In Grace D. Li's suspenseful art-heist thriller, Portrait of a Thief, an art history student convinces others to help him steal priceless artwork and return them to China. Will Chen studied hard, got good grades and made his parents proud when he was accepted into Harvard. He's on track for success until he learns about the Summer Palace, an imperial residence in Beijing. British and French forces burned the palace to the ground in 1860 and looted the treasures within, including 12 ornately sculptured zodiac heads. Seven of them have been returned, but five remain the property of different museums across Europe and the U.S. Will writes an article arguing that the artwork should be returned. Suddenly, a Chinese company offers Will $50 million to steal the zodiac heads and return them to China.
Will enlists his sister, Irene, for help recruiting a team they can trust: Daniel, a medical student; Alex, a computer genius; and Lily, an engineering student with a penchant for fast cars. Like Will, the members of the group are squeaky-clean overachievers, standing on the precipice of their parents' version of success. Breaking into museums, five altogether, will ruin their futures--but only if they get caught. The high-stakes situation leads to mistakes, arguments and attractions that threaten the group before the five can get anywhere near their life-changing payout.
Debut author Grace D. Li makes a strong argument for why parent-pleasing students should and shouldn't derail their lives for money, even the kind that erases debt. But it's the sexual tension of the will-they-or-won't-they subplot melding with the will-they-or-won't-they-get-caught narrative that makes this novel a thriller. --Paul Dinh-McCrillis, freelance reviewer