The Fifth Bandit (ARC review – Now out) – Coming full circle

---

The following review is part of my being in the author’s review team, which ensures that you can read it before the book comes out. Or, in this case, on release day.

---

I hate, I hate, I hate saying goodbye! Be it to an actual human, to a pet, or to book characters. Like Gullum says: I hates it! Yet, goodbye is what it is with the Spider Heist crew, and Jason Kasper offers us a massive treat in this last of the series, with tons of action, moments of bated breath, “aww” moments, laughs, everything!

What the book is about

Synopsis:

The Fifth Bandit is the final installment of the electrifying Spider Heist Thrillers series by USA Today bestselling author Jason Kasper.

They’ve broken into safes and out of prison, but their greatest heist may be their last.

The Sky Thieves have conquered their worst enemy. Now they face an even greater threat: the ruthless mentor who brought him to power. Uncovering the mentor’s identity is their first step to staying out of jail and exercising their own personal brand of justice—by stealing from the mentor’s incalculable wealth.

But they aren’t the only ones looking for clues, as their new opponent activates a vast web of connections to hunt them down. The game is rigged against the Sky Thieves—until a last-minute partnership with an unlikely ally gives them the key to their enemy’s most valuable assets.

In the race to free themselves from a powerful opponent, the crew must undertake their most daunting heist yet…with their lives hanging in the balance.

Back where they began… somewhat

This was the Sky Thieves’ final heist, whether they wanted it to be or not.

Thoughts of Blair Morgan

If there is one thing to say about this last Spider Heist book, it is that, in a sense, it comes full circle with their last series of heists and how they come to them. Of course, I could say more, but it would mean spoilers, so you will have to read it to understand what I mean.

In the end, what changes is the villain, which had been hinted at in the previous book: the mysterious mentor, the mastermind behind all of Jim’s crooked schemes. Now that Jim has been arrested, only the mentor remained for Blair and Sterling to finally be free of the threats on their lives (and the money their death would bring anyone who would 86 them).

With their faithful crew at their side, and with a new addition to the team, will the Sky Thieves be able to pull it off with their lives intact?

There might a major change in their MO, by obligation, but the goal remains intact: a successful heist and staying alive and out of jail. However, in this case, the objective is also to bring the mentor down, in what is probably the most difficult heist they have ever pulled.

A crazy new narrative

Those familiar with the series know that the book has chapters from three different points of view: Blair, Sterling, and Jim. But with Jim out of the equation, a new character, Kristen, has been added to the narrative.

Who is she? I will summarise with this: a total crackpot. The billionaire has a whole room dedicated to the Sky Thieves in her house and is obsessed with a very specific colour: #ff0800.

A total crackpot, I tell you! And the more we read, the more we see the depth of her crazy, among other things.

Alec unleashed

I never made a mystery that the Bostonian is my favourite character of the series, and in this final book, Jason Kasper has completely unleashed him, much to everyone but the crew’s hilarity (everyone being the readers).

On top of it, Jason kept his word. He told me that he would add “kerfuffle” to Alec’s vocabulary and he did! I laughed so hard when I read that quote that it was almost shameful.

It’s one of my favorite pieces of grand nineteenth-century American slang, second only to “kerfuffle”.

Alec

I had seriously forgotten about that exchange we had until I read that quote. Cue immense hilarity. Thanks for this one, Jason!

My verdict

To say that I will miss the Spider Heist series is an understatement. I really, really loved that series, the fast-paced, nearly non-stop action, the characters, everything. But I understand why Jason Kasper has decided to make this one a final bow from my favourite thieves. As he said when he announced that The Fifth Bandit would be the last of the series, it was one extremely research-heavy one for him to write. And when you read each book, you realise how researched everything is. However, the finale is an extremely complete one that will leave the reader 100% satisfied.

A final and kerfuffle-free five stars!

---