Shimmy Bang Sparkle

Jewel thief Stella Peretti and notorious fence Nick Norton join forces to steal one of the largest diamonds in the world in this lukewarm, cliché-packed contemporary. Nick is ready to get out of the criminal life, but when he sees Stella pull off a flawless theft of a diamond ring, he follows her home and sets out to seduce her. Stella and her two best friends have been a thieving team since childhood, but a couple of injuries leave Ruth and Roxie unable to participate in their biggest and final heist, so she teams up with Nick to finish the job. While Stella is sweet and passionate, she turns into a simpering ingenue when Nick is around. He comes across as controlling and aggressive, patronizingly teaching her the few things she doesn’t know and dictating sex acts. Lazy, sometimes offensive characterization (including a playboy sheikh and a fat man who’s depicted as constantly eating) and too-convenient plot twists make this novel entirely missable. Agent: Emily Sylvan Kim, Prospect Agency. (Aug.)