Reviewed by Valerie
TITLE: The Tech
SERIES: Long Con Adventures
AUTHOR: Amy Lane
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 448 pages
RELEASE DATE: January 10. 2023
BLURB:
Can two quiet con men who lost their childhoods find their places as a part of a family—and with each other?
Ever since he watched his father die, Etienne Couvier has kept to himself. Under the tutelage of his adoptive family, the Salingers, Tienne grows into a gifted forger and artist. But no matter how hard they try to draw him into their midst—and despite the singular pull their friend Stirling Christopher has on his emotions—he resists.
When computer tech Stirling lost his foster parents, he found shelter and love with the Salingers. Stirling knows firsthand what Tienne has been through, so when an attacker shatters Tienne’s self-imposed isolation, Stirling urges him into the Salinger crew. Maybe they can finally explore the quiet attraction between them.
Then the Salingers announce their next project: an inquest into the mysterious deaths of Stirling’s adoptive parents. They descend on the Caribbean for answers, with Stirling and Tienne the quiet centers of the human justice-seeking hurricane. As they stretch out of their comfort zones, they learn that being family means someone always has your back. Hand in hand, they’ll solve the mystery. They might even be able to live with the consequences—as long as they do it together.
REVIEW:
The Tech is the fifth book in Amy Lane’s Long Con Adventures series that follows the Salinger family – biological and chosen – and their Robinhood-esque criminal escapades. This installation stars twenty-one year old, Stirling – the eponymous Tech and hacker extraordinaire of the Salinger crew – and Etienne (Tienne), a new-to-the-series character. Tienne has a history with Danny, who saved his life in Morocco when he was just twelve years old. Now, nine years later, he’s an artist who has become part of the crew because of his unsurpassed forging skills, a necessity for this latest adventure. He is given refuge and a room in the mansion when his path crosses with a dangerous man from his past.
As we know, Stirling and his foster sister, Molly, were adopted together by the Christopher’s, friends of Julia and Felix. Tragically, the Christopher’s died under questionable circumstances while yachting in the Caribbean two years ago. Their deaths serve as the mystery to be solved in this book, with the entire team sailing from island to island in the Caribbean.
I felt The Tech was less exciting than its predecessors. The first quarter of the book was about getting to know Tienne. It’s not until that point that the case was introduced, and there was a lot of talk and planning with less action. As always, I enjoyed the parts most where the whole team worked together.
Stirling and Tienne’s budding relationship is sweet but perhaps a little too innocent and tentative for my taste. They are both quiet and introverted with smaller personalities.
One other thing that bothered me was Grace’s portrayal. I found him to be unlikable and bratty, pouting and sulking throughout the story. He’s never been my favorite character but at least he was sympathetic to a degree in the previous books. He is, however, the subject of my favorite quote: “You’ve been my emotional support animal for six months,” Josh said fondly, leaning his head on Grace’s shoulder and settling in.
There’s a bit too much coincidence between the suspects in the deaths of Stirling’s parents, the bad guy in Tienne’s present day, and those from his past.
I have no doubt many readers will find this book more engaging and more to their liking than I did. For any new-to-the-series readers, this is not a standalone. You must start with The Mastermind, which is an exciting, dynamic book.
RATING: 
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