I chose to read this book because I love cat burglar stories but…for most of the story Rune was a two-dimensional character who did not elicit any feelings from me. More explanation of her backstory would have gone a long way in giving the character more warmth. Only at the end when she joins forces with Romy does the comradeship bring forth more of Rune’s personality and feelings. With some tweaking, this could become an interesting thriller with a great female protagonist. I received an ARC from NetGalley, and the opinions expressed are my own.

The police are on her trail...

...and so is the man who has taken control of her life.

Rune Sarasin has made a career over the last few years of stealing gems, and she has been quite successful at it. Recently however she stole from the wrong man, the vicious and powerful smuggler Charles Lemaire, who has since co-opted her services for his own use. His threats to do harm to the two people for whom she has feelings, her boyfriend Kit and his younger sister Madee, both of whom she considers her family, force her to do his bidding. Kit may not want anything to do with Rune anymore, telling her she's a bad influence who has brought trouble to his and Madee's life, but that doesn't stop her from wanting to protect him (while hoping that she can change his mind about her place in his life). Lemaire's jobs are escalating in risk, and even as Rune plans how to accomplish her latest assignment of stealing the necklace and earrings of a sapphire parure originally commissioned by Napoleon and now in the possession of one of his descendants, she is scheming to find a way to break free of Lemaire's control once and for all. When her plan to grab the earrings goes sideways and she is seen without her disguise during the execution of the theft, it is only a matter of time before video surfaces that will have law enforcement worldwide searching for her. The Steiner family from whom she stole the jewels are the wealthy and powerful owners of a pharmaceutical company and they will not accept their loss quietly. From Deauville to Mallorca, Marseille to Amsterdam, and Berlin to Paris, Rune is on the run, evading the police who want to arrest her and Lemaire's goons whose intentions are potentially worse. She has burned through her old contacts, who wish her well but refuse to get arrested for helping her, but will find an unlikely ally in the abused wife of one of the Steiner men. Rune has amazing skills, but will they be enough to keep her alive and out of prison?
With its rapid-fire pace as the story careens across the globe, Ceylon Sapphires is an engaging sequel to the first thriller featuring Rune Sarasin, Blood Rubies. It is part espionage thriller and part heist caper, with a clever but flawed protagonist in Rune, who is putting her strategic skills to the test when she decides to go up against Lemaire. Having read the first book in the series, I had a better handle on Rune's backstory as I read Ceylon Sapphires than would a reader new to the series, but the book can certainly be read as a standalone regardless. Readers of Steve Berry, Alafair Burke and Lisa Unger should give this book/series a try; with its blend of exotic locales, bursts of humor and nonstop action, its a highly entertaining read. My thanks to NetGalley and Penzler Publishers/Mysterious Press for allowing me access to this intriguing thriller in exchange for my honest review. I look forward to Rune's next adventure!

I missed the first book and thus the worldbuilding with Rune that might have made this a deeper read for me. That said it's a romp of a chase novel which sees the 20 something thief on the run after she failed to check (really?) for surveillance cameras before a heist of a sapphire necklace. She's got to steal more gems and thus hopscotches around major cities. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good one for travel.