Review: How to Steal a Galaxy

How to Steal a Galaxy by Beth Revis
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Ada Lamarr is that stock character, the bounty hunter with a heart and integrity - think Hans Solo. A former inhabitant of Sol-Earth which is now almost uninhabitable.

The book opens after her last heist, to steal a prototype nanobot which the government intends to let loose on Earth. The nanobots are designed to clean up the polluted waters, however after Ada delivers the prototype her contact informs her that there is a secondary programme which is definitely not altruistic in nature. They need her to make contact with a government operative, Rian White, who has been shepherding the plans to release the nanobots through to delivery, without knowing that they are a Trojan Horse.

Ada's contact arranges for her to attend a swanky ball at the Museum of Intergalactic History on Rigel-Earth where the gazillionaire mogul Strom Fetor (think Elon Musk) is going to announce the launch of the nanobots and claim credit for saving Sol-Earth, whereas he is actually going to be holding the planet to ransom - very similar to what he did with the radiation sickness vaccine which he sold for exorbitant prices and thereby caused the unnecessary deaths and suffering of millions. Whew that was a long sentence. Rian will supervising security at the event where many priceless Earth artifacts will be auctioned off to raise funds to save Earth.

Think Ocean's Eleven (and any of the sequels) scenario. Misdirection, multiple players, multiple goals. Or maybe the film Out of Sight with George Clooney as the thief and Jennifer Lopez as the cop pursuing him.

I think I could have enjoyed this. However, this book is definitely part two. I felt I had missed out by not having read the first book as there was no real context for the love/hate relationship between Ada and Rian. Also, the story ends on a bit of a cliff-hanger, not in a 'are they alive or dead?' kind of way, but more in a 'and what happens next?' way.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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