonist. Yes, there is a "bad guy", but we never learn much about him (other than that we should not like him). While some authors can get away with this, the fact that Lynch obviously spent so much time making his protagonists multi-dimensional makes this reader feel let down by the comparatively flat evil doer.

The Lies of Locke Lamora is a wonderful story of fantasy, intrigue, and adventure, and is definitely worth the read!

5 out of 5 clever plots!