The Picasso Job: A Phoenix Thriller

By: Centrae, Avanti

BOOK OF THE YEAR Winner - BestThrillers.comOne day he's planning to marry his high school sweetheart and join the FBI.The next, he's behind bars.Now, two thieves want him dead in...THE PICASSO JOB.Chasing justice left Dakota Black a convicted felon. Inside the gray walls of Folsom State Prison, the blond farm boy who wanted to become an FBI agent finds himself mixed up with bow-legged Renoir Reza--a Machiavellian art thief with a deadly hidden agenda--and Cody Winters, the revenge-minded brother of the man Dakota supposedly put in the grave. To escape Winters's attacks, Dakota joins Reza in a fiery jailbreak. They embark on a kamikaze crime spree seeking a five-million-dollar reward.

Before the bright lights of Reno are in their rearview mirror, Special Agent Elizabeth Everett and her partner catch the scent of their trail. She arrested Reza before and won't stop until his murderous global plans are snuffed out.

With loyalties shifting like the wind, will any of the three fugitives manage to re-steal a Picasso painting? Or will Dakota die trying to walk a tightrope between survival and virtue?

This striking standalone from international bestselling and thirteen-time award-winning author Avanti Centrae is a twist-laden crime thriller about humanity's struggle for freedom, justice, and redemption. It delivers an explosive blend of art theft, crime, and moral reckoning that you'll remember long after you turn the last page.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0FNQ3Q75Z
• ISBN13: 9798986316468
• Release Date: November 2025
• Publisher: Thunder Creek Press
• Length: 338 Pages
• Weight: 0.77 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Nonstop fast action

The Iranian terrorist financer shared a cell with Black who was not really a criminal, but they WERE in Folsom Prison. The terrorist had a plan to escape and steal a stolen painting and gain five million dollars. A side problem arose shortly before implementing the elaborate escape plan assisted by the man's terrorist organization in the form of a man from Black's past who harbored a deep hatred of Black and tried to kill him. But when it came time to escape, the three of them worked together to keep stealing cars and identities to get across the country to New York. Enter the highly motivated FBI agent who wants to find the terrorist and stuff him back into prison. Stuck with a rather dim misogynist for a partner and using the resources of the department, they dog the felons' path, discover that the end game is construction of a dirty bomb placed in synagogues in three places. Car chases, shootouts, helicopters and more in this intense thrill ride of a novel that's a little too close to possible. Loved it! I requested and received a temporary uncorrected review e-galley from Thunder Creek Press | Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles via NetGalley. Pub Date Nov 18, 2025 in print, ebook, and audio. #ThePicassoJob by @avanti.centrae.author #PhoenixBk1 @ibpalovesindies #ThunderCreekPress #NetGalley #bookbub #thestorygraph #goodreads @librarythingofficial #newseries #suspense #action #thriller #psychological #grief #family #intrigue #revenge #internationalenemies #prisonescapees #multipleperspectives #vendetta #dirtybomb #niagarafalls