Squeak Thief

by Kyell Gold

While plotting a daring jewel heist, unexpected feelings turn a high-stakes caper into an even more risky game of hearts.

Genres: Fiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published July 5, 2024

About the author

Hi there! I am a writer of gay furry fiction--but you probably know that if you've seen my book listing here. I live in California with my husband Kit, and when I'm not writing, we like to go out to eat and watch movies. We travel a lot, too, mostly around the West Coast, but occasionally to the midwest and east.

I blog at http://www.kyellgold.com/wpblog about upcoming travel plans, upcoming books and news, general writing principles, gay rights, and whatever else seems interesting. And I co-host a podcast, called "Unsheathed," where we talk about the craft of writing and the furry fandom, sometimes at the same time.

If you have a question about any of the books, check the FAQ on my website and then ask away! :)

Reviews

[Piperpinemarten · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read a lot of Mr. Gold's works and this was another fun one to read. I'd describe it as a jolly jape (one of those books with some witty banter, fun character interaction, and a silly plot if you think about it too long).

This is a great book for a lazy day read, a read on vacation, or if you're looking for something frothy. I dont recommend reading it on the plane due to numerous sexual encounters in the novel (unless you're comfortable with reading that sort of romance on a plane, in which case have at it). Still this might be a fun read for you. I was left amused by the ending and craving more time with Kris and Bryce (though their story is done)

The concept for this novel is a heist movie (Oceans 8, The Sting, How to Steal a Million) style robbery of a necklace. It is very clear Kyell Gold likes the genre of the heist movie and he has put a lot of thought not just into how to pull off a clever heist, but also the mechanics of how this genre works and is effective.

The elements of a heist movie are: compelling characters, interesting set pieces, at least one double cross, and a clever theft of some object from a security system. Often the word you want to say during and after a heist movie is: clever. This genre depends on misdirection and unreliable narrators as its stock and trade. I think Kyell Gold pulls that off admirably with this story. What I also like is that he subverts the heist concept pulling it from its stylized and romanticized framing and setting it into a more realistic setting. The characters do not have plot armor, they are not geniuses with brilliant omnipotence, instead they are two regular men trying to pull of a daring plan.

I liked how the heist played out. Their various plans and adaptation of the two characters to problems. How Bryce and Kris balance each other’s weaknesses in their thieving and how they solve problems together and use that to become closer to each other. There was a fun propulsion to this story that was interesting but also an acidity to the often humorous situations the two get into. As the story slowly reveals why this particular item is being stolen and reveals more of the characters (a classic Kyell Gold story conceit played of well in this genre) I genuinely liked the antics.

As usual Kyell Gold's strength remains in how he writes interesting interplays between characters. Here we have Bryce and Kris, who are two of his more fun characters to spend time with, in a story. Both deeply flawed, both a little seedy, and both satisfyingly interesting. I genuinely did not want the story to end because I just wanted to spend more time with these two fellows and their back and forth.

It is an interesting dynamic to see two people you, as a reader know, are looking to hoodwink each other, but who you want to have a positive relationship at the end of the story. I think Mr. Gold delivers nicely on resolving those tensions and showing why they resolve. Kris and Bryce earn their ending even as their heist comes to its conclusion.

Gold does some interesting things with the heist genre and these characters exploring concepts of the contrasts between wealth and poverty, the way wealth insulates people from consequences, and the way people are shaped by their backgrounds and have to work to be authentic to themselves. Few heist movies are willing to be as seedy and scuzzy and here it works well to contrast scenes between anodyne wealth and grimy back alleys.

Overall a good read and I was left wanting to spend more time with the two protagonists at the end which says a lot about how well the characters landed for me.

[Michael Miele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Picked up this book on a whim since it’s been a minute for me reading something by Kyell Gold and I wanted to dip back into a book that was self-contained and not part of a wider series. Kris and Bryce have great chemistry and their back and forth relationship was a highlight of the book for me. I wasn’t sure at first if flipping the point of view the story is being told from was going to work, but I think Kyell uses it to good effect. I also enjoyed that the majority of the book was spent in gearing up for the heist itself. That helped it to feel more realistic as planning out a heist requires a lot of setup beforehand. That also allows us time to get to know Kris and Bryce, getting a feel for what each of them is trying to get out of this whole endeavor. There were a few plot beats that I was sure were going to come up later in the story that didn’t end up paying off, but that’s a small bit of criticism for an otherwise lovely read. If you’re in the mood for some heist planning with a dash of spice, I’d say to give this one a go.

[Cassius · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are two things that draw me to Kyell Gold's work: the way he crafts his characters, and the way he weaves their lives together. Whenever people give me the opportunity to gush about Gold's work, one of the first things I say is, "I could have followed these characters' lives for another thousand pages." This continues to be true of Kris and Bryce, a mouse and a fox that come together to plan a heist.

While the heist itself is relatively simplistic, it's used effectively to get the protagonists into all sorts of tricky (and sometimes sticky) situations that require the unlikely pair to rely on each other. Kris is a young mouse taking his first steps into the criminal underworld, while Bryce is a seasoned thief hired by the mouse to help him retrieve a family heirloom. There's this tantalizing hesitancy to their relationship at first, and I enjoyed watching that get stripped away as the two got to know each other better. (Other... "things" get stripped away, too. And yes, those scenes are also pretty tantalizing.)

Overall, I felt like both the plot and the relationship between the protagonists concluded in a pretty satisfying way. I can't wait to read this book again and see all the things I missed. After a couple more reads, I'll probably come back and update this with a more thorough review. I'm unaware if there are plans to develop this into a series, but I'll be there to follow Kris and Bryce on their adventures if it happens.

[J.F.R. Coates · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another novel which has a lot of the familiarities of a Kyell Gold piece - you largely know what to expect when it comes to the characters and the romantic subplot, but what I loved most about this one was the main storyline. The little bits and pieces teased through from the characters gradually revealing more and more was really engaging. It's not so much a story that keeps you guessing, but the gradual reveals were fun and added more to the characters as their relationship grows.

[Lucas Millan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm an unconditional fan of Kyell's sharp dialogues and flowing character driven stories. But I missed some weight in this one, as if it constantly refused to raise the stakes.

[Athena Staris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've always been a fan of Kyell Gold's work, so when I saw he forayed into the world of heist fiction, I had to snag a copy. The story is about rich mouse Kris as he hires seasoned thief and fox Bryce to steal the former's family necklace from a museum and follows their prep leading up to the heist as well as the heist itself. Rather than a slow burn and build-up like most of his novels, Gold uses a more fast-paced approach to tell the story. An approach I feel works as it takes a simple plot and pumps the gas on it, not lingering on scenes while still giving me enough time to enjoy what's happening. No scene in the book ever feels boring and when it came time for the heist, I was thoroughly invested in seeing if their planning would work and whether they would need to adapt in any way.

As usual, Kyell Gold's main leads steal the show. Both Kris and Bryce have their own views and experiences that-while they sometimes clash-work together to create a formidable duo that can pull off any heist. It was interesting to see their relationship evolve throughout the book because both seemed to admire the other but their distrust and personal agendas created this game of cat and mouse where they were trying to stay on top of the other. It was a relationship built on mutual respect and care.

I wish we had gotten more out of some of the side characters though. Even with some of the tidbits given in the story, I would've loved to learn more about characters like Matty and Des, since they seem like such interesting characters themselves.

Overall, this book was another wonderful read from a talented furry writer and I enjoyed every second of it.