Gentleman Bastard Books in Order

The Gentleman Bastard series by Scott Lynch is a fantasy caper sequence about Locke Lamora, an orphaned thief who grows into one of the most dangerous con artists in a broken empire. He leads a small crew of specialists who steal for themselves, not for any noble cause, in a world that looks a bit like a twisted seventeenth century with alchemy and sorcery layered on top.

The story begins in The Lies of Locke Lamora, where Locke’s gang, the Gentleman Bastards, run intricate long cons against the nobility in the canal city of Camorr. Trained by the seemingly pious Father Chains to pass as gentlemen as easily as they slip through back alleys, they break the underworld’s unspoken rules by targeting the rich instead of the poor. Their schemes unfold against a backdrop of Elderglass ruins, crime bosses, and a mysterious rival who starts killing Camorr’s thieves just as Locke reaches for his biggest score.

Each volume shifts the backdrop while keeping the same core of sharp-tongued thieves and their tangle of loyalties. The second book, Red Seas Under Red Skies, moves Locke and his closest friend Jean Tannen to Tal Verrar, an island city of gamblers and manipulators. There they set out to cheat the Sinspire, the most exclusive and heavily guarded gambling house in the world, only to find themselves roped into piracy and high-seas politics that make their old life in Camorr look simple.

In The Republic of Thieves, the focus turns to the inland city of Karthain and to the shadowy Bondsmagi who quietly run it. Poisoned and out of options, Locke agrees to help rig an election in exchange for a chance at survival. The job forces him and Jean to work against Sabetha, Locke’s former partner and first love, and the novel braids that tense present-day contest with flashbacks to their years as teenage thieves learning their craft together.

So far three novels have been published, with The Thorn of Emberlain announced as the planned fourth book, promising to carry Locke and Jean from cons and politics into open warfare in the wider Therin lands. Across the series the stakes grow from city alleys to international crises, but the emotional center stays rooted in the friendships, grudges, and private jokes of a handful of people who have stolen a life together.

Tonally, Gentleman Bastard blends fast-talking crime story energy with detailed worldbuilding. Expect elaborate disguises and long games, yes, but also found family dynamics, food and drink described in loving detail, and a steady tug-of-war between dark consequences and stubborn hope. If you like the idea of an Ocean’s Eleven style crew dropped into a dangerous secondary world, this is the series to dive into.