The Diamond Thief by Sharon Gosling

No one performs on the circus trapeze like 16-year-old Rémy Brunel. But Rémy also leads another life, prowling through the backstreets of Victorian London as a jewel thief. When she is forced to steal one of the world’s most valuable diamonds, she uncovers a world of treachery and fiendish plots.

Meanwhile, young detective Thaddeus Rec is determined to find the jewel and clear his name. Will Thaddeus manage to rescue the jewel? Or is it really Rémy that he needs to save?

This storytells of a circus act who doubles as a jewel thief. We are instantly and easily transported to the fantastical world of trapeze artists and circus folk, not to mention the under world of London with its talented thieves and Lords in disguise. The almost lyrical descriptions were incredible and completely immersed me into Victorian London. There was the language, the slang of young Londoners and the occasional lapse into French when Remy was angry; the narrow streets around the East End and the hidden tunnels under the city were extraordinarily described, I felt like I was going to get lost in the city!

Remy was tasked with stealing a diamond, the sister to the Koh-I-Noor. But as she is casing the Tower of London, a diversion and a quick pocket to pick means that Remy comes back empty handed. Plus, Thaddeus, the policeman looking after the diamond, is blamed for it going missing. After each discover the other doesn't have it, they reluctantly decide to join forces to get the diamond back. The chemistry between Remy and Thaddeus was subtle but grew stronger with every danger they faced together. I really liked them together, not just because of the budding romance but because they actually made a good team, considering one was a thief and the other police. 

The secondary characters also added to the historical element, especially J, a street urchin. As any good history buff would know, Victorian London was ripe with crime and poverty, and Lord Abernathy preying on that made it very believable. The only downside I had with this was it seemed a little young for me. I did love it, but it seemed too easy. Even when they were in danger, it didn't last very long and friends turned up in the nick of time to save them. Even with the fantastic language, it all seemed a bit too convenient but that's just because of the younger target audience. But don't let that stop you from reading it yourself, it was a brilliant story with amazing larger-than-life characters, and I cannot wait for the sequel! 

Published 1st Feburary 2013 by Curious Fox. Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.