To catch a thief

Ilona Andrews, the author, is really a husband/wife writing team and I often wonder how that works. Does one do the plotting the other the writing? I have heard of other writing duos who trade off on the writing and of the ones I've known about, I thought it showed a bit. With the Andrews team the writing is so smooth, seamless and flowing I can't imagine that they are switching off. But perhaps they are just that good. Because however their process works, it does work.

Their latest is once again set in the worlds of The Edge. The Edge is the border land between the Broken, our version of the world with no magic, and the Weird, an alternate version of this world where magic dominates and technology does not work. The Egde borders both lands and thus allows for some use of magic and some use of technology. Amongst the inhabitants of the Edge are those who are able to move across the borders into both worlds. Audrey Callahan is just such a person.

Audrey grew up in a family of thieves and grifters. As an adult she has tried to leave that life behind and is thrilled to get a real job in the non-magical Broken. Her newfound contentment is short-lived. Audrey's father wants her to help with one last theft. Though she has no interest in putting her talents to work for her family ever again, Audrey eventually agrees but only when her father agrees that the family will never approach her again. Once the job is complete, Audrey breaths a sigh of relief and plans to move on. Enter Kaldar Mar.

Kaldar Mar is a gorgeous con man who is used to living by his wits and charm. His casual scamming has given way to a more serious purpose. Members of the Hand (sort of a para-military, spy type group) killed a bunch of Kaldar's family. He is determined to wipe out as many of he Hand as possible. To that end he has joined the Mirror (think the Hand but less villainous). The Mirror has an assignment for Kaldar; he is to find the thief who stole an important artifact and retrieve it at any cost. One guess as to who that thief is.

I know this all sounds pretty complicated if you're new to Ilona Andrews' worldbuilding, but not only do the authors excel at characterization and dialogue, they also know how to introduce you to their world. Certainly it's helpful if you've read the first two books set in this world (On the Edge and Bayou Moon) but it's not completely necessary, though I do recommend those as well.