Tuesday, November 9, 2010
The Thieves of Darkness, A Review
You may recall that, back in January, I had the opportunity to chat with Richard Doetsch, author of the exciting novel, The 13th Hour.
So when Atria Books offered me the chance to read Richard's newest book, The Thieves of Darkness, I didn't even think about it before enthusiastically saying, Yes, please!
I haven't yet read Doetsch's previous novels about master-thief-turned-security-consultant, Michael St. Pierre, (The Thieves of Heaven and The Thieves of Faith) but that didn't stop me from jumping right into the story and immediately feeling like I'd known the character for years.
The Thieves of Darkness begins with a daring prison break when our hero, Michael, travels to Chiron Prison somewhere in the mountains above the eastern desert to rescue Simon, a friend who is about to be executed (for a crime that he DID commit, but for which he had a very good reason...). From there, Michael and his band of marauding good guys travel to Turkey where Simon and his partner-in-crime (who happens to be Michael's new girlfriend) have work to do. There are kidnappings and threats and near-death experiences and plot foils and twists and secret identities.
In other words, it's a whole lot of fun.
I'm going to be honest here. I enjoyed reading this more than pretty much everything by Dan Brown. The story is on par with Brown's work. There are ancient mysteries and a bit of mysticism and a hint of supernatural. But where Dan Brown's Robert Langdon is this scholarly professor that bloviates with long lectures on the history of a flower in the corner of one painting, Doetsch just wants to keep his stories moving, sharing important bits of history only when necessary.
The fast pacing and exciting adventure make this a quick read, too. Once I finally got time to start reading, I practically couldn't put it down because I had to know what happened next. Is it the best book I've read this year? No, not quite. But it was certainly enjoyable.
So if you're looking for something with some thrills, but that isn't going to make you feel like you've accidentally signed up for a PhD course in ancient archeology, definitely check out The Thieves of Darkness by Richard Doetsch.
And don't forget to look for The 13th Hour, which is now available in paperback.
(Thanks, as always, to Atria Books for sending me a copy of this novel for review. I'm sorry it took me so long to post!)
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I wish I had time to read every book that anyone ever said was worth reading. I'll add it to my list!
ReplyDeleteI must agree with Jennee - too many books and too little time.
ReplyDeleteNowadays I read 3-5 pages a day...so it take ages to read one book! :)
ps. a tip: if you want more comments change your settings to 'anyone'.
ReplyDeleteThis is extra work for us, self-hosted bloggers, plus openID takes readers to openID page where they have to find the right blog...
This sounds right up my alley...definitely better than the giant textbook that is shouting my name from my desk.
ReplyDeleteWill add it to my list. Thanks for the review!
ReplyDeleteI wish I had more time to read...I totally miss it. I started reading Red Hook Road ages ago and still haven't finished it!!
ReplyDeleteI love your book reviews! This definitely sounds like a great read!
I just wrote a review of The 13th Hour a couple days ago. It was a wonderful book. It sounds like I'm going to enjoy all of Richard's work!! Thanks for a great review! :)
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