THE QUEEN OF THIEVES

Set in 19th-century Stockholm, this Swedish import sees Mika involved in a mystery that hits close to home.

Twelve-year-old Mika has noticed some distance lately between herself and some of the other older residents of the Public Children’s Home, from Rufus, riding high on an unexpected apprenticeship, to Ossian, whom she discovers hiding a valuable he says someone gifted to him. A family in need of cheap labor wants to adopt Ossian, but he runs away. Constable Valdemar—with whom she solved a murder in The Night Raven (2023)—approaches her for assistance in dealing with a rash of juvenile pickpocketing, leaving her fearful for Ossian’s fate. He’s gotten mixed up with Henrietta, a clever and charismatic knife-throwing performer who’s apparently luring orphans with the promise of a found family. Mika tries to find proof of Henrietta’s true activities, only to get framed for a crime she didn’t commit. She ends up experiencing the same push-pull tug of desperation and hope that brings the orphans to Henrietta, leading her to make an unthinkable choice. Her natural intelligence and her critical thinking, however, keep her eyes clear enough to untangle lies. The true mystery is foreshadowed well and integrates nicely with Mika’s ongoing self-discovery. As in the previous book, Rundberg establishes a strong sense of suspense and brings 1880s Sweden to life beautifully. Characters are cued white.

A captivating game of cat and mouse.