The Picasso Job: A Phoenix Thriller

One day he’s planning to marry his high school sweetheart and join the FBI.

The 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 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 jailbreak. They embark on a kamikaze crime spree seeking a five-million-dollar reward.

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 re-steal a Picasso painting? Or will Dakota die trying to walk a tightrope between survival and virtue?

This striking standalone from international bestselling and fourteen-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.

Fiction Runner-up — Paris Book Festival

“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

“Centrae writes with polish and skill, crafting a thriller that reverberates with confidence, sharp prose, and fresh, instinctual dialogue.” —Publishers Weekly BookLife Prize

“Fuses the moral grit of The Shawshank Redemption with the sophisticated intrigue of The Thomas Crown Affair. Like those classics, The Picasso Job is taut, visual, and ready for the big screen.”—BestThrillers.com

“Another exciting ride … through the world of art crime and justice!" —Robert Wittman, Founder, FBI Art Crime Team and New York Times bestselling author of Priceless and The Devil’s Diary

“With twists that keep readers guessing, this book delivers great entertainment with quirky characters, a tight plot, gorgeous writing, and action-packed scenes.” —Readers’ Favorite, Five Stars

“Pure delight. With breakneck pacing and Centrae’s signature plot twists, The Picasso Job held me in its thrall from start to finish.”—Saralyn Richard, multi-award-winning author of the Detective Parrott mystery series, including A Palette for Love and Murder.

“Avanti Centrae always delivers. You can count on intricate plotting, characters you want to care about, and a storyline laden with twist after twist.” —James L’Etoile, award-winning author of Face of Greed and the Detective Nathan Parker series

© 2025 Thunder Creek Press (Ebook): 9798986316451

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Ebook: 18 November 2025