Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo  480 pages

Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price - and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy, Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can't pull it off alone.

A convict with a thirst for revenge.
A sharpshooter who can't walk away from a wager.
A runaway with a privileged past.
A spy known as the Wraith.
A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums.
A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes.

Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz's crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction - if they don't kill each other first.

The Drop by Dennis Lehane

The Drop by Dennis Lehane - 224 pages

Lehane returns to the neighborhood featured in Mystic River to tell the story of a lonely barman who rescues a puppy from a trashcan at Christmas and then finds a life no longer spent alone is filled with entanglements both romantic and criminal.  Lehane is awesome at atmosphere and populates a world with vividly flawed characters that seem very real.

I was intrigued to see that this book was made into a movie with James Gandolfini and Tom Hardy.  The still photos show that they used a ridiculously cute puppy and of course Tom Hardy is pretty easy on the eyes as well.