Second Pocket First - by Gregory Grosvenor (Paperback)

About the Book

Issey, a not-so-bright burglar, accidentally becomes a hero to a Vermont town, thrusting him into an enjoyable spotlight. But when his past threatens to reappear, he must decide between old habits and a sudden devotion to the town's goodwill.

Book Synopsis

He dresses like a French novel. He steals like a punchline. He is absolutely magnificent at looking the part and absolutely terrible at everything else.

Issey is the world's most stylishly dressed bad thief. Double veal gloves, a nailhead scarf, and enough confidence to make failure look intentional. When his crew boots him ahead of a big job, he retreats to his Vermont hometown, ostensibly to sort out family business. What he finds instead is unlocked doors, deserving targets, and a family in more pieces than he bargained for.

But between charming locals, dodging a very patient police sergeant, and engineering a romantic reconciliation nobody asked for, Issey discovers that giving things back might be his greatest con yet.

As the pieces of his small, accidental life in Vermont begin clicking into place, something arrives to knock them all sideways. And the last person he should have trusted was the one he never thought to question.

Part caper, part family comedy, and entirely the work of a man who has no idea what he is doing but looks incredible doing it, this is a story about taking things apart and wondering what is left when you give it all back. He spent his whole life stealing things. Turns out the hardest thing to keep was everything he never meant to find.

Can a man who has taken everything finally get away with something that actually matters?

Get your copy today before the price changes.

- Waterbury, Vermont's 2026 One Town, One Book Selection

Review Quotes

"In the tradition of the great comic novels, Second Pocket First presents Issey, quite possibly the world's worst burglar but nevertheless a five-finger-discount artist of cutthroat sartorial principle, innumerable maddening affectations, and a sterling code of honor, and follows his crooked path across New England as he seeks to relieve the solid citizens of its burgs and hamlets of their worldly goods, a path that will lead him to his destiny." -Janet Peery, National Book Award Finalist

"In the tradition of the great comic novels, Second Pocket First presents Issey, quite possibly the world's worst burglar but nevertheless a five-finger-discount artist of cutthroat sartorial principle, innumerable maddening affectations, and a sterling code of honor, and follows his crooked path across New England as he seeks to relieve the solid citizens of its burgs and hamlets of their worldly goods, a path that will lead him to his destiny." -Janet Peery, National Book Award Finalist