The Fourth Rule

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY 2 OCT 2023

Bestseller Lindsay ratchets up the stakes for master thief Riley Wolfe in his nail-biting fourth thriller featuring the charismatic antihero (after 2022's The Three-Edged Sword). Wolfe prides himself on committing impossible thefts, having once stolen a 12-ton statue during its public dedication. On a trip to London, he uncharacteristically falls for Caitlin O'Brian, a woman he meets by chance, takes on a date, and fails to ask for her phone number. To prolong his stay in London and increase his chances of running into Caitlin again, Wolfe plans a time-consuming heist: he'll steal the Rosetta Stone from the British Museum. While plotting his strategy to make off with the nearly one-ton artifact, he receives help from an unexpected ally, but the real suspense comes from the introduction of Wolfe's eponymous Fourth Rule: "Even if you're the best there is, watch your back. Because someone better is coming." That tease from the book's opening section, combined with sporadic chapters depicting a shadowy adversary targeting Wolfe through enhanced AI tools, add a ticking clock element that supercharges the main heist. Some of Wolfe's narration can feel a few degrees too glib, but Lindsay comes through with a satisfying ending that tees up future installments. Series fans will be captivated.