Karen Odden - An Artful Dodge

Karen Odden - An Artful Dodge

From House of Mystery Radio on NBC by House of Mystery Radio

May 29, 2026 · 39 min

About this episode

Karen Odden discusses her heist novel set in Victorian London featuring an all-female thieving gang.

Victorian London comes to vivid life in this riveting heist novel about an all-female thieving gang and one young woman’s heroic plan to escape a life of crime, from the USA Today bestselling author of Down a Dark River . She’s stolen gems, purses, and hearts—but can she steal her life back from the ring of thieves that’s claimed it? London, 1879: Twenty-year-old Kit Jimeson has fingers so nimble she can nick a necklace off a lady in a crowded theater without raising alarm. Kit and her dodge partner, Mary, are the highest earners in the notorious all-women thieving ring in South London’s Elephant and Castle district. Kit, whose mother had been a thief before her, dreams of a different life, one where she’s not constantly on the lookout for constables and plainclothes detectives, and where a mistake or pure bad luck won’t land her in the hangman’s noose. She has been saving her earnings so her younger sister, a maid for a wealthy Mayfair family, might have a shot at respectability. Kit is very close to leaving the life entirely when the legendary former thief Maggie O’Connell brings her plans to a halt. Beautiful, charismatic Maggie has returned to reclaim leadership of the ring…

People in this episode

Host: House of Mystery Radio

Guest: Karen Odden

Topics covered

  • Victorian London
  • heist novel
  • female empowerment
  • crime
  • literature

Keywords

  • heist
  • Victorian
  • female thieves
  • crime novel
  • literature

Mentioned in this episode

Places: London, South London, Elephant and Castle

More episodes of House of Mystery Radio on NBC

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the House of Mystery Radio on NBC podcast page.