Thieves' Gambit

Devroe Kenzie serves as the deuteragonist and primary love interest. He acts as both an ally and a complex rival to Ross. The novel first illustrates Devroe as a charismatic and impeccably dressed English thief. He is exceptionally skilled at reading people, using his charm as a strategic tool to disarm his competitors and gather information. He is the first to propose an alliance with Ross, recognizing her skill and identifying her as a valuable partner rather than just an obstacle. This offer challenges Ross’s family’s code of distrust and initiates the novel’s exploration of The Paradox of Trust in a World of Deception. Devroe’s smooth, confident exterior and preference for “curious observation rather than spying” position him as a master of social manipulation, contrasting with Ross’s more technical, physical skill set (77).

Beneath his polished image, Devroe has a deep and painful family history. He reveals to Ross that his father was also a thief who died shortly before he was born, and that he is competing in the Gambit “for him” (153). This shared experience of a lost father creates a foundation of genuine vulnerability and connection between him and Ross, suggesting that his interest in her is more than just strategic. However, the narrative’s conclusion reveals a more complicated truth: His mother competed against Ross’s mother in a previous Gambit and lost the chance to wish for his father’s life to be saved. This inherited rivalry adds a layer of tension and ambiguity to his motivations, framing his actions as part of a long-standing family vendetta.

Devroe is a dynamic character with a complex moral code. He demonstrates compassion by stopping to help Ross rescue the wounded Yeriel, a decision that risks his own standing in the competition. Yet, his goal is revenge. This duality makes him a compelling and unpredictable figure. When he wins the Gambit, he has the opportunity to destroy the Quest family but ultimately chooses to delay his wish, leaving his true intentions unresolved. He is neither a straightforward hero nor a villain but a product of a complicated family legacy, much like Ross herself, making him a fitting and challenging partner in her journey.

Noelia Boschart is Ross’s primary rival and foil, a round character who develops from a one-dimensional antagonist into a complex and reluctant ally. As the heir to the powerful European-based Boschart thieving dynasty, her background directly parallels Ross’s. Their history is defined by a friendship-ending incident where Noelia betrayed Ross at a ski camp, leaving Ross in a position to be arrested (she was not arrested but instead rescued by her mother). This event cemented Ross’s belief in her family’s rule to trust no one outside the family. In the Gambit, Noelia is fiercely competitive, ruthless, and highly skilled, using her intelligence and resources to sabotage her opponents, particularly Ross. Her initial interactions are marked by smug superiority and a competitive drive to prove herself and her family’s legacy.

However, like Ross, Noelia struggles with Navigating the Weight of Family Legacy. The pressure to impress her demanding father and secure her position as the future head of the family heavily influences Noelia’s actions. The discovery that she, like Ross, paints hidden designs on the soles of her shoes is a key symbol of Noelia’s internal struggle. The hidden art represents a private, creative identity concealed beneath their public personas as heirs to criminal empires (54). This subtle detail suggests a hidden depth and a mutual desire for self-expression that unites them beyond their rivalry.

Noelia’s character arc pivots when her own family becomes a target. The revelation that her younger brother, Nicholi, is Ross’s target in the final phase forces her to re-evaluate her priorities. This threat transforms her from a competitor into a desperate sister, leading her to form a tense but necessary alliance with Ross. The further discovery that their childhood falling-out was orchestrated by Ross’s mother reframes their entire history, revealing them as mutual victims of manipulation. This shared trauma allows them to find common ground, moving past their rivalry to work together. Noelia’s evolution demonstrates that, beneath her cold and competitive exterior, she possesses a capacity for loyalty and vulnerability, making her a complex reflection of Ross herself.

Rhiannon Quest, Ross’s mother, is the story’s true antagonist. She is a complex but static character who hides her manipulation behind the appearance of a concerned parent. As a highly skilled and glamorous thief, she represents everything the Quest family stands for and trains Ross as her successor. She teaches Ross the family rule, “A Quest can’t trust anyone in this world—except for a Quest” (1), using it not as a protective guideline but as a tool to keep Ross isolated and dependent on Rhiannon. Rhiannon constantly dismisses Ross’s desire for a normal life, claiming her intent is to keep Ross safe. However, it is driven by a Rhiannon’s fear of abandonment.

Rhiannon is a skilled thief, but her greatest skills are in lying and deception. The central conflict of the novel begins when she fakes her own kidnapping, a cruel and elaborate scheme to prevent Ross from leaving for a summer program and to force her into the Thieves’ Gambit competition. This act is the ultimate betrayal, twisting the concept of family trust into a weapon against her own daughter. It reveals that Rhiannon is responsible for much of Ross’s suffering and the primary obstacle to her freedom. The discovery that Rhiannon was a previous winner of the Gambit adds another layer to her character, suggesting that her actions are part of a cycle of control and ambition that she now pushes on Ross.

Despite her villainous actions, Rhiannon believes she acts out of sense of love and a desperate need to keep her daughter close. She sees Ross not as an individual but as an extension of herself and the family legacy, a “dolly” to be controlled (21). Her greatest flaw is that she cannot imagine Ross having a life outside of her control. Rhiannon remains a static character because she never expresses genuine remorse for her actions, only regret that her daughter discovered the truth. This makes her a tragic and formidable antagonist whose influence shapes Ross’s entire journey.

Auntie Jaya serves as Ross’s primary confidante and a secondary mentor figure. As someone who “speak[s] Rosalyn fluently” (15), Jaya is the only family member to whom Ross can express her frustrations and desires for a life outside their thieving dynasty. Jaya’s own complicated history with her controlling older sister allows her to understand Ross’s feelings of being trapped. Her resentment at being treated like Rhiannon’s “real-life baby doll” mirrors Ross’s own struggle against her mother’s manipulation, creating a strong bond of shared experience between them.

While loyal to her family’s legacy, Jaya provides a more realistic worldview than Rhiannon. When Ross is in trouble, Jaya is the first person she calls, and Jaya immediately springs into action to help. However, her advice is often ruthless and direct, as when she suggests Ross should find a “pliable” partner in the Gambit to use and then discard (75). This advice shows how deeply Jaya understands the nature of the family’s profession. Simultaneously, Jaya gives Ross the emotional support Rhiannon withholds. She represents a different model of family loyalty, one that is supportive yet clear-eyed about the harsh realities of their world.

Mylo Michaelson is a charming and reckless competitor from Las Vegas who acts as a source of comic relief and a catalyst for team bonding. Mylo is a self-proclaimed “Jedi thief” with a talent for card tricks and a pen that can both cut and weld metal (126). He approaches the high-stakes Gambit with a gambler’s thrill-seeking attitude. His easygoing nature and quick wit make him a likable, if unpredictable, teammate. Mylo admits that he seeks out adrenaline and “good old-fashioned danger” to distract himself from personal anxieties, specifically waiting for a call that never comes (176). This hint of a troubled backstory adds a layer of depth to his otherwise carefree persona, explaining his tendency for taking unnecessary risks.

Kyung-soon Shin is a tech-savvy and fashion-conscious competitor from South Korea. At first, she seems indecisive but she proves to be a highly competent hacker and a loyal member of her team. Her ability to access secure databases and create digital keys is crucial to her team’s success in the second and third phases of the Gambit. A devoted K-pop fan with a sharp sense of style, Kyung-soon often uses her interests to mask her intelligence and keen observational skills. Her journey is one of growing confidence and friendship, culminating in a genuine apology to Ross for an early deception. She gifts Ross a designer hat she noticed Ross admired, stating that “apologies without recompense are just excuses” (283).

Taiyō Itō is a methodical and ambitious thief from Japan who approaches the Gambit with the cold precision of a strategist. His goal is not just to win but to learn from his competitors in order to develop a “checklist for creating other brilliant thieves out of ordinary people” and establish his own thieving dynasty in Asia (120). He is highly observant and analytical, treating every challenge as a field test and every interaction as an opportunity to gather data. He rarely displays emotion, operating on pure logic and self-interest, which makes his alliance with Noelia one of convenience rather than loyalty. His meticulous nature makes him a formidable opponent who rarely makes mistakes.

Adra Laghari and Lucus Taylor represent the more antagonistic and dangerous elements of the competition. Adra, a chic and glamorous thief from India, aligns herself with Noelia in the early phases. Armed with a sharp tongue and even sharper rings, she delights in the competitive and confrontational aspects of the Gambit, viewing her fellow contestants with disdain. Lucus, an aggressive Australian, serves as the group’s brute. He is quick to violence and seems to enjoy the opportunity for physical conflict, cracking his knuckles in anticipation of a fight (68). He poses a direct physical threat to the other competitors and embodies the most ruthless and least subtle side of the criminal world.

Yeriel Antuñez is a quiet and graceful competitor from Nicaragua who serves as a critical catalyst in Ross’s character development. During the first phase, she is shot by a museum guard as a direct result of a confrontation between Ross and Noelia. Her injury forces Ross to make a moral choice: Abandon Yeriel to secure her own success or risk elimination to save a competitor’s life. Ross’s decision to help her demonstrates a significant evolution in her capacity for compassion and trust beyond her family. In an act of gratitude, Yeriel gives Ross the target she had secured, allowing Ross to pass the phase. This exchange rewards Ross’s moral growth and reinforces the idea that trust, while risky, can yield unexpected benefits.