Any Old Diamonds

ETA: Upon re-read I would give this 4.5 stars, maybe close to 5. Knowing the how the plot was going to unfold, I was able to pay more attention to the characters, and Jerry really grew on me this time. I believed that a matter-of-fact jewel thief could fall truly, madly, deeply in love - and that Alec was perfect for him. To paraphrase a music review phrase, this book “rewards repeated reading.” 4.25 stars. I love all of K.J. Charles' work, so 4 stars for her is better than 97% of the books I read. This just wasn't my absolute favorite of hers. Not sure why, because it checks off all of my must-haves: the dialogue was sparkling as usual, the plot was fiendishly clever and the characters were memorable. Plus the debate about good vs. evil (vs. “likes to steal jewels from people”), and the full cost of our actions was wonderful mind fodder. Also, lots of bonus points for including characters from [b:An Unnatural Vice 32161804 An Unnatural Vice (Sins of the Cities, #2) K.J. Charles https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1480582018s/32161804.jpg 52798546] and other Sins of the Cities favorites. All of these wonderful components just didn't add up to a 5 star read for me. Perhaps after the sheer perfection of [b:Band Sinister 39345944 Band Sinister K.J. Charles https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1537454594s/39345944.jpg 60995770] there wasn't anywhere to go but slightly down. The only problem I can put my finger on is that it bothered me slightly that we never hear Jerry's POV. Although plotwise there were good reasons for writing it this way, it kept me at a slight distance from him. I'll just have to re-read to figure out why I didn't fall head over heels - not a hardship! ARC received from the author in exchange for an honest review.