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Heist #1
Heist
Jack Brodie has a sixth sense that someone has been watching him. Following him.
One night he travels back in time to one of the world’s largest art heists, the Gardner Museum Heist. Why that one moment in time? And what does it mean for Jack?
When he returns, his world is different. His best friend is rougher, meaner. His dad hasn’t been around in years. And then there’s Jetta. The girl who took over his heart the moment she stepped into his life. No one is safe.
Each time Jack goes back to the heist to fix his mistakes, he returns to face the fallout. Disaster strikes in the present until Jack must make a choice. His family and his own happiness. Or the girl he loves. Except, he learns that his sixth sense was right.
Someone has been watching him and wants him dead.
One night he travels back in time to one of the world’s largest art heists, the Gardner Museum Heist. Why that one moment in time? And what does it mean for Jack?
When he returns, his world is different. His best friend is rougher, meaner. His dad hasn’t been around in years. And then there’s Jetta. The girl who took over his heart the moment she stepped into his life. No one is safe.
Each time Jack goes back to the heist to fix his mistakes, he returns to face the fallout. Disaster strikes in the present until Jack must make a choice. His family and his own happiness. Or the girl he loves. Except, he learns that his sixth sense was right.
Someone has been watching him and wants him dead.
- GenresMysteryAmazonYoung Adult
310 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 11, 2013
77 people are currently reading
256 people want to read
About the author
Laura Pauling
49 books280 followersLaura writes about spies, murder, and mystery. She’s the author of the exciting Circle of Spies Series, the Prom Impossible Series, and the Heist time travel mystery series. She’s a former elementary teacher and currently lives in New England. After spending time reading books to her kids and loving a good plot turn, she put her fingers to the keyboard. Don’t ask her about the unfinished quilts and scrapbooks. Stories are way more exciting.
She writes to entertain and experience a great story…and to be able to work in her jammies and slippers.
The Holly Hart Cozy Mystery Series releases starting in May 2015!
She writes to entertain and experience a great story…and to be able to work in her jammies and slippers.
The Holly Hart Cozy Mystery Series releases starting in May 2015!
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
June 19, 2013
I was lucky enough to receive an advanced readers copy of this book. Pauling does a great job of creating an edgy time travel around the Gardner Museum Art Heist in Boston, with characters I really cared about and rooted for.
A Southie, named Jack Brodie, is certain his father is not the criminal everyone thinks he is. After a failed parole hearing, Jack is transported back to the Gardner Museum (via a painting) to the night of the theft. Realizing he has an opportunity to save his family from a lifetime of regret, Jack changes history.
But it doesn't work. Everything is worse.
He returns again, and again, in the vein of The Butterfly Effect, attempting to set everything right for his friends, his family and his girlfriend.
Full of hope and promise, HEIST is a story about love, life, and choices.
This book is suitable for readers 12 and up, due to language and mild violence.
A Southie, named Jack Brodie, is certain his father is not the criminal everyone thinks he is. After a failed parole hearing, Jack is transported back to the Gardner Museum (via a painting) to the night of the theft. Realizing he has an opportunity to save his family from a lifetime of regret, Jack changes history.
But it doesn't work. Everything is worse.
He returns again, and again, in the vein of The Butterfly Effect, attempting to set everything right for his friends, his family and his girlfriend.
Full of hope and promise, HEIST is a story about love, life, and choices.
This book is suitable for readers 12 and up, due to language and mild violence.
May 30, 2013
What an amazing ride this book was! I have to admit that the story started out confusing for me. But that just made me want to continue reading. I knew it would all make sense eventually, that's the way it is with time travel. I love the idea of time travel and the opportunity of going back in time to make a different decision in your life and having the opportunity of seeing how things change, for the good or the bad.
That's what happens to Jack. He doesn't understand at first that he is time traveling, things are just different. In trying to make his own life come out differently, he totally changes the lives of those around him. Should one really try to change the past?
I love this part. Words to live by?
'I know truth. No one is perfect. No life is perfect. Someone has it worse. Someone has it better. Take each day and enjoy.'
I thoroughly enjoyed HEIST and love the way the author wrote about the mystery of the Garner heist and wove art history into her story. Laura is a wonderful writer and I am excited to read more of her stories.
That's what happens to Jack. He doesn't understand at first that he is time traveling, things are just different. In trying to make his own life come out differently, he totally changes the lives of those around him. Should one really try to change the past?
I love this part. Words to live by?
'I know truth. No one is perfect. No life is perfect. Someone has it worse. Someone has it better. Take each day and enjoy.'
I thoroughly enjoyed HEIST and love the way the author wrote about the mystery of the Garner heist and wove art history into her story. Laura is a wonderful writer and I am excited to read more of her stories.
June 5, 2014
This was a quick read and I enjoyed it. It reminded me a little of the guy version of Before I Fall, by Lauren Oliver, except Jack is going back in time, and the Butterfly Effect (movie) in that his attempts to make things right don't work out. I was fascinated by the author's inspiration and the fact that it centered around a 1990 art theft from the Gardner Museum in Boston. I didn't know about the heist until I read this book.
July 16, 2013
This was such an interesting concept for a story. Based on the real life Gardner Museum heist, this time travel mystery kept me intrigued. There were so many possible endings—I couldn't quite figure out how it was going to end. Love the unpredictability. Great story!
February 6, 2025
If you had the choice to change your family's future, would you? Even if it meant you lost the girl of your dreams? Even if your friends completely changed?
Jack has to make that decision, to try and save his Dad but it will cost him Jetta.
Jack has to make that decision, to try and save his Dad but it will cost him Jetta.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 8, 2019
Enjoyable story!
Time travel and a heist.
The hero rewrites time and makes it worse with every time he changes something!
Novel plot and totally enjoyed the execution
Time travel and a heist.
The hero rewrites time and makes it worse with every time he changes something!
Novel plot and totally enjoyed the execution
September 2, 2016
When I saw the words "Gardner Heist" in the synopsis for the book, I snatched it up. Not just because it was a freebie, but because lost art is one of my absolute favorite topics EH-VER. Even though I don't typically read young adult novels, the subject matter was too fun to pass up.
The story revolves about Jack "Fiasco" Brody and his ability to time travel back to the past. He finds out that he has an awkward connection to the Gardner Heist, and continually starts traveling back in time to that night. Along the way, he's not only trying to change his past, but also save Jetta, a girl that he has quite the crush on.
This synopsis summarizes everything that is done well about the book, but it also had some serious faults, at least in my opinion. First, the good: Jack actually is changing the future every time he interacts with the past, which I really appreciated. Pauling covers multiple different scenarios where, when he returns to modern day, his life is drastically changed because of events he manipulated in the past. I also enjoyed that Jack is trying to discover and change both his past and Jetta's--he's not solely doing it to get a girl, nor is he doing it solely for himself.
As for the "meh" parts: The author seems to have skipped some transitional material in places--Jack is given food, and then a bite later he's finishing up. It just seemed immediately rushed in some places, including important points in the plot. There were times when I was confused as to how we got from Point A to Point B (with no time travel involved, I should add), in such a short amount of time. The entire time travel thing was a tad confusing in the beginning as well. Although the reason for the travel is explained quite well later in the story, before we know this meaning, it's very abrupt and random when Jack travels the first time. I could also nag about the major focus on the instaish-love between Jack and Jetta, as I didn't really enjoy that (it's called a "platonic friendship," people, come on, write it for once!), but I did expect that, this being a YA book and all.
Despite the fact that the book really didn't grab me until about half way through, I still enjoyed the story and the way that the author dealt with time travel in general. Plus, the whole heist part--if that wasn't involved, I may not have lasted for the entire book. I enjoyed it enough that I'll have to check out the sequel.
The story revolves about Jack "Fiasco" Brody and his ability to time travel back to the past. He finds out that he has an awkward connection to the Gardner Heist, and continually starts traveling back in time to that night. Along the way, he's not only trying to change his past, but also save Jetta, a girl that he has quite the crush on.
This synopsis summarizes everything that is done well about the book, but it also had some serious faults, at least in my opinion. First, the good: Jack actually is changing the future every time he interacts with the past, which I really appreciated. Pauling covers multiple different scenarios where, when he returns to modern day, his life is drastically changed because of events he manipulated in the past. I also enjoyed that Jack is trying to discover and change both his past and Jetta's--he's not solely doing it to get a girl, nor is he doing it solely for himself.
As for the "meh" parts: The author seems to have skipped some transitional material in places--Jack is given food, and then a bite later he's finishing up. It just seemed immediately rushed in some places, including important points in the plot. There were times when I was confused as to how we got from Point A to Point B (with no time travel involved, I should add), in such a short amount of time. The entire time travel thing was a tad confusing in the beginning as well. Although the reason for the travel is explained quite well later in the story, before we know this meaning, it's very abrupt and random when Jack travels the first time. I could also nag about the major focus on the instaish-love between Jack and Jetta, as I didn't really enjoy that (it's called a "platonic friendship," people, come on, write it for once!), but I did expect that, this being a YA book and all.
Despite the fact that the book really didn't grab me until about half way through, I still enjoyed the story and the way that the author dealt with time travel in general. Plus, the whole heist part--if that wasn't involved, I may not have lasted for the entire book. I enjoyed it enough that I'll have to check out the sequel.
August 19, 2015
In the early hours of March 18, 1990, two men entered the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum dressed as policemen. They tied up the two guards and proceeded to steal over $500,000,000 worth of paintings and other artwork. The perpetrators were never caught.
Using this crime for its backdrop, Heist is the story of Jack Brodie and his attempts to free his father from jail. It’s like Groundhog Day, but instead of the self-centered weatherman, we have a self-centered thief. Jack’s father is up for parole. Things have been terrible since he was arrested; his mother has turned into a cranky, lifeless person and Jack still thinks that his father is innocent. At the courthouse, Jack meets Frank who tells him that only he can help his dad. That’s when Jack learns that he can time travel by looking at paintings. He wants to learn all he can about his Dad and try to keep him from going to jail. Then everything will be alright again.
Jack meets new kid Jetta. Jac’s mom wants him to walk her to school since parts of where they live in Boston can be treacherous. She’s an artist, and though she’s brand new, she has entered an art contest near the museum. He goes, and with shock, sees Jetta being forcibly taken away in a Mercedes by an elderly woman. What’s the story there?
As Jack tries over and over to “fix” everything, he realizes that he can’t – not without making someone else suffer. So now he has to choose between what he wants – and what’s right.
Obviously the author has great love for the city of Boston as well as its most infamous art crime. It’s a tale about learning to leave well enough alone. About understanding that no one is perfect, no matter what you want to believe. I am just not sure if adding in the element of time travel does anything for the story other than making me think of Bill Murray. I don’t feel like I got to know any one version of anybody enough to decide if I even liked them or felt anything about them. Hearing the same story over and over only served to make me tired of the tale.
Heist by Laura Pauling was published March 12, 2015 by Smashwords. I bought this from Google Play Books.
Rating: 2.5
Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction Fantasy Action/Adventure Mystery Thriller Series
Ages: 13 and up
Using this crime for its backdrop, Heist is the story of Jack Brodie and his attempts to free his father from jail. It’s like Groundhog Day, but instead of the self-centered weatherman, we have a self-centered thief. Jack’s father is up for parole. Things have been terrible since he was arrested; his mother has turned into a cranky, lifeless person and Jack still thinks that his father is innocent. At the courthouse, Jack meets Frank who tells him that only he can help his dad. That’s when Jack learns that he can time travel by looking at paintings. He wants to learn all he can about his Dad and try to keep him from going to jail. Then everything will be alright again.
Jack meets new kid Jetta. Jac’s mom wants him to walk her to school since parts of where they live in Boston can be treacherous. She’s an artist, and though she’s brand new, she has entered an art contest near the museum. He goes, and with shock, sees Jetta being forcibly taken away in a Mercedes by an elderly woman. What’s the story there?
As Jack tries over and over to “fix” everything, he realizes that he can’t – not without making someone else suffer. So now he has to choose between what he wants – and what’s right.
Obviously the author has great love for the city of Boston as well as its most infamous art crime. It’s a tale about learning to leave well enough alone. About understanding that no one is perfect, no matter what you want to believe. I am just not sure if adding in the element of time travel does anything for the story other than making me think of Bill Murray. I don’t feel like I got to know any one version of anybody enough to decide if I even liked them or felt anything about them. Hearing the same story over and over only served to make me tired of the tale.
Heist by Laura Pauling was published March 12, 2015 by Smashwords. I bought this from Google Play Books.
Rating: 2.5
Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction Fantasy Action/Adventure Mystery Thriller Series
Ages: 13 and up
September 22, 2013
Jack Brodie, or Fiasco, the main character, is a young boy of sixteen with the weight of the world riding on his shoulders. He is trying to save his Dad who is in jail for being involved in the Gardner heist in 1990. But it is 2013. What can Jack do to fix his Dad’s past mistakes? Jack has a unique ability to time travel through the art itself. It’s not enough he is going through the normal trauma of being a teenager, he’s also trying to get his Dad out of jail by time traveling, and each time he does his world is hurled into chaos. I’m not even sure how Laura Pauling pulled this off, but she did. What a ride. I was exhausted by the time I finished reading this plot turner. Good read. I recommend this book to all readers of every age.
February 8, 2016
2 1/2 stars.
This is a quick and easy read. I did enjoy the plot once it finally presented itself but I found some points trying to be made blurry and rushed. I got really excited with some of the plot twists and turns but I personally found this book a little on the younger side of writing styles. I could definitely see a preteen or younger teen really enjoying it. I'd have to say the ending was the best part of it. It was hopeful. And I'm always a sucker for some hope.
This is a quick and easy read. I did enjoy the plot once it finally presented itself but I found some points trying to be made blurry and rushed. I got really excited with some of the plot twists and turns but I personally found this book a little on the younger side of writing styles. I could definitely see a preteen or younger teen really enjoying it. I'd have to say the ending was the best part of it. It was hopeful. And I'm always a sucker for some hope.
January 24, 2014
I LOVED this book! It's a little darker than the author normally writes, but I was swept into the story and couldn't put it down. Great characters, plotting that, even though it repeats because the main character keeps traveling back in time to right wrongs, never seems like I've read it before or gets boring. Put this one on your list!
December 7, 2015
One of the most boring and lame stories I've ever read in my life. Definitely the worse time travel book by soooooooo much. I'm sorry to have wasted my time on the piece of crap, and if it hadn't been for needing it for a challenge, I wouldn't have made it past 3%. Awful!
September 11, 2014
This was one of my favorite stories to write! :) I love time travel and dealing with the consequences of messing with the past for good or bad!
Read
June 24, 2014Fun time travel story with enough twists to keep your head spinning!
August 29, 2015
Interesting concept, relatively good writing. Shame about the main character.
November 1, 2015
"Disappointing"
Utterly confusing, with the time shifts. A very difficult read generally.
Utterly confusing, with the time shifts. A very difficult read generally.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews