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Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
In a ruthless port city where power is brokered in shadows, a brilliant schemer and his unlikely crew face a storm of betrayals, rival gangs, and political traps. Every move is a gamble, every alliance a risk, and the cost of failure is more than any of them can pay. Crooked Kingdom delivers twisty plans, knife-edge tension, and fierce loyalty in a heist tale that never stops doubling down.
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In Crooked Kingdom, did you enjoy ...
... intricate underworld cons and double-crosses led by a razor-witted thief?
The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
If Kaz’s layered long game in Crooked Kingdom—the fake-out auction for Kuwei, Wylan’s identity swap, and the revenge spiral against Pekka Rollins—had you grinning, you’ll love the Gentleman Bastards. In The Lies of Locke Lamora, Locke and his crew stage audacious, multi-step swindles against Camorr’s nobility while navigating duels with a rival crime lord. It’s the same high-wire heist energy, gallows humor, and “one more reveal” momentum that powered Kaz’s schemes across Ketterdam.
... a specialist crew where every member’s role is vital to a rebellion-turned-heist?
Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson
If you loved how every member of Kaz’s team mattered—Jesper’s sharpshooting, Inej’s silent climbs, Nina’s Heartrendering, Wylan’s demolition genius—then Mistborn: The Final Empire will hit that same sweet spot. Kelsier assembles Vin, Breeze, Ham, and others for a caper to upend an empire, each with distinct skills and banter reminiscent of the Dregs’ dynamics during the Van Eck auction gambit and the harborside rescue of Inej.
... ruthless, charismatic antiheroes making hard choices in a corrupt world?
The Black Company by Glen Cook
If you were drawn to the Dregs’ moral grayness—Kaz shaking down Ketterdam’s elite, the crew staging impossible plays that endanger innocents, and the brutal reckoning with Pekka—The Black Company delivers that edge. Following a mercenary outfit under a near-mythic tyrant, it chronicles hard compromises and loyalty under fire, much like how the Dregs keep choosing each other even when every path is ethically compromised.
... outcasts forging a family while pulling high-stakes jobs against ruthless merchant houses?
Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett
If the heartbeat of Crooked Kingdom for you was the Dregs choosing each other—Kaz risking everything to free Inej, Jesper standing by Wylan, Nina and Matthias fighting side-by-side—then Foundryside nails that vibe. Thief Sancia teams up with a mismatched crew (an idealistic soldier, a prickly scholar, and a brilliant engineer) whose loyalty deepens through break-ins and betrayals that feel right at home alongside Ketterdam’s merchant machinations.
... rotating perspectives that reveal each crew member’s secrets during a glittering, perilous heist?
The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi
If you enjoyed how Crooked Kingdom hops between Kaz, Inej, Nina, Jesper, Wylan, and Matthias—letting each viewpoint shift the stakes of the auction con, Nina’s struggle with jurda parem, and Wylan’s hidden past—then The Gilded Wolves will feel instantly familiar. Séverin’s team—Laila, Zofia, Enrique, and Hypnos—tackles puzzle-box thefts where each POV adds a crucial piece, echoing the Dregs’ layered revelations and emotional turns.
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