To Deal with Kings, M.K. Lobb
To Deal with Kings, M.K. Lobb
List: $31.99 | Sale: $22.40
Club: $15.99

To Deal with Kings

Author: M.K. Lobb

Narrator: Frankie Porter, Nico Evers-Swindell

Unabridged: 12 hr 18 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 03/24/2026


Synopsis

Zaria and Kane, alchemologist and con man, are a match made in hell—yet they'll have to team up again to stay out of jail, as new threats arise and rival kingpins clash throughout London's slums.

Zaria Mendoza doesn't think she'll ever see Kane Durante again. In fact, she thinks he's dead, burned up in the flames that destroyed the pawn shop where she lived with her best friend Jules. All Zaria has left is the necklace they stole from the Crystal Palace: valuable not just for its jewels, but for the magic it holds within as a rare primateria source. Yet why did Kane slip it into her pocket right before everything went up in smoke? Why did he give her what she needs most, after she betrayed him?

With the previous kingpin dead, Kane feels adrift, even though he's the one who pulled the trigger. He may be the natural successor as kingpin of Devil's Acre, London's worst slum, but not everyone in his crew respects him as leader. Yet Kane has bigger fish to fry. Inspector Price knocks on his door and demands his help in discovering the identity of a mystery man calling himself the Curator, who has installed an unidentifiable alchemological device in the Crystal Palace—the location of the heist Kane pulled off with Zaria. He has ten days to find the Curator. Otherwise, he and his estranged best friend Fletcher end up in jail, Zaria alongside them.

Trouble faces Zaria and Kane from every side as they're forced to team up once again, to save themselves, and maybe even all of London. Because Zaria's being manipulated by Vaughan, a faceless man calling himself the new kingpin of the Seven Dials slum, and he's hiding more secrets than anyone bargained for...

Don't miss the heist that started it all:
To Steal from Thieves

Reviews

Goodreads review by liz ౨ৎ on March 22, 2026

this book was one of my most anticipated reads of this year and it did not disappoint. picking up right where book one left off there was not a single second i was bored, i flew through this book! zaria and kane’s dynamic one of my favorites and their tension was crazy!!! betrayals were fresh and th......more

Goodreads review by Tori on March 13, 2026

This was a fantastic conclusion to the Thieves & Kings duology! I was able to seamlessly jump back into this world of alchemology, plots, and betrayals. I loved the simmering tension between Zaria and Kane - the love, the hate, and just wanting to be seen. Jules and Fletcher added the perfect balanc......more

Goodreads review by Amanda on February 19, 2026

To Deal with Kings is an urban historical fantasy crime mystery with a little bit of romance - ok it basically does all the things. If you loved To Steal from Thieves, you'll eat this up, no crumbs. Things are so DARK from the beginning, which picks up immediately after the end of TSfT. I said after......more

Goodreads review by Nikki on September 19, 2025

thank you to hachette for the eARC of To Deal With Kings! this was a great sequel and end for this duology. I loved seeing Zaria and Kane's developments, both individually and their relationship. Their respective friendships with Jules and Fletcher really shine through and M.K Lobb does a great job......more

Goodreads review by hannah on March 06, 2026

one of the first things i did after finishing to steal from thieves was see if the ARC for this second instalment was available, because i so badly wanted to read it — and luckily for me, it was! to deal with kings was a fantastic sequel and finale, and i had so much fun with it. as a whole, this wa......more


Quotes

Praise for To Steal from Thieves:

"Insightful and fun, To Steal from Thieves spins a clever, unforgettable narrative about how desperation forges us into dangerous people—and how to reconcile and love those parts of ourselves anyway. M.K. Lobb has never heard of a sophomore slump. This new series opener is a sophomore success, in every sense of the word." —Kamilah Cole, bestselling author of So Let Them Burn

“A fresh take on clockpunk London. Lobb takes us on a pulse-pounding tour of a criminal underworld filled with dark magic, desperation, and desire. To Steal from Thieves is a fantasy heist that will have you questioning if you’re team Kane or team Zaria right to the very end. Fans of Six of Crows and These Violent Delights will be all over this!" —Courtney Smyth, author of The Undetectables

* "The tension never lets up in this electric tale that’s equal parts clever heist, searing romance, and pulse-pounding action-adventure with crossover potential that will entice fans of Scott Lynch’s Gentleman Bastard Sequence." —Publishers Weekly, starred review