The Picasso Job - A Phoenix Thriller

One day, Dakota is planning to marry his high school sweetheart and join the FBI. 
Next, he’s behind bars. 
Now, two thieves want him dead in… THE PICASSO JOB
 
Chasing justice left Dakota Black a convicted felon. Inside the gray walls of Folsom State Prison, the blond farm boy who wanted to become an FBI agent finds himself mixed up with the worst of the worst. First, there’s bow-legged Renoir Reza—a Machiavellian art thief with a deadly hidden agenda—and Cody Winters, the revenge-minded brother of the man Dakota supposedly put in the grave.

To escape Winters's attacks, Dakota joins Reza in a fiery midnight jailbreak. Winters catches them in the icy American River and threatens his way into becoming a hot-headed and dangerous third wheel. The trio hotwires a car and embarks on a kamikaze cross-country crime spree to steal a priceless Picasso painting.

Before the bright lights of Reno are in their rearview mirror, Special Agent Elizabeth Everett and her partner catch the scent of their trail. She arrested Reza before and won't stop until his murderous global plans are snuffed out. 

With loyalties shifting like the wind, will any of the three fugitives manage to steal the masterpiece? Or will Dakota die trying to walk a tightrope between survival and virtue?

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

"I loved it!"

"I was on the edge of my seat the whole time."

"I couldn't read fast enough!"

"Laced with tension and suspense."

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This striking standalone from international bestselling and thirteen-time award-winning author Avanti Centrae is a twist-laden crime thriller about humanity’s struggle for freedom, justice, and redemption. It delivers an explosive blend of art theft, crime, and moral reckoning that you’ll remember long after you turn the last page.

"Centrae writes with polish and skill, crafting a thriller that reverberates with confidence, sharp prose, and fresh, instinctual dialogue." —Publisher's Weekly BookLife Prize

"Avanti Centrae delivers another powerhouse of suspense that crackles with intensity. Bold, brilliant, and utterly addictive, this is a thriller you'll be talking about long after the last page." —Chicago Book Review

Pub date is 11/18/25. 

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