Brilliant

by Marne Davis Kellogg

Book Overview

Meet Kick Keswick, an elegant and self-possessed American who has been at London's venerable Ballantine & Company Auctioneers for over thirty years. She is an expert on paintings, furniture, and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312303475
• ISBN13: 9780312303471
• Release Date: May 2003
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 1.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.6" x 9.4"

Customer Reviews

Great book!!!

I loved this book. The main character, Kick, reminded me of a female Archie McNally. She is smart, charming and a gourmande with a wonderful style. I read this book in one sitting and I just bought the sequel Priceless. I will definitely be reading all of her books and recommend this hard to put down, thriller that was so smartly written. Each page was a delight.

D, Flawless!!!

I LOVED this book! It was literally difficult to put down & one that you hate to finish. I found Kellogg's descriptions so delightful to read. From the way she made a simple omelette to her minute steps in replicating jewelry- it was great fun! Kick's sass was refreshing to see & I liked the fact that she still was a "lady" throughout her escapades. I saw where another reviewer was bugged by the fact that she had so much power at the auction house, yet was still bringing the boys tea. Ballantine is old-school England! She was smart enough to know that did not demean her. She knew how to play the men. I am sure she could've moved up, too, but hmmm.... wouldn't that have made her "other job" more dangerous? I think she had the best of both worlds here & knew it. Kudos to Kellogg for her good research job in writing this book. She definitely knew her stuff. A great book here. Do not pass it up! Can't wait to read "Priceless", her sequel.

5 Stars with some complaints but overall 5 stars

I give this book 5 stars for the story itself. Kick Keswick as a woman who escaped to London as a teenager to start a new life after a baby she gave up for adoption, a mother who cared less and a juvenile record she needed to escape from. She winds up the protege of Sir Cramner owner of a well established Auction house. After his death the company is taken over by Owen Brace a flashy business man who she helps make over in order to fit in better in the upper class English society that most of their business is done in. In her spare time though she's a well trained and knowledgable jewelry thief. This was a great part of her character. From the beginning of the story she is tough and does what she has to so she can get by. Perhaps that is why she kind of blended into the the side lines at her job with Ballantine Auction house. She's very talented in art, jewelry and antique appraising, so I didn't understand the fact that a woman who had been working for years under the owners training would still be an Executive Assistant. In one scene in particular she describes that she's the one that makes sure everything is locked up and another time one of the Vice Presidents is asking her where his coffee/tea is. I didn't understand this part of the story considering she is such a dynamic character to begin with. It bugged me. As I said maybe I missed something, but I don't know that bothered me. She's worked at this company since she was about 18 and although she does make sure everything is running well one of the men was asking her that seemed highly unlikely in today's world.However, I found the story interesting and fun. I wasn't sure that I'd like the story it took me a little while to get into it, but when I did I was eager to know what would happen next.I don't want to give too much away, so I'll just tell you that I enjoyed it. It's a nice change of pace for a female lead to be a jewelry thief and the heroine in the story. I loved the ending too.:) I loved the first person account she gave also so it's like you are reading her diary or talking to her over brunch. It's got a few flaws but I still give it 5 stars because it kept me involved and I will recommend it to friends and family.

Brilliant is Brilliant!

This is such a well-written piece! Wow! I loved it! The quotes you get from the critics are entirely right. Thievery, Jewelry, a little high tech security, a wealth of info on antiques, sex, and secret plots. Plus, you get to find out what the narrator thinks of everyone. Lovely. Reminded me vaguely of a more grown up Gossip Girl with an almost 007 twist. Did I forget the part about cars? Oh, yeah. Fast cars, too. This is good.

Exec. Assist. at an England auction house and jewel thief

When I picked up this novel to read, I thought I was reading the next segment in her Lilly Bennett series. I soon realized that it wasn't, but I soon fell in love with Kick Keswick.Kick is the Executive Assistant at Ballantine and Company Auctioneers in England. But, she is also a jewel thief. She has learned so much about jewels that she now constructs fakes and expertly slips the real jewels into her pocket and puts the fakes in the Auction company safes. She also burglarizes home and steals only jewelry and leaves a bouquet of shamrocks. She has become the Shamrock Burglar. No one knows about this side of her life. There's a lot no one knows about her life. She grew up in Oklahoma and had a bad childhood, though this isn't the story she tells of her childhood. Sir Cramner Ballantine found her and helped her turn her life around. She learned everything there was to learn about the items being auctioned. Before Sir Cramner died, he gave Kick a 15% interest in the company as KDK Trust. No one else knew about this but his lawyer.Sir Cramner had asked her to keep an eye on his son Sir Benjamin as he took over Ballantine and Company and to not let him run it into the ground. This task about did Kick in. Now Ballantine and Company has merged with Brace International. Owen Brace takes when Sir Benjamin kills himself. Kick has her work cut out for her to help Owen gain the appearance and respect worthy of Ballantine and Company.The undercurrent of her being a jewel thief working in an upscale business constantly kept this story moving. I found myself picking this book up to read to find out what happened next. It isn't your standard mystery by any means, but I truly enjoyed it and look forward to reading about more adventures with Kick.The England scenery and the upper class auction business gave the story a lot of credibility and gave me a look into a lifestyle I am totally unaware of. I got a good education but in a very enjoyable manner.I highly recommend this book.