Dark Stars

The Thief Taker #3

by C.S. Quinn

The Great Fire has reduced London to smouldering embers. From the ashes, thief taker Charlie Tuesday is drawn to investigate a string of strange murders. Mutilated corpses are washing up at Deptford, each marked with a dire astrological prediction. But only London’s best crime-solver realises the killer’s deadly offerings will soon unleash a devastating force on England.

With the help of Lily Boswell, a gypsy street-girl with a knife and a grudge, Charlie must find the killer and put a stop to the murders. And by doing so, the Thief Taker will find the man whose terrible destiny is entwined with his, their fates written in the dark stars…

This is the third book in the Thief Taker Series but can be enjoyed as a stand-alone story.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Fiction, Historical, Crime, Historical Mystery, Audiobook

Audio CD

First published December 13, 2016

About the author

C.S. Quinn is a travel and lifestyle journalist for The Times, The Guardian and The Mirror, alongside many magazines. Prior to this, Quinn's background in historic research won prestigious postgraduate funding from the British Art Council. Quinn pooled these resources, combining historical research with first-hand experiences in far-flung places to create The Thief Taker's London.

Reviews

[Veronica · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, here's the thing about these books. Charlie Tuesday is an everyday man who just happens to be the best thief taker (private investigator) in London in 1666. The only mystery he hasn't been able to completely solve is the relevance of the key his mother left in his keeping as a young child before she was viciously murdered. Each book has peeled away a bit more of the elaborate webbing that shrouds the history of his family but the key remains the one unanswered question. Each book also presents a new mystery/puzzle - always with a mystical bent to it - for Charlie to solve that usually relates back to his own personal mystery in some way or another. The mystical mystery always ends up having a mundane origin. And, since book two, Charlie is always assisted in his investigations by the beautiful, knife-wielding gypsy, Lily Boswell. Oh, and Charlie runs around barefoot all the time which, when you consider all the things that were likely on the streets and ground in London 1666, is kind of icky. But these are all the parts of the books that I like. Charlie. His family history. Lily. That's it.

The problem is that each book also delves into the stuff happening in the palace of King Charles and it's here that my attention wavers. I don't care about the Merry Monarch, the Duke of York, the Earl of Amesbury, and I most certainly, definitely, absolutely DO NOT CARE about Charles's long-running mistress, Lady Castlemaine. I was skipping over any chapter that had her in it by about mid-book and skimming the ones with the other members of the royal household.

This book had Charlie and Lily working together to find The Eye, supposedly a powerful weapon that will allow the one who possesses it to see into the future. The English want it but so do their enemies, the Dutch. Charlie, who is rather like Encyclopedia Brown when it comes to all the things he seems to know (despite not ever having had any real schooling), makes his usual amazing clue connections. The story sees the return of two characters we've not seen since book one. One I was sorry to see return but was thankfully not around long enough to make me skip even more chapters.

So, in short, I enjoy the Charlie-centric chapters and the ones from the killer's POV but I pretty much dispense with the rest. So I can't, in all fairness, ever rate these books higher than three stars...not when I'm skipping over half of the book.

[Sass · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good yarn but a little Dan Brown

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

After reading the first two books this past week, I found myself struggling with the third. As usual, the pacing is fast, the pages turn quick, but this felt more like a thriller, similar to Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code, than a mystery.

The format is still the same. Charlie teams up with Lisa to figure out a new mystery with roots that happened roughly 19 years ago. With this new entry, we discover that Charlie is NOT related to Rowan, and that Rowan has been secretly groomed into a mad killer.

For me, that sudden characterization completely shocked me. In The Thief Taker, we get a glimpse of Rowan, but from that, I had a sense that Rowan was a nice man. A thief and a con artist, but never one who would descend into madness. He’s absent in the second book, but Dark Stars occurs a month after that, and I don’t think he could change that fast that quickly. If he was always supposed to be this way, then I’d like to have a little foreshadowing in the proceeding books.

And as always, why do we need to read about the King and his court? Those chapters have little impact on the main story, as none of those men help Charlie as he hunts down the Eye.

Just once, I’d like to see Charlie go to the King and say “I’ve been running around the city, and I found this tool that could be helpful”. Twice so far, our thief taker has found something potentially damaging and then chooses to lose it. The payoff of his whole treasure hunt is again lackluster.

[Simon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well...
...by now I know what to expect. A renaissance setting that is nearly historically accurate, but not quite, with plots that center around the protagonist in some way (i.e. "The Charlie Tuesday Show"), but also relate to some historic event. Always the antagonist will be connected to the protagonist in a personal manner, so it's the "only you can save the day" solution every time. Characters are also a bit thin.
Ah, well. It still entertains. However, I was a disappointed again this time, as the reveal of the antagonist was not only unexpected, but so utterly illogical (once again, there is retconning of previously known "facts").
Can the fourth installment disappoint even more? We'll find out...

[Melisende · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read (or savoured) slowly over the course of my working week.

See review @ Melisende's Libray

[Nicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this third book, Charlie Tuesday pits his wits against two main adversaries: Janus, the mysterious fireship pilot, and the Bloody Judge. All three of them are searching for the Eye, a treasure reputed to offer great rewards to whoever holds it. The trouble is no-one knows what the Eye is or where it's hidden.

Charlie follows a series of clues, all linked to astronomy and various items from his mother's bundle, which he discovered in the last book. Charlie is a clever guy, full of local knowledge and lore, but he does seem to suddenly develop knowledge as the story goes along. At the start, he needs the help of an old flame to learn anything about the planets, by the end of the book, he's a veritable fountain of knowledge on the subject.

I like Charlie and his adventures, but I do find some of the retrofitting of facts odd. Charlie has always professed to remember nothing of his life before the orphanage, but in this book he begins remembering things left, right and centre. And everything he remembers helps him solve a clue or move the hunt for the Eye forward. I like learning more about Charlie's family and their history, but it does strain credibility at times. Plus, Charlie and Lily seem to beat the odds stacked against them, no matter how unlikely.

I will read the next book, but I think I need a little break from Charlie's world first.

[Franca Pelaccia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Taker series, which brings together Charlie Tuesday, infamous thief taker and crime solver and Lily Boswell, a gypsy with street smarts and knife-wielding skills. Women’s corpses that have been mutilated and carved with numerous astrological signs are being found floating in the Thames. The bodies and signs are similar to those discovered 19 years before but the person responsible is dead. Charlie and Lily are drawn into solving the murders but end up uncovering a far greater mystery that has bearing on Charlie’s ambiguous past and significant implications for the future of the country.

The novel is fast-paced and runs on unearthing one clue after another, getting Charlie and Lily out of lots of dangers, and solving one piece of the mystery only to unfold a larger and more complicated one. An intricate plot and detail-oriented narrative brings the time and conditions to life and makes for an interesting read about astrology, Roman gods, underground passages, debilitated castles, pirates and sailor myths.

Dark Stars is a fun and rapid read that weaves together mystery and adventure with lots of interesting historical insights and vivid characters.
Reviewed for Historical Novels Society

[Jayme · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Great Fire is finally out and London is a smoldering pile of ashes, it's people stunned by the tragic events that destroyed so much yet very few people died unlike the previous year when the corpuses were pilled high and buried in great pits. Londoners are resilient and already starting to rebuild when bodies start washing up down river with strange markings. Charlie and Lily Boswell, a gypsy street-girl begin to investigate leading to the discovery that similar killings had occurred 19 years before. This book has more of the historical characters of the restored monarchy of Charles II the Merry Monarch, his brother James, his son illegitimate the Duke of Monmouth and his mistresses like Lady Castlemaine. From what I know it seems that is not totally accurate in the events that the interactions and characters ring true. We learn that there is a unanswered question about Charles' relationship with the Duke's mother that has the potential to disrupt the succession. It is that past and the grudges that live on that drive the story to the Court. Certainly not Charlie's usual milieu.

[Angelica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did like the story, the historical setting and the pace.

The problem I had with this book, and, now I notice, with the previous stories in this series, is that they feel unfinished. Not that they end in cliffhangers, but they feel unpolished.

I think the biggest problem is the characterization. It's very inconsistent, throughout the text; you can't really get a feel of who the characters are as people. You get the feeling that they act as it is most convenient for them to act so the story moves forward. There are also some inconsistencies in internal logic (for instance, Charlie meets Maria again because he knows nothing at all about astrology, and he needs someone to help him; later, by the end of the book, he suddenly is so knowledgeable about astrology that he's capable to replicate his brother's astral chart, knowing the precise position of all the planets, just by knowing the date) that feel like tricks used to solve narrative threads.

Still, I enjoyed reading it, despite the problems, and I will probably continue reading the series.

[Carina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went into this book with low expectations given how little I enjoyed the second book in the series, but I ended up really enjoying this. Whether the low expectations helped... who knows!

I think this book was shorter than its predecessor - it certainly meandered less, the plot was tighter and though there was still a lot of extra characters the book wasn't as bloated with them.

Having a new, less personal villain helped as well. As with the first book the menace being more of a mystery made the book more interesting as you tried to work out how the pieces slotted together.

I admit I quickly worked out one of the 'mysterious' people and that's because the author didn't make the foreshadowing subtle but for me it didn't spoil this, merely gave me a sense of 'ah hah! I was rightness'.

I've started reading the fourth book already so I can say that one of the cameo appearances here seems to pay off there which makes the inclusion here make more sense.

Overall a strong return to the series, I'm interested to see how the fourth book fairs.

[Emma Cronin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Th author got me again! :)

I am a big, big fan of this series of books.
I was a little concerned as this 3rd story progressed initially because i felt as though some of the details weren't sticking in my brain as much as they had been in the previous 2 books...however.... the devastating twist was introduced towards the end and everything fell beautifully into place.

Once again, i found myself exclaiming out loud with a huge, "No way!" when Charlie revealed what he had discovered, and after his revelation, i found myself, once again, feeling sorry for him & needing him to find happiness.

Because of how the 'mystery' was unravelled, i find myself now wanting to go right back to the beginning, to listen again from the start ----  but this time with the knowledge of all the characters i have gathered ---- just to see if i can pick up on the clues a little bit earlier.

Looking forward to book 4, but after i've re-listened to book 3 obvs :)

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received Dark Stars in the Goodreads First Reads Giveaway and I want to thank C.S. Quinn, author and the Giveaway for my eBook Kindle copy that I won.

Charlie Tuesday, the Thief Tracker and Lily Boswell, a knife throwing, street smart gypsy join forces to track an evil that comes to England after the great fire and at the time of an eclipse that falls on Halloween. The book depicts this time of great evil and corruption with London threaten by a demotic killer and a Dutch captain determined to attack England and win it for the Dutch. Dark Stars is full of superstition, predictions in printed in Almanacs and a historical time that was full of dark tragedy for a plot that feels eerie and leaves just a bit of wanting to know more. It is not a cliffhanger but feels like it is missing something in the ending for Charlie and Lily.

[Virginia Tican · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rowan, Charlie's older brother disappeared during The Great Fire of London and as yet to be seen or heard from. Meanwhile, Charlie was tasked to retrieve a ruby ring from a gypsy whore who turned up to be Lily, Charlie's close and sometimes contentious and highly skilled companion during London's Great Fire. Said ruby ring was part of a set of 4, one was found on Charlie's mother's effects after she was strangled by Blackstone. When all 4 rings were fitted into their positions, they would tell the searcher where The Eye could be found. The Eye was said to be an emerald that when it was last used, showed where turncoat Amesbury could be found at sea and was 'seen' by then Royal Alchemist, Thorne, who created the rare and precious item but who was unfortunately beheaded by Cromwell on account of his loyalty and profession. Many wanted to posses the Eye for their own various agenda plus the answers to as yet another set of questions surrounding Charlie Oakley would also surface... The Eye was believed to solve the hitherto elusive secret of reading longitude. In another matter altogether, maybe that was why Charlie's older brother was named Rowan and not Edward, Henry, James, John or Richard (kings' names) because in folklore Rowan also meant Delight of the Eye. As for me, I would like to know about his mother... Who was Sally Oakley? Why did Thorne's very important and very influential family sought her as a bride for Thorne in order to hide his sexual preference? So why her in particular among the many to choose from in the King's court? What particular attributes did she have to commend her to Thorne's pernickety family? Also, did Sally not have a connection or association to Lucy Walter, King Charles II's first mistress? What were Charlie's and Rowan's parents' other connections to the Crown aside from the obvious? This one is full of secret passages, wonderful inventions that were the result of a brilliant advanced mind... the knowledge of birthdate to plot a person's life and predict his death and thus influence his actions and beliefs that gave birth to a dark malevolent brooding conviction like Rowan's? So... astrology... alchemy... heresy... depending on one's point of view... the Age of Reason and Seekers of Truth... etc... etc... etc...

[Lacy Gonzales · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the entire Thief Taker series by CS Quinn and hope there may be more in the future. This book was well paced, the dialog felt "right" and there weren't weird "coincidences" pulling the story along. I was guessing until the end what the identity of Janus was (I was down to two options). The book seems well researched although I'm not one to check exact facts or get hung up on some liberties with timelines.
There were a couple of loose threads left that I would have liked to seen cleaned up but even though they weren't doesn't leave the story lacking and there is at least one protagonist that I would really like to see get their comeuppance but perhaps that will be in a future book.

[Dianne Volek · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a captivating historical detective fiction novel that kept me hooked through 3 books in the series. Quinn has a real talent for creating vivid and immersive descriptions that transport you to the heart of old England, around the time of the fire of London. The main character is well developed and believable, and the mystery twists and turns.

The action and suspense balances the historical description, and I believe it is well researched. It tackle some weighty issues without feeling preachy or heavy-handed like religious persecution, political corruption, and social inequality. It's thought-provoking and relevant to our own time. And shows that humanity hasn't changed much in 400 years!

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Timeless.

There is something so compeling about this series, I fell in love with it when I read The Thief Taker and my enchantment has continued as the series has progressed.

Wonderfully atmospheric, with such a vividly descriptive narrative that transports you way back in time, you can almost smell and see the filth of the streets.

I cant wait to read the next book. I know without doubt that Quinn's magic will continue and Charlie Tuesday is in for more death defying adventure.

[Tracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dark Stars

Dark Stars is the third book in the Thief Taker series, and in my opinion the best so far.
Charlie Tuesday finds himself trying to track down ruby rings and an all seeing Eye as All Hallows Eve approaches along with an eclipse, said by astrologers to signify the end of the world.
This is a thrilling book which is breath taking and addictive reading from start to finish.
If you have never read any of the Thief Taker books before then you can start with this one as it can be read as a stand alone novel.
I don't think you'll regret it.

[Liz Polding · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clever, well written and nicely paced, the author really knows how to build tension to a satisfying crescendo. The author’s background as a historian gives a strong sense of place and time with plenty of nicely observed details, including some very dark corners indeed. Charlie is a strong character and the books stand alone effectively, but pay out a little more of the thread that leads to who he really is each time. Although this is a solid 380+ pages, it flies past and keeps your attention throughout. Enjoyable, inventive historical thriller/mystery.

[Daniel W Gard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book

I read the first two books then began other books and forget I hadn't finished this series. Glad I got back to it. Historical based stories are not always easy to navigate. These stories were fun and got my mind going back to the British Museum and all the seals and other royal stuff that reminds one of how they dressed in the mid 1600's. Plus how common people would have dressed. Let my imagination roll!

[Wayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This had similar issues to those I found in the previous book of spending lots of time away from the main character to develop the story, but it seemed to work better here - maybe because those side characters are becoming more familiar.
Charlie is the main draw for this series though, so I still feel it hard to find a rhythm, getting less enjoyment from the chapters without him.
I could see the big twist coming a mile off, but it still ended well.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read, I csnt make my mind up about this series. I like them but i also dislike them too. They are fun but so unbelievable, too many coincidences and too much suspension of belief to fully enjoy and envelope yourself in it.

The books have gotten better as they go on but I find myself raising my eyes quite a bit. I will read the last book for the sake of completeness.

I wonder what the next convoluted mystery of the parentage will be.

[Morris-Ken Hines · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this great story in this wonderful series

I thought this bok the best so far in this wonderful series. I gave it such a high rating because of the fast pace and the wonderful story. I loved finding out more about Charlie and his secret family history. Now we need to find out what the key around his neck goes to

[Harriet Brabazon · Rating 2 out of 5]

This has the bones of a good story - good research, interesting plot potential but the characterisations are rather wooden, the narrative hops about, the time lines seem implausible and the prose verges on leaden. Not a bad read on the bus or the beach, but not one that sticks in the memory or you'd want to re-read.

[Jeanette · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read the first two books in this series, but found myself struggling with 'Dark Stars'. I do enjoy historical fiction and it is unusual for me to struggle with this book. It may just be that I need to have a break from some very long reads. It would not stop me from reading more by this author.

I received a free copy of this novel. This is my honest review.

[Jake · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good but overly relentless pace reminiscent of Dan Brown

I wish there was time for characters to sit down and have a chat, building the caharacters and world. Instead each chapter was tiny, like a movie scene, and the POV continuously switched preventing any strong character development.

[Jillian Higham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enthralling

The usual rollicking ride with Charlie Tuesday the thief taker and his friend Lily Boswell the gypsy. This time the old astrology beliefs are incorporated into the tale as well as old Roman gods and temples that have changed into churches. I found the storyline really interesting.

[Alexis · Rating 4 out of 5]

These books are such guilty pleasures of mine. They're not particularly deep and kind of have an Indian Jones/Davinci Code feel, they tell a great story and are easy and quick to read. This one has the best story of any of them so far, I feel like this is the first one where there weren't major plot threads that just got left out of the ending. Very fun book.

[Martine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good soild book but not as good as the first and second ones in the series. For me the characterisation of Charlie's brother just didn't fit with what we already knew about him from the previous 2 books, so I was unconvinced by who he was in this one. Generally this one felt less believable and the story morw convoluted.

[Mr N Firth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable read

Third book in the series and they improve each time, the mystery of Charlies past woven within the story keeps you engaged to read the next book. The only thing missing is a description of the character's, I only seem to get hints of what they look like.

[alan adkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good Read

Very good story will look at writer other books keeps you glued to the story well done very pleased nice one