Just Watch Me
by Jeff Lindsay
A masterful thief plots an impossible crime—stealing the Iranian Crown Jewels.
From the author of the wildly successful Dexter series comes a new, mesmerizing bad guy we can root for: Riley Wolfe. He’s a master thief, expert at disguise, and not averse to violence when it’s needed. It’s no accident, though, that Riley targets the wealthiest 0.1 percent and is willing to kill them when they’re in his way: he despises the degenerate and immoral rich and loves stealing their undeserved and unearned valuables.
In this series launch, Riley aims for an extraordinary target in a heist that will make history. Riley will try to steal the Crown Jewels of Iran. Yes, these jewels are worth billions, but the true attraction for grabbing them comes down to one simple fact: it can’t be done. Stealing these jewels is absolutely impossible. The collection is guarded by space-age electronics and two teams of heavily armed mercenaries. No one could even think of getting past the airtight security and hope to get away alive, let alone with even a single diamond from the Imperial Collection.
No one but Riley Wolfe. He’s always liked a challenge.
But this challenge may be more than even he can handle. Aside from the impenetrable security, Riley is also pursued by a brilliant and relentless cop who is barely a step behind him.
With the aid of his sometime ally, a beautiful woman who is a master art forger, Riley Wolfe goes for the prize that will either make him a legend—or, more likely, leave him dead.
Momma Says: 2 stars⭐⭐
A new book by the author of the Dexter series? Absolutely, sign me up. Now, before I get into my thoughts on Just Watch Me, let me add that I haven't read the Dexter series, but I enjoyed the television series quite a lot. So, I suppose Riley Wolfe is supposed to be to thieves what Dexter was to serial killers? If so, something got lost in the translation for me because I didn't find anything likable about Riley. He is stealing from the rich and powerful who didn't exactly earn their money honestly, but I can't really say the same for the caper he's planning in this book. Nope, this is just because he's bored and wants a challenge, so why not attempt to steal the unstealable? Riley's talent for thievery reminds me a little of Neil from White Collar except for one thing - Neil was likable. Riley just isn't. Not even a little bit. Now, I have no problem with an unlikable main character, but I didn't find any of the characters in this one particularly likable. It's quite possible that I'm comparing apples to oranges with this book and the Dexter series, but if that's so, maybe it shouldn't have been used in the blurb. We're promised "a new, mesmerizing bad guy we can root for," and I didn't find that here.
As far as the storyline and writing style, Just Watch Me starts off well enough, and it certainly piqued my interest with the caper Riley pulls off. Sadly, it fizzled from there with some serious lags in the story. The dialogue is often stilted with way too many dialogue tags. The "he said" "she said" after almost every line in conversation was repetitive and tedious, especially when only two people were talking. In the end, this one left me underwhelmed at best, and with the lags in the story, I had a really hard time getting through it. With that, I think it's safe to say that I won't be continuing with the series.
A new book by the author of the Dexter series? Absolutely, sign me up. Now, before I get into my thoughts on Just Watch Me, let me add that I haven't read the Dexter series, but I enjoyed the television series quite a lot. So, I suppose Riley Wolfe is supposed to be to thieves what Dexter was to serial killers? If so, something got lost in the translation for me because I didn't find anything likable about Riley. He is stealing from the rich and powerful who didn't exactly earn their money honestly, but I can't really say the same for the caper he's planning in this book. Nope, this is just because he's bored and wants a challenge, so why not attempt to steal the unstealable? Riley's talent for thievery reminds me a little of Neil from White Collar except for one thing - Neil was likable. Riley just isn't. Not even a little bit. Now, I have no problem with an unlikable main character, but I didn't find any of the characters in this one particularly likable. It's quite possible that I'm comparing apples to oranges with this book and the Dexter series, but if that's so, maybe it shouldn't have been used in the blurb. We're promised "a new, mesmerizing bad guy we can root for," and I didn't find that here.
As far as the storyline and writing style, Just Watch Me starts off well enough, and it certainly piqued my interest with the caper Riley pulls off. Sadly, it fizzled from there with some serious lags in the story. The dialogue is often stilted with way too many dialogue tags. The "he said" "she said" after almost every line in conversation was repetitive and tedious, especially when only two people were talking. In the end, this one left me underwhelmed at best, and with the lags in the story, I had a really hard time getting through it. With that, I think it's safe to say that I won't be continuing with the series.
❃❃ARC provided by NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Dutton
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