Mulligan is not the best thief in Aberddu, but he is a man with a plan. After he finds Min and her friends scraping a living on the streets of the Poor Quarter, he knows he's going to be quids in.

Together, Mulligan and the girls build up a rock-solid ruse. As the Fortescues, they hold the key to the homes of the city's great, good and filthy rich. It seems like the perfect scheme — if Mulligan can avoid getting married off — but nothing this good can last forever.

The game they are playing is more complex than they first suppose, and soon enough they are plagued by enemies harder to run from than the militia. Greed, resentment and disloyalty take their toll on the gang. With Min and Mulligan enjoying the high life and Angel disappearing for hours at a time, it seems like they might spoil things for themselves before anybody else has a chance to rumble their little ploy.

As four street kids and a con-man take on Aberddu's aristocracy, who exactly is playing whom… and will anybody come up smelling of roses?

LG Surgeson