Chris Ewan, The Good Thief's Guide to Amsterdam

The Good Thief's Guide to Amsterdam is the first book in Chris Ewan's series about Charles Howard, the author of a bestselling series of books about a thief who just happens to be a thief himself: I can't tell you how much I love this idea. Needless to say, the book is set in Amsterdam, where Charles runs into problems with both of his careers, though the focus is naturally on the illegal side of his life. The only other character who's likely to show up in subsequent books is his editor, a woman he's never met but whom he tells all to on the phone. Charles also runs into a con man who makes a good character and who I can see possibly showing up again if he doesn't mind traveling: the next book in the series is set in Paris. I was prepared to love the book because of its setup and instead just liked it a lot: enough that I'll be reading more in the series. I'm also eager to read the author's stand-alone thriller Safe House.