Customer Reviews

Brilliant

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I LOVED this book! It was literally difficult to put down & one that you hate to finish. I found Kellogg's descriptions so delightful to read. From the way she made a simple omelette to her minute steps in replicating jewelry- it was great fun! Kick's sass was refreshing to see & I liked the fact that she still was a "lady" throughout her escapades.

I saw where another reviewer was bugged by the fact that she had so much power at the auction house, yet was still bringing the boys tea. Ballantine is old-school England! She was smart enough to know that did not demean her. She knew how to play the men. I am sure she could've moved up, too, but hmmm.... wouldn't that have made her "other job" more dangerous? I think she had the best of both worlds here & knew it.

Kudos to Kellogg for her good research job in writing this book. She definitely knew her stuff.

A great book here. Do not pass it up! Can't wait to read "Priceless", her sequel.

(Please read the plot summary.) I enjoyed the book mostly for the vivid informatioon it provided about the world of the great London auction houses, Christie's and Sotheby's, and the business of top-level auctions. Then we move on to the rags-to-riches story of a fictional, but major, auction house's top-level employee, the heroine Kick (what a name! Rock Hudson's niece?) Keswick, and her obsession with precious stones and luxury jewelry, which leads to her night job as a mistress jewel thief of unparallel skill.

The auction house is bought out by a brash American, and wheels start spinning, with Kick caught in more than a few. The Plot starts moving quickly, with more turns and reverses than a maze. There's the predictable (Kick has an affair with the brash American) and the unexpected (a pact between the auction house and the last Russian royals). And all of the time she leads a life of luxury, described in mouth-watering, eye-pleasing detail.

It's silly but it's a fun read, far more sophisticated than recent cozies, which is the closest genre in which I could place it. My only serious quibble is that the book contains a fair number of typographical errors and simple grammatical errors. At this price level, that's unforgiveable.

Kick Keswick is an unapologetic, fascinating creature whose thoughts drive this book. She successfully draws the reader into the world of high-brow auction houses as well as her own, shadier realm. The descriptions of jewelry that grace Kick's life are sumptuous. Her characters are interesting and complex - the kind you love and hate at the same time. Even though I cheated and read the epilogue before I was half way through the book, I was still amazed out how masterfully Marne Davis Kellogg kept me guessing as to how the plot was going to work out. The reader really learns the importance of "the value of discretion and the virtue of keeping [one's] mouth shut and the essential nature of confidentiality and trustworthiness," to quote Kick's own narrative.

I give this book 5 stars for the story itself. Kick Keswick as a woman who escaped to London as a teenager to start a new life after a baby she gave up for adoption, a mother who cared less and a juvenile record she needed to escape from. She winds up the protege of Sir Cramner owner of a well established Auction house. After his death the company is taken over by Owen Brace a flashy business man who she helps make over in order to fit in better in the upper class English society that most of their business is done in. In her spare time though she's a well trained and knowledgable jewelry thief. This was a great part of her character.
From the beginning of the story she is tough and does what she has to so she can get by. Perhaps that is why she kind of blended into the the side lines at her job with Ballantine Auction house.

She's very talented in art, jewelry and antique appraising, so I didn't understand the fact that a woman who had been working for years under the owners training would still be an Executive Assistant. In one scene in particular she describes that she's the one that makes sure everything is locked up and another time one of the Vice Presidents is asking her where his coffee/tea is. I didn't understand this part of the story considering she is such a dynamic character to begin with. It bugged me. As I said maybe I missed something, but I don't know that bothered me. She's worked at this company since she was about 18 and although she does make sure everything is running well one of the men was asking her that seemed highly unlikely in today's world.

However, I found the story interesting and fun. I wasn't sure that I'd like the story it took me a little while to get into it, but when I did I was eager to know what would happen next.

I don't want to give too much away, so I'll just tell you that I enjoyed it. It's a nice change of pace for a female lead to be a jewelry thief and the heroine in the story. I loved the ending too.:)

I loved the first person account she gave also so it's like you are reading her diary or talking to her over brunch.

It's got a few flaws but I still give it 5 stars because it kept me involved and I will recommend it to friends and family.

This is such a well-written piece! Wow! I loved it! The quotes you get from the critics are entirely right. Thievery, Jewelry, a little high tech security, a wealth of info on antiques, sex, and secret plots. Plus, you get to find out what the narrator thinks of everyone. Lovely. Reminded me vaguely of a more grown up Gossip Girl with an almost 007 twist. Did I forget the part about cars? Oh, yeah. Fast cars, too. This is good.

In Kick Keswick, Marne Davis Kellogg has created a heroine with a life that anyone would desire (well, except maybe for that jewel thievery thing). A beautiful flat, stunning clothes, good food, exceptional wine and a sharp brain to boot - Kick has it all. And she may be about to get one more object of desire in the love of a handsome, rich and talented lover. When Kick begins to sense danger both at home and in her work at an ancient auction house, things begin to get really, really fun.

Kellogg's crisp, sure writing keeps the plot moving and never gives in to gimmickry. She's done her research, too, with superlative descriptions of jewels, paintings, and other trifles that fill the auctioneer's life. The reader actually feels as if part of the room being described - the writing is that vivid.

Definitely a recommended read. Perfect to enjoy on a languid spring night along with a glass of wine.

When I picked up this novel to read, I thought I was reading the next segment in her Lilly Bennett series. I soon realized that it wasn't, but I soon fell in love with Kick Keswick.

Kick is the Executive Assistant at Ballantine and Company Auctioneers in England. But, she is also a jewel thief. She has learned so much about jewels that she now constructs fakes and expertly slips the real jewels into her pocket and puts the fakes in the Auction company safes. She also burglarizes home and steals only jewelry and leaves a bouquet of shamrocks. She has become the Shamrock Burglar. No one knows about this side of her life.

There's a lot no one knows about her life. She grew up in Oklahoma and had a bad childhood, though this isn't the story she tells of her childhood. Sir Cramner Ballantine found her and helped her turn her life around. She learned everything there was to learn about the items being auctioned. Before Sir Cramner died, he gave Kick a 15% interest in the company as KDK Trust. No one else knew about this but his lawyer.

Sir Cramner had asked her to keep an eye on his son Sir Benjamin as he took over Ballantine and Company and to not let him run it into the ground. This task about did Kick in. Now Ballantine and Company has merged with Brace International. Owen Brace takes when Sir Benjamin kills himself. Kick has her work cut out for her to help Owen gain the appearance and respect worthy of Ballantine and Company.

The undercurrent of her being a jewel thief working in an upscale business constantly kept this story moving. I found myself picking this book up to read to find out what happened next. It isn't your standard mystery by any means, but I truly enjoyed it and look forward to reading about more adventures with Kick.

The England scenery and the upper class auction business gave the story a lot of credibility and gave me a look into a lifestyle I am totally unaware of. I got a good education but in a very enjoyable manner.

I highly recommend this book.

American Katherine Day Keswick, a.k.a. Kick, has worked for London's Ballantine and Company Auctioneer, Ltd. for over 30 years. She's a true professional and a real expert on fine furniture, paintings and especially jewels. She leads a very private life and wishes to keep it private and soon retire to southern France. Kick has created quite a nest egg for herself over the years in her secret life as a jewel thief. "Just to add a touch of class to my residential burglaries, a little bouquet of shamrocks tied with an ivory satin ribbon replaces the goods. A signal to the target that the bad news is they've been robbed, but the good news is they can take pride in knowing they were robbed by London's best-the Shamrock Burglar."

But now the auction house has a new CEO. "Owen Brace, a self-made man, Irish-American, one of the most successful international takeover artists in the history of business, was a high-speed adrenaline addict and a notorious slash-and-burn specialist." Owen is a womanizer, on his 3rd wife, and a scoundrel. Yet he somehow manages to open Kick's eyes to a new world of love, romance and a physical pleasure she's never known. She sticks around, postponing her departure although something tells her that Owen's intentions may not be honorable.

Does Owen really love Kick? Does she really love him? Will her secret life be found out? Well, I can't tell you that.

The premise of this story was very cute and fun, at times dangerous and exciting. Good character development as well. My only complaint was in Kellogg's descriptions and explanations, such as jewel expertise and jewelry histories. They seemed dictated straight from an encyclopedia, a laundry list of facts. I'm no writer and can't advise on how I would have overcome this. But as a reader, that was my impression.

I really tried hard to like this book. The plot sounded good: middle-aged woman reinvents herself to become a jewelery expert for a high-class auction house. Unfortunately, her new boss is up to illegal activities and she happens to be a jewel thief in her spare time. It could have been fun, but I found the protagonist to be amoral. I had a hard time enjoying her or identifying with her. She's got WADS of cash from years of illegal activities. Her new boss is a handsome creep, but she sleeps with him anyway. Her home is decorated like a Parisian whorehouse--but with art books disguised as antiques. Riiiiight. As a reader, I just never found myself LIKING Kick. I really wanted to. Really! Truthfully, I think she seemed too old to be doing the things she was doing and this didn't jive with the story. The eventual hero, who I won't give away, doesn't get enough focus time, in my opinion. He's the most likable character in the whole story. You can pass on this one, I think. I wish I had.

At the age of eighteen, college student Kathleen "Kick" Keswick met Sir Cranner Ballantine sole owner of Ballantine & Company Auctioneers, a very wealthy married man old enough to be her grandfather. She immediately becomes his mistress with her own home, which he paid for as well as bestowing jewels and fashionable clothes on her. His gave her a job at his company where she worked her way up to senior executive assistant, a loyal employee and lover until the day he died.

She transfers that loyalty to his son Sir Benjamin until he runs the business into the ground. Owen Brace, a high-powered industrialist buys the whole company except for the 15% that Kick owns. Owen wants that 15% but he doesn't know who owns it and Kick does nothing to enlighten him. She prepares to leave the firm and start her second career as the Shamrock Burglar and return to her home in Provence, but she is drawn into Owen's web, and despite his shady dealings and illegal activities, becomes engaged to him. When she discovers he betrayed her, she takes her revenge, as only a woman scorned can do.

Marne Davis has written a delicious melodrama starring a heroine who pretends to be so proper, but literally gets away with her crimes. She shows no remorse for her actions and is the epitome of an elegant lady. The antagonist of BRILLIANT doesn't have Kick's class and is more of a felon than a suave cat burglar. Readers will be sympathetic towards the heroine who is living life on her own terms without harming anyone.

Harriet Klausner