Rockdown in Lockdown

Once a feared planner of crimes, Violet Winters now finds herself idling indoors during lockdown, passing the time with streaming marathons and online shopping sprees. Her restlessness ends when she learns about The Lakehouse, a building that once served as a rehabilitation centre. Its former residents have been moved out, and in their place sits a crowd of famous people whose indulgence during the pandemic, while everyone else hides at home, has been on full display.

This sits badly with Violet. Hidden at the heart of the house is a vault holding the fortunes of all these privileged figures. Violet sets out to crack it with a daring theft, beginning by getting one of her associates placed inside the property. Naturally, nothing goes smoothly. A social media personality is determined to expose Violet to her millions of followers, and a volatile mixed martial arts fighter is hunting her down, so the situation quickly deteriorates. A successful heist would make Violet a legend, but failure could leave her floating in the lake.

Rockdown in Lockdown is the latest instalment in the Kilchester series. It blends a fast, plot-driven heist with humour that leans toward the absurd.