Synopses & Reviews
The perfect mystery for fans of Ally Carter's
Heist SocietyWhen sixteen-year-old Violet agrees to spend the summer with her father, an up-and-coming artist in Seattle, she has no idea what she's walking into. Her father's newest clients, the Yamada family, are the victims of a high-profile art robbery: van Gogh sketches have been stolen from their home, and, until they can produce the corresponding painting, everyone's lives are in danger--including Violet's and her father's.
Violet's search for the missing van Gogh takes her from the Seattle Art Museum, to the yakuza-infested streets of Tokyo, to a secluded inn in Kyoto. As the mystery thickens, Violet's not sure whom she can trust. But she knows one thing: she has to solve the mystery--before it's too late.
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"A terrific heroine, exciting and unexpected plot twists, and fascinating and beautifully-wrought real-life settings: young adult mysteries do not get better than this."
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"Tokyo Heist is a fast-paced, exotic reading adventure, a story where The da Vinci Code meets the wildly popular manga genre! Author Diana Renn infuses protagonist Violet with plenty of chikara (power) and Renn's fresh, spot-on author's voice is irresistible. I couldn't put it down!"
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null Kirsten Miller, author of Kiki Strike: Inside the Shadow City
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"Hidden paintings, yakuza assassins, vivid settings, artful intrigue, and a taste of manga make Tokyo Heist an absorbing tale mystery readers will love."
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"This art heist has twists and turns, romance, and the happily-ever-after that many will be rooting for."
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"A van Gogh heist, a trip to Japan and a yakuza attack: Could there be a better summer? . . . A proficient caper spiced up by Violet's eye for art."
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A Summer 2012 Kids' Indie Next Pick
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"Fans of mysteries and thrillers will enjoy this just as much as fans of Japanese culture."
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"Fly to the coolest city on earth. Hunt for a missing masterpiece. Battle tattooed gangsters while rocking a kimono. And don't forget to try the shibazuke. Adventures don’t get any more thrilling than Tokyo Heist. You'll want to jump right inside this book and live it."
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"Readers will cheer for Violet as she uses her wits and outsmarts the adults. Teens will learn about Japanese culture, and fans of manga and art students will rejoice that they can relate to the protagonist and story."
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"Renn keeps the tension high and the pace moving in a modern, unique whodunit."
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"A fast-paced and engaging mystery with a spunky protagonist."
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"TOKYO HEIST is refreshingly free of most of the standard modern YA-fiction tropes. . . . It's rare for YA heroines to have such specific, developed interests, and Violet filtering her investigation through her passion for manga, art, and Japan makes her seem like a real, relatable teenager."
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“Dangerous yakuza (Japanese mobsters), blackmail letters and FBI stings. A proficient caper spiced up by Violet's eye for art.”—
Kirkus Reviews “This art heist has twists and turns, romance, and the happily-ever-after that many will be rooting for.”—Booklist
“Renn’s fun debut takes a kitchen-sink approach, throwing together romance, mystery, and action in a way that echoes the manga that the 16-year-old Violet loves to read.” —Publishers Weekly
“Will enthrall readers who love action.” —Examiner.com
“A fast-paced and engaging mystery with a spunky protagonist.” —VOYA
“The plot has lots of twists and turns, leaving readers on edge… Readers will cheer for Violet as she uses her wits to outsmart the adults.” —SLJ
“We can't stop talking about action-packed YA mystery novel Tokyo Heist…author Diana Renn's first YA novel, but we certainly hope it isn't her last!” —HuffingtonPost.com
“It’s rare for YA heroines to have such specific, developed interests, and Violet filtering her investigation through her passion for manga, art, and Japan makes her seem like a real, relatable teenager.” —A.V. Club
“Young adult mysteries do not get any better than this.”—Peter Abrahams, author of the Echo Falls Mysteries
“Irresistible. I couldn’t put it down!”—Alane Ferguson, author of the Forensic Mysteries
“Adventures don’t get any more thrilling than Tokyo Heist.”—Kristen Miller, author of The Eternal Ones series
About the Author
Diana Renn grew up in Seattle and now lives in Boston. She has taught ESL and writing, most recently at Boston University. Her short stories and essays have appeared in various publications, and she is the author of several ESL textbooks. Tokyo Heist is her first novel.