In her breathless debut novel, Megan E. O'Keefe gives us The Lies of Locke Lamora on giant sand dunes with exploding airships; the first title in The Scorched Continent series. Detan Honding is a conman on the run who thinks he's got it made when an opportunity arises to steal a gorgeous new airship. Unluckily, the watch-captain whom he thought was in on the plan with him turns out to be an imposter. She's a wily shape-shifting creature known as a doppel, and she's wanted for murder. With the doppel bringing more attention to his schemes than he'd like, Detan considers fleeing the city. But the doppel makes it clear she'll harm his only friend if he bails on her - and so he's forced to act. When his attempt to steal the ship backfires, he ends up in the hands of the empire that's been chasing him, and must use a special power he's always been afraid of to escape.

'e¢ An upbeat, often funny and action-packed novel, with well-timed one-liners and strong characters. 'e¢ Comparable to Scott Lynch and Douglas Hulick.