Reviews for Fool me twice : a novel

Library Journal
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Lindsay, who entered post-Dexter territory last December by launching a new series starring ingratiating steal-from-the-0.1-percent Riley Wolfe, gives his protagonist another chance to play Robin Hood. Here, he's bagged a fantastic Fabergé egg.


Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

Riley Wolfe is a thief. And not just any thief. His targets are expensive, well guarded, and generally considered impossible to steal. In 2019's Just Watch Me, which introduced Riley to enthusiastic readers, he went after the Crown Jewels of Iran. Now, he's got an even tougher job: to steal a famous fresco—an image painted directly onto a wall—that just happens to be located in the Vatican. It's not Riley's idea: a big-time criminal has sort of, um, persuaded him to steal the fresco. But how does a guy make off with an actual wall from one of the most secure places in the world? And what will happen to him if he fails? Lindsay, creator of the serial killer Dexter Morgan, has created a character who, if not quite as darkly complex as Dexter, is certainly a highly watchable guy with a deep, wide streak of moral ambiguity. A rousing caper novel.


Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Peerless high-end thief Riley Wolfe agrees to steal a priceless artifact that literally can’t be stolen. And that’s only the beginning of his problems. Fearsome arms dealer Patrick Boniface can get anything he wants, and what he wants now that he’s abducted Riley is Raphael’s The Liberation of St. Peter, a fresco painted directly onto a wall in the Vatican. Of course, you can’t take the fresco without taking at least part of the wall, and as Riley notes, “I’m not Superman. I’m not even Deadpool.” But Boniface is unusually persuasive, and his torture-happy sidekick Bernadette even more so. No sooner has Riley agreed to try than he’s kidnapped from his kidnapper by Bailey Stone, a Perth-based rival of Boniface who demands that Riley pledge his allegiance to him instead. Uncertain who’ll be his patron when the dust clears, Riley goes to work, assisted by his friend Monique, a peerless forger, and Betty Dougherty (not her real name), an information professional with a serious grudge against Stone. Not to be outdone, Frank Delgado, the FBI special agent who gave Riley such a hard time in his debut, Just Watch Me (2019), deals in his Task Force for International Arms Regulation and Enforcement, and everyone hunkers down to spy on everyone else as they wait for Riley to pull off the impossible theft and then wriggle out of the consequences. A violent, featherweight caper for fans who wish movie theaters would open to show more Mission: Impossible sequels. Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.


Publishers Weekly
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In Lindsay’s intense sequel to 2019’s Just Watch Me, an ally’s betrayal leads to wisecracking master thief Riley Wolfe being forced to work for Patrick Boniface, “an arms dealer who scares the crap out of the other arms dealers.” Boniface, who’s also an art collector, wants Wolfe to steal Raphael’s Liberation of St. Peter, a fresco painted on a wall inside the Vatican. Wolfe agrees to this lunatic scheme in order to avoid being tortured by Boniface’s sadistic sidekick. To make matters worse, Wolfe’s meeting with Boniface comes to the attention of a rival crook, Bailey Stone, who abducts the thief and threatens to harm Wolfe’s love-interest, art forger Monique, unless he double crosses Boniface. Stone wants Wolfe to commit the theft, and then use the delivery of the fresco to Boniface as a cover for Stone and his team to kill Boniface. Meanwhile, Wolfe remains the quarry of a dogged FBI agent. Lindsay devises a satisfying plan for the impossible crime, and continues to make Wolfe, who has a violent side of his own, an intriguing protagonist. Only the solution is a bit of a letdown. Readers looking for a page-turner won’t be disappointed. Agent: Nick Ellison, Nicholas Ellison Agency. (Dec.)

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