Friends in High Places

Kick Keswick #4

by Marne Davis Kellogg

Kick Keswick, once a jewel thief living an exciting double life, has now retired in simple luxury to the south of France. But when an old enemy resurfaces, threatening to expose the countless fake jewels Kick had carefully substituted during her years of secret theft, she is ready to act.
Back in London, Kick finds herself with more employment than she bargained for at a company whose status is much more precarious than she'd thought. Her enemy, in disguise, circles ever closer. And a young nun comes to Kick with a mysterious jewel-encrusted figurine, and a story of greed and murder. 
To balance on this high wire, Kick must sneak into an upper-crust wedding in the Italian Alps, break into an ancient castle owned by a very modern murderer, and do it all with her customary panache, style, and grace.  Can she keep one step ahead of the most seductively ruthless foe she's ever encountered?

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Chick Lit, Italy, Suspense

336 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Barbara Brink · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious, irreverent, intelligent, snobbish, master of disguise, and all together delightful! Kick Keswick, the greatest jewel thief of all time, is a character you can't help falling in love with. Her story is truly entertaining! This is my 4th book in the series and I'm a true fan of Marne Davis Kellogg's work.

[Sachi · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Kick Keswick So Far

I love reading the adventures of Kick Keswick! A confident woman in her prime so rare to read. I only hope we will one day find out about the child she gave up.

[Suzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would sure hate to see this exciting series come to a close! I really hope this wasn't the end. Such great books!

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great visit with Kick Keswick, international jewel thief and gourmet.

I love visits with Kick. I love the idea of a life that glamorous and filled with beautiful things. I don't want that kind of life, I just like to dream about it and enjoy reading about others who have that kind of life.

The book was a great adventure and fun to read. I enjoyed spending time with Kick in London and the Italy. The characters in this book were fun, and the kind of people I would have as friends. They were fun people and it made the book easy to read because it was such a great visit with friends.

It's hard to say much more about the book without spoiling it. But as a warning, I would read this series in order as there are some spoilers in this book for previous ones.

If you've read other Kick Keswick books, you will love this one. If you haven't why not? Start with Brilliant and you too can come to imagine life as an international jewel thief.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kick has spent most of her life as as jewel thief. Now she has comfortably retired to the French country side with her husband. All is well until she hears that her old auction house is in trouble. It starts her on a journey to London and ultimately to Italy.

I loved that kick is a curvy, confident woman of middle age. There are so few sexy 50 year olds as the heroines of detective fiction. The story was entertaining, but I guess not technically a mystery. Still there was suspense and jewel thefts and jewel returns and lots of intriguing characters.

At the start of the book she fainted and I nearly stopped reading then, but I'm glad I didn't. It certainly seemed out of character for her as I got to know her better.

[Karen Porter-Wolf · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are looking for a quick fun read, this is it. Kick Keswick, jewel thief and mature, smart, rich woman with a questionable vocation is the main character. As the book opens with Kick retired, married and comfortable in her country manor, she quickly finds out that one of her many heists could be linked back to her due to the financial difficulties being faced by her former employer, a prestigious auction house. Kick is drawn out of retirement and into action. With a little plot twist, she encounters a very likeable nun, and a woman scorned. They work together to put jewels back where they belong.

Of course, you gotta wonder about Kick's ethics in the whole adventure, given that any one of her other scams could unravel sometime in the future.

[Kerry Crisley · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The three of us were kindred spirits - women of the same age. We'd learned the secret: once you've crossed the Rubicon of years, you have power you cannot even imagine. You are the woman only a fool would cross." I adore the Kick Keswick series and this is probably my favorite one so far. I shouldn't have read it in two sittings because now I'm sad it's over so soon!

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lavish Italian wedding, a prince and cursed rubies, white truffles and, of course, our favorite jewel thief with a conscience, Kick Keswick. This time around she puts on a persona of Scottish Lady Bonham and insinuates herself into a wedding, on the lookout for the Vasvar rubies.

The Kick Keswick series is a lot of fun - I hope they'll be more!

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

What happens when a "gentlewoman" jewel thief retires but has to put her skills to use replacing the fake jewels with the real jewels in some of her undetected replicas? That's what you'll find out in this Kick Keswick mystery.

[Karin · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable read but not quite up to the first three books.

[Carol Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really love this series! More! more!

[Fairport Public Library]

January 2008

Recommended by Tori R

[Linda O'Connor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny and fast-paced! I love how her uniform for work is haute couture.

[Katie O. · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was fun to read some of the international jewel thief hijinks. And jumping into the series with the 4th book was not hard; Kellogg did a nice job repeating/refreshing details so newbies like me could follow it all without boring series aficionados. The droll humor and clever task analyses of how to heist are a fun combo for a light read. Why only 2 stars? Well...

I can't say that I really like Kick or care about her version of justice. Yes, she sets some things to right, helps some folks out, puts some bad guys in their place and seems to be removed from her stealing-for-profit daily routines. But...the big pickle threatening to tank her beloved mentor's company is happening in no small part due to her 30 years of trust-snubbing felonies. And Kick's efforts to redeem the situation are severely limited only to the immediate problem. Which could easily resurface. For somebody so savvy (Kick), this just reads as illogical and rather selfishly narcissistic. The title warned me of this cronyism; I just hoped for a little more Disney ending (esp. since a really cool nun was involved).

[Bridget · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kick Keswick is enjoying her life in Provence, a quiet and content existence, when she learns that there is trouble brewing at the auction house in London where she used to work. When her husband Thomas is called away to investigate something for Scotland Yard, she returns to London to see what is going on. From there, she is thrown back into the world of high end auctions and in this case, a set of particular jeweled Madonnas and a cursed ruby necklace.

Kick investigates as only she can, with her ability to change her looks and identity, her knowledge of gems and history, and her amazing lifestyle. As usual, the book is a fun read, with exotic locales, amazing food and drink, and adventures that you know will turn out OK, but you are not sure how it will happen.

I enjoy this series, and hadn't read one for a while. I enjoyed hanging out with an old friend again!

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

For jewelry loves and mystery loves alike, this quick novel stars Kick Keswick, a retired jewel theif dubbed the Shamrock Burglar, who worked at the the esteemed auction house Ballantine & Company. While there she was taught all there was to know about the business be her mentor Sir Cramner.

While working at Ballantine & Company, Kick also replaced many original stones with fakes in pieces being sold through the auction house. This story starts with Kick returning to the auction house to help the company, finding that some of the jewelry that she had replaced is not coming back for resale. She knows that she must fix the situation, but at what expense.

[Lucky Librarian 13 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very likeable main character: strong-willed and slightly sassy. The usual details found in this series (wines, gourmet foods, and exquisite locations) were not nearly as interesting enough in this edition to forgive some of the far-fetched action. But... the relationships Kick formed with other female characters borderlines on actual friendships which could reappear in later books.

Enjoyable along the lines of the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich and the Heller series by JD Nixon.

(I purchased the rest of the Kick Keswick series for Nook at discount prices.)

[Jeanne Quigley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kick Keswick, the star of Marne Davis Kellogg's series, is one of my favorite characters. She is strong, smart, witty, and brave. Kellogg again gives readers an entertaining story that takes place in a beautiful locale. Through Kick she does an excellent job of describing setting as well as the luxuries only the rich can afford: jewels, wine, food, homes. This book is wonderful escapist reading, and a great choice to take along on an upcoming summer vacation.

[Carah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite enjoyable and entertaining tale about Britain's premier jewel thief! This is the first of Kellogg's series that I read, and got caught up in the characters. Kellogg's Kick Keswick is a heroine like Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone: flawed, lovable, and totally comfortable in her own skin. I do enjoy books with strong female leads-- this one's great.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kick is back at Ballantine's. There is a very delicate job she must undertake to save the reputation of this old firm that means so much to her. We also see her vulnerabilities are alot closer to the surface than she leads most everyone to believe. So it's back to London and then to the Italian Alps.

[Ingrid · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fantastic series. Lavish parties, gigantic jewels, a strong female character...what more could a girl want out of a fluffy summer read? Kick is independent, knows what she wants and how to get it. I admire her zeal for food and lack of concern for her weight. She's the kind of character I'd like to be friends with.

[Alethea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Retirement just doesn't suit Kick Keswick well. She's back at Ballantine's and, not only are old issues at the auction house resurfacing, but part of Kick's past seems to be at the cusp of eruption as well. This is a delightful addition to the series of Kick's adventures which are always delicious to read and I imagine, for the author, similarly lavish and delightful to research!

[Mickie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Delightful Star in a Creative Tale

Another really good tale in this series of delightful mysteries starring a jewel thief . If you read one, you want to read the whole series. My advice is to start with number one and work your way through. If you only want to read one, however, this is a good one to read. The story is unique and delightful .

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

The main character in this book, Kick, brings out a bit of every woman's desire to do something mysterious. It's a fun read that you can finish quickly. I especially liked that it didn't have a main character who thought only about designer labels.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a fun weekend read --- few redeeming qualities, but the concept of a retired jewel thief married to a high level police inspector was worth exploring. Liked it for what it was----didn't expect alot, but was entertained by it.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this one out of order. Kick's high flying lifestyle is a bit over-the-top (think "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous"), but she has made her own way in the world. Kellogg goes into a lot of detail about the jewelry trade, which is interesting.

[Stacey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book ended up being enjoyable. Some of the events in the book were so ridiculous but it totally took me into another world and it was kind of cool to imagine my life being like that. Glad I read it.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun fantasy of the rich and famous. Jewel thieves, murderers, aristocracy, Italian villas, and high fashion; it's a little bit of a cardboard plot, but the value of a little voyeurism into the upper crust world portrayed here is not to be underestimated.

[Ami · Rating 4 out of 5]

I adore the Kick Keswick adventures by Marne Davis Kellogg. I find them to be deliciously decadent and great fun. The best way to describe these books would be to cross a slightly tipsy Martha Stewart with the movie "Ocean's Eleven." I highly recommend them.

[Sophie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy this Kick Keswick adventure quite as much as the other books. I think the author had too many subplots going at once for the book to really work, but it was still enjoyable. Kick is a memorable character, and her adventures are never boring.