Charlie Howard travels the globe writing suspense novels for a living, about an intrepid burglar named Faulks. To supplement his income—-and to keep his hand in—-Charlie also has a small side business: stealing for a very discreet clientele on commission.
When a mysterious American offers to pay Charlie 20,000 euros if he steals two small monkey figurines to match the one he already has, Charlie is suspicious; he doesn't know how

Charlie Howard isn't only a part-time crime writer and part-time thief; he's also a magician. For his next trick, he'll relieve Josh Masters, the famous illusionist vying for the affections of Charlie's friend Victoria, of $60,000 in casino chips stashed in his hotel safe. Revenge would be sweet if there weren't a dead redhead floating in Masters' bathtub and if Masters hadn't just disappeared in a puff of smoke after cheating at roulette. Convinced

Charlie Howard, part-time writer, part-time thief, has been engaged in a veritable spree of larceny and misappropriation since moving to Berlin. He's supposed to be working on his next novel. But high rent and a love for thrill-seeking has been hard on his word count.

But Charlie's larcenous binge is interrupted by the call to duty—on behalf of Her Majesty's Government. Four embassy employees are suspected of stealing a sensitive item.