From an author who delivers a whole new meaning to the term 'thriller'" (San Francisco Book Review): in the next rollicking adventure in the Thieves series reformed thief Michael St. Pierre and his crew steal two artifacts that hold the key to one of history's greatest mysteries.

A legendary puzzle. A lethal assassin. A life-or-death race against time . . . Master thief Michael St. Pierre returns-in an epic adventure five hundred years in the making.

Framed for a murder he didn't commit, Michael St. Pierre is forced to reunite with his former love, KC Ryan, to complete two halves of a dangerous mission. Dispatched to the opposite ends of China, they must each steal a separate piece of an ancient puzzle-a com pass and diary that, according to legend, are the keys to untold power. If they succeed, their blackmailer will use them to seek bloodthirsty revenge against a ruthless crime lord. If they fail, a poisonous toxin will be unleashed upon the world. Either way, Michael and KC have five days to uncover a five-hundred-year-old mystery-from the Forbidden City of China to the medieval cas tles of Spain to the mansions of the Amalfi Coast-and every clue, every treasure, every moment they steal could be their last. . . .