The short version
Locke Lamora leads a group of con artists in the city of Camorr while a violent rival threatens the criminal order around them.
What it's about
A spoiler-light premise
Orphaned Locke Lamora grows into the leader of the Gentlemen Bastards, a small gang that secretly targets Camorr's wealthy elite with elaborate confidence schemes. Their work collides with a hidden campaign against the city's underworld, forcing Locke to protect his friends while outmaneuvering a more lethal opponent.
The reading experience
What to expect on the page
- Point of view
- Third person with interleaved past and present timelines
- Story focus
- Confidence schemes, friendship, organized crime, and revenge
You'll probably like it if
Pending.
Maybe skip it if
Pending.
Story profile
Themes & familiar elements
Themes
- Loyalty
- Identity
- Class
- Consequences
Tropes
- Found family
- Elaborate con
- Criminal underworld
- Hidden adversary
Before you start
Content considerations
Spoiler-light subjects that may matter when choosing this book.
- Graphic fantasy violence
- Death and grief
- Torture
- Strong language
Ways to read
Formats & editions
Print edition
Del Rey US trade paperback (2024)
- Publisher
- Del Rey
- Length
- 640 pages
- Edition date
- Aug 27, 2024
- ISBN-13
- 9780593725429
Edition details verified Aug 17, 2026. Page count and cover can differ between editions.
Audiobook
Edition details pending
Narrator, runtime, and regional availability have not been verified yet.
At a glance
Fantasy Index scorecard
Continue in order
Gentleman Bastard Sequence
This series is still ongoing.
Closest matches
