Murder Miscalculated

by Andrew MacRae

In this sequel to Murder Misdirected, Gregory Smith thought he was through with his life as a master pickpocket until an overly ambitious federal agent coerces him into returning to the street as The Kid - or else. As a reluctant crook once again, Greg has to keep one step ahead of the law, a gang of thugs, and a tenacious hit man, not to mention dealing with an arrogant author and his publicity rep, placating his own gorgeous and pissed-off wife, and keeping an elderly friend out of jail.

216 pages, Paperback

First published May 11, 2014

Reviews

[Andrew Macrae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, I'm the author so I am somewhat partial to it. :)

[Bernice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining read; interesting information on pickpockets; I’ll read his other book, wish he had written more novels

[Bobbi · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Gregory Smith, ex-pickpocket "The Kid," has his wallet stolen at a used-book fair, he turns around and steals the pickpocket's wallet and exchanges it for his. This is a good introduction to the character who gave up a life of crime the year before and now owns an eclectic bookstore, The Book Nook (open 24-hours a day!) in Ft. Williams.

The store is in a 3-story brownstone where Greg lives with his wife, Lynn, a dance instructor, Barbara, the older former owner of the store, and Junior, the bookstore cat.

Greg's wife, Lynn, is afraid that this incident will cause him to miss his old life, and she threatens him that she'll leave him if he does.

The situation gets complicated when an ambitious FBI agent, Lawrence Talbot, shows up and tells Greg he wants him to teach an old friend, Agent Cochran, working undercover, how to pick a pocket so he can steal a valuable data card with information on it that they need to close a case. He threatens that Greg's clean record can be rescinded if he doesn't agree. Other threats are made and Greg sees no way out of this.

When the timing goes awry, Greg is given "no good choices" by the FBI and has to do the job himself. It doesn't go according to plan, and Greg finds himself mixed up with a rival gang of pickpocket thugs, an author of a western novel who wants to follow him around for research and a murderous hit man. In the process he has to deal with possible skullduggery from the agents themselves.

Then there are other dangerous complications when Greg has to keep up the ruse that he's turned back to a life of crime.

In addition to a fast-paced, fun, satisfying read, you'll also pick up fascinating facts about pickpocketing.

This was my first introduction to the characters that live in this wonderful bookstore, first introduced in the first book in the series, Murder Misdirected. I'll definitely go back and read that one.

[Judy Alter · Rating 5 out of 5]

There’s something intriguing about a skilled but reformed pickpocket with a moral conscience and a distinct dislike of violence and brutality. Andrew MacRae first introduced Greg Smith and his pickpocketing skills in Murder Misdirected. In this sequel, we find a reformed Smith married to his former girlfriend, Lynn (once a stripper, now a dance teacher) and operating bookstore in an old building sadly in need of updating. Funky comes to mind.
But Greg is blackmailed into using his skills to help the FBI which leads to one complication after another—an international illegal money scheme, a gang of pickpockets brutally protective or their territory, a hit man, and a warrant for the arrest of the woman who owns the bookstore building—which would effectively end the business. Mix all this and several bodies with a cozy kitchen with wonderful sounding soups and stews and long talks over wine and a wild assortment of people—an aging civil rights activist, an arrogant author, his out-of-patience publicist, and a stripper and you find yourself in an unique community. Murder Miscalculated will keep you reading because you like the motley crew of characters and because things keep getting worse just when you think they can. I’m going to read Murder Misdirected next to see how Greg and Lynn got to this point.

[Lisa Cobb Sabatini · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won Murder Miscalculated by Andrew MacRae from Goodreads.
Murder Miscalculated is a truly fun read. MacRae has created a quirky mix of characters, an enticing setting, and an engaging plot.
Former pickpocket Greg Smith, also known as The Kid, is coerced by an FBI agent to pick the pocket of a mark in order for the FBI to obtain information it wants. Reluctantly, The Kid returns to his former profession in order to save his beloved business, The Book Nook, but also his dear friend, Barbara. But going back to the pickpocket life has many consequences for Greg, his wife, and their friends.
Murder Miscalculated is a quick read with plenty of twists to keep the reader turning pages. A five-star mystery!

[Kurt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author Andrew Macrae's second book in the series about a pickpocket turned book dealer expands on Greg Smith's character. A quick read, with interesting characters. One thing I liked about the first book, "Murder Misdirected," was how the main character evolves as a person. He realizes his connection and impact on other people. In this book another character starts as a blowhard but turns out to have greater self-awareness.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Macrae's San Francisco is charming as are the characters who inhabit it - his nostalgic stage-play approach to murder mystery is a distinct pleasure !