Onyx reviews: Fool Me Twice by Jeff Lindsay

Reviewed by Bev Vincent, 08/11/2020

Jeff Lindsay, creator of Dexter Morgan, returns with the second book in his new series (after Just Watch Me) featuring egomaniacal thief Riley Wolfe. Whereas Dexter was a serial killer struggling to find a place in society, Wolfe is devoid of any moral scruples, which makes him a hard protagonist to root for. His joy in life comes from executing impossible thefts and, occasionally, executing people who get in his way.

After a daring heist in Russia (he sees the crime as payback for Russian interference in international affairs), Wolfe's perfectly planned escape is foiled when someone betrays him. He ends up chained in a rocky cell, prisoner of Patrick Boniface, the deadliest arms dealer in the world, and his Bond-villain-esque torture expert Bernadette. The prison is deep in the bowels of an impregnable island at the remotest spot in the world. After Bernadette softens him up for a few days to guarantee his cooperation, Boniface explains why Wolfe has been brought here. Boniface appreciates beautiful art—something he and Wolfe have in common—and his collection includes items that are supposedly currently hanging in museums around the world.

Boniface wants Wolfe to steal something. Once he explains what it is, Wolfe realizes his peril. The object Boniface wants can't possibly be stolen, not even by a clever and resourceful man like Wolfe. However, he has little choice but to agree, and Boniface releases him, whereupon he is promptly re-kidnapped by a rival arms dealer who wants Wolfe to carry out Boniface's scheme so the rival can use the opportunity to defeat him.

Wolfe has ample time to consider his plight—Boniface understands that a caper like this will take months to orchestrate. Wolfe enlists the aid of Monique, the angriest woman on the planet and, simultaneously, the world's best forger (as Lindsay reminds readers half a dozen times). Wolfe can steal anything he wants, but he can't have Monique—although they did have one ill-advised but highly successful night together in the past. Wolfe pursues Monique relentlessly, but she only puts up with him because he has often paid her handsomely for her services in the past. This time, though, she is in the crosshairs with Wolfe, putting her in the uncomfortable position of having to participate in his wacky scheme in an attempt to dislodge themselves from their dangerous position.

In the meantime, FBI Special Agent Frank Delgado, part of a task force pursuing Boniface and other arms dealers, who has long been in obsessive pursuit of Wolfe, learns of Wolfe's jeopardy and sees it as the perfect opportunity to finally nab his most-wanted criminal.

Wolfe's solution to his dilemma is ingenious, involving multiple levels of misdirection and specialized research from a polymer chemist, but he still has a habit of dispatching otherwise innocent people who might spoil his plan. It's all very thrilling, but readers might be left wondering why they are eager for Wolfe to succeed.

One side benefit of reading the Wolfe novels: Lindsay uses Wolfe to introduce readers to works of art and music with which they might not already be familiar. In particular, Wolfe relates the story of how Keith Jarrett's 1975 Köln Concert came about. The solo jazz piano work is worth checking out: it can be found via this page, along with the fascinating backstory.