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How to Lead a Life of Crime

by Kirsten Miller

A criminal academy with a ruthless rule

Regular price $15.86 USD
Regular price $26.44 USD Sale price $15.86 USD
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AlbakiReads Editorial

A criminal academy with a ruthless rule

At Mandel Academy, criminal talent is treated as a qualification for an elite education, and graduation comes with a stark condition: only the most ruthless students advance, while the others disappear. Flick, a teenage pickpocket at the top of his class, faces a new rival when the school recruits his former flame. The academy’s competitive structure puts their past connection in tension with the threat that only one of them will make it out. The premise combines a boarding-school setting with questions of ambition, survival, and loyalty in a society that celebrates criminality.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Teens and young adults interested in young adult fiction set at an elite school.
  • Readers who enjoy stories about criminal protagonists and high-stakes competition.
  • Readers interested in conflicts between loyalty and self-preservation.

Themes

Criminality and social statusCompetition and survivalLoyalty and rivalryElite education

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

In a world where criminals are lauded and the most dangerous thrive, the Mandel Academy stands as the pinnacle of their education.

"Miller pens an enjoyable, fast-paced action novel that's full of danger, mystery, humor and violence, with lots of gross-out scenes and plenty of hairpin-turn plot twists that will keep readers guessing."--Kirkus Reviews

"Miller keeps every character grounded and believable, giving the story's horrors substantial impact."--Publishers Weekly

Meth dealer. Prostitute. Serial killer.

Anywhere else, they'd be vermin. At the Mandel Academy, they're called prodigies. The most exclusive school in New York City has been training young criminals for over a century. Only the most ruthless students are allowed to graduate. The rest disappear.

Flick, a teenage pickpocket, has risen to the top of his class. But then Mandel recruits a fierce new competitor who also happens to be Flick's old flame. They've been told only one of them will make it out of the Mandel Academy. Will they find a way to save each other--or will the school destroy them both?

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