The Frame-Up

By: Gwenda Bond

Narrated by: Shannon McManus

A magically gifted con artist must gather her estranged mother’s old crew for a once-in-a-lifetime heist, from the New York Times bestselling author of Stranger Things: Suspicious Minds.

“Makes grand larceny more fun than ever.”—Holly Black, New York Times bestselling author of Book of Night

Dani Poissant is the daughter and former accomplice of the world’s most famous art thief. There was no job too big for Maria and her loyal crew. The secret to their success? A little thing called magic, kept rigorously secret from the non-magical world. They seemed unstoppable . . . until a teenage Dani turned her mother over to the FBI.

Ten years later, with Maria still in prison, Dani finds herself approached for a job that only Maria and her crew could pull off . . . if any of them were still speaking to her. But it’s the job of a lifetime and might just be the lure Dani needs to reconcile with her mother and be reunited with her mother’s old gang—including both the love of her life and her former best friend.

The problem is, it’s an impossible task—even with the magical talents of the people she once considered family backing her up. It’s a heist that needs a year to plan, and Dani has just over a week. Worse, the more Dani learns, the more she understands that there’s far more at stake in this job than she ever realized.

©2024 Gwenda Bond (P)2024 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“The Frame-Up is Gwenda Bond at her absolute best: magical, romantic, and fun as hell. Dani and her crew will leave your pockets empty and your heart full.”—Alix E. Harrow, New York Times bestselling author

“A clever art heist, a smoldering old flame, an irresistible found family tied together through magic . . . Gwenda Bond’s The Frame-Up is a twisty, riveting, and fantastically original story.”—Elle Cosimano, New York Times bestselling author of Finlay Donovan Is Killing It

“Magic, mystery, and a daring art heist set the stage for Gwenda Bond’s twisty, delightful read! Brimming with secrets, danger, and intrigue, The Frame Up explores the lure of power, the bonds of friendship, and the legacy of family. Clever, suspenseful, and impossible to put down.”—Megan Miranda, New York Times bestselling author of The Only Survivors

A Unique Story

If you’re an artist or art lover, this book is for you! Art, mystery, magic, forgery, suspense-this book has it all & it was such a weirdly awesome blend I couldn’t put it down.

Like watching (or listening to) paint dry

You’d think a book about art, heists and magic would be vibrant, colorful and engaging.
Unfortunately, the most descriptive thing about this book was the exposition on the provenance of certain famous pieces of art. Even when describing them, the emphasis was on name dropping instead of painting a picture in the listeners mind of what the pieces looked like.

The heist plot was a watered down Ocean’s Eight story, minus the style, humor or unique characters.
And the magic? It’s virtually nonexistent in the first half, contributing (in a bad way) to the mind numbingly slow burn plot.

I felt zero heat for the romance subplot. There were unnecessary F bombs.
Even the dog failed to provide a cute or comedic touch.

The bland, robotic narration didn’t help. The few action scenes were narrated with deadpan delivery.
The same voice was used for many of the female and male characters, making it difficult to tell who was speaking, or to distinguish inner monologue versus dialogue. Rating this as two stars okay may even be generous, except that I wouldn’t say this was bad; it was just bland.