How to Lead a Life of Crime by Kirsten Miller

How to Lead a Life of Crime by Kirsten Miller
"A Meth Dealer. A Prostitute. A Serial Killer.

Anywhere else, they’d be vermin. At the Mandel Academy, they’re called prodigies. The most exclusive school in New York City has been training young criminals for over a century. Only the most ruthless students are allowed to graduate. The rest disappear.

Flick, a teenage pickpocket, has risen to the top of his class. But then Mandel recruits a fierce new competitor who also happens to be Flick’s old flame. They’ve been told only one of them will make it out of the Mandel Academy. Will they find a way to save each other—or will the school destroy them both?"- summary from Amazon

It's not very often I read two new books from an author like a month apart (I have done re-reads and catching up though) and I'm glad I did. Miller's first stand-alone is simply fantastic (I read the third book in the Kiki Strike series when it was released earlier this year).

There's a great concept at the center of it- a school where students learn how to be cunning criminals while remaining in the public eye (i.e. senators, CEOs, etc.). Flick is an amazing main character and I particularly enjoyed his voice. Miller's prose is very compelling, and it kept me reading long chunks at a time because I wanted to learn more and see what happened next. There's some wonderful reveals and I liked reading about all the different courses the students had to take.

There's some great interactions and relationships throughout the book. I can't really say anything about friendships because no one is as they seem, and so it's a constant toss-up regarding who the characters can trust.

Overall, a very intriguing, fun contemporary novel and one I highly recommend.

FTC: Received e-galley from Netgalley. Link above is an Amazon Associate link; any profit goes toward funding contests.