Indies Introduce

Young Adult

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  City of Saints and Thieves, Natalie Anderson
  G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, 9780399547584, January 10, 2017 (Young Adult)
  

  Tina does not exist. This is her express wish, as thieves who are seen are caught and Tina cannot afford to be so careless. She has a killer to catch. Thus we are introduced to the protagonist of Anderson’s thrilling City of Saints and Thieves, a novel set in the teeming and cacophonous Sangui City, Kenya. We discover that Tina’s mother was murdered and the culprit is Tina’s next target. But knowing who killed her mother does not prepare Tina for why, a revelation that will shape the rest of her life. Anderson’s ensemble of characters is dazzling in its scope and depth, a skill that is only exceeded by her crafting of Tina. Resourceful and loyal, Tina is a young woman burdened by the mantle of adulthood too soon who does whatever she must to outsmart her enemies, avenge her mother, and protect herself. This is a powerful narrative that explores human resilience and loyalty in the face of unspeakable oppression.

  Romy Griepp, Once Upon a Time (Montrose CA)
  
  

  City of Saints and Thieves is a taut, tense thriller that is equal parts The Count of Monte Cristo and Ocean’s Eleven. Anderson introduces us to Tina, a cunning thief on the streets of a city in contemporary Kenya divided by the harsh realities of an economy built on mobs and illegal labor. Straight from the outset, Tina takes her narrative firmly by the reins as she seeks vengeance for the wrongful death of her mother several years before. You will be left breathless by the twists and turns of this truly one-of-a-kind debut!

  Bill Grace, Buttonwood Books & Toys (Cohasset, MA)