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Thick As Thieves
Seattle in the 1940s: from its sprawling ports to its exotic bordellos in Chinatown, it is a rain-drenched harbor of greed, sex, and corruption. And now a mysterious murder. Alan Stewart loses his private investigator father at the hands of corrupt police officials. As he sets out to seek answers and to avenge his father's death, Alan uncovers clues that lead all the way to the Crime of the Century-The Lindbergh Kidnapping!
360 pages, Paperback
First published June 23, 2008
2 people are currently reading
37 people want to read
About the author
Neil Low
21 books101 followersNeil Low spins tales of mystery & suspense set in 1940's Seattle. The Alan Stewart Mystery Series from Tigress Publishing includes:
Thick as Thieves, Sign of the Dragon,
& his latest thriller,
Unreasonable Persuasion
--which ended 2010 as the #3 trade paperback sold in Seattle (Independent Mystery Booksellers Association).
From shady hotels to catacombs under Chinatown and real-life local murder mysteries, Low expertly weaves elements of Seattles colorful past into the exploits of 1940s Seattle Private Investigator Alan Stewart. Since his debut novel Thick as Thieves (Tigress Publishing, 2008), Low has been receiving solid praise and attention. Noted true crime author Ann Rule strongly endorsed Lows debut, No one can write about cops and robbers like a real police officer. When they are good they are very, very good, and Captain Neil Low is very good as he magically captures another era in his new book.
Thick as Thieves,the first installment in the Alan Stewart Mystery Series, ended 2008 as the Independent Mystery Bookseller Associations #3 trade paperback sold in Seattle. In addition, it was named a Readers Favorite by Seattle Times book editor Mary Ann Gwinn. Lows follow-up novel Sign of the Dragon (Tigress Publishing, 2009) ended 2009 at the #2 position.
For more information, visit Low's official website at www.neillow.com
About Low:
Retired as the Night Duty Commander for the Seattle Police Department, Low had been with the SPD for 50 years. Throughout his career, he commanded a variety of areas including Homicide and Violent Crimes, Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, Internal Affairs, and Advanced Training, Metropolitan Section and Special Planning, Homeland Security, and the aforementioned Night Duty Command.
Low began his writing career at the University of Washington's Bothell campus writing for the school's newspaper: The Bothell Commons. A Seattle native and graduate of Shoreline High School, Low now lives in Snohomish County. All eight of his novels will soon be available at independent bookstores, but right now are available only at select stores, Amazon.com, and Kindle.
When not writing short-stories or novels, Low works as a law enforcement consultant, specializing in procedures, tactics, training, and discipline. HeLow is available for author readings and guest appearances.
In support of his writing career, Low has held a number of signings and participated in special events such as the Tigress Wine and Words with Authors series and the Tigress Publishing Murder Mystery Tour featuring Neil Low--a behind the scenes walking tour focusing on Seattle's seedy past and notorious crime scenes in Pioneer Square.
Low has been featured regularly in print media, as well as on local talk radio and television, and has been a keynote speaker and panelist for such varied organizations as the City Arts Fest, NW Mystery Writers of America, the University of Washington, and WaState C.O.P.S., as well as the combined Mill Creek reading clubs. As a guest or speaker, Low engages audiences with lively tales of Seattle's seedy past; behind-the-scenes looks at real-life crime solving; the trials and tribulations of completing an education and launching a second career during the later stages of life, and how he personally approaches the writing process. With his wide ranging experience and extensive knowledge of Seattle's colorful past, Low makes a compelling interview or guest.
"
From shady hotels to catacombs under Chinatown and real-life local murder mysteries, Low expertly weaves elements of Seattles colorful past into the exploits of 1940s Seattle Private Investigator Alan Stewart. Since his debut novel Thick as Thieves (Tigress Publishing, 2008), Low has been receiving solid praise and attention. Noted true crime author Ann Rule strongly endorsed Lows debut, No one can write about cops and robbers like a real police officer. When they are good they are very, very good, and Captain Neil Low is very good as he magically captures another era in his new book.
Thick as Thieves,the first installment in the Alan Stewart Mystery Series, ended 2008 as the Independent Mystery Bookseller Associations #3 trade paperback sold in Seattle. In addition, it was named a Readers Favorite by Seattle Times book editor Mary Ann Gwinn. Lows follow-up novel Sign of the Dragon (Tigress Publishing, 2009) ended 2009 at the #2 position.
For more information, visit Low's official website at www.neillow.com
About Low:
Retired as the Night Duty Commander for the Seattle Police Department, Low had been with the SPD for 50 years. Throughout his career, he commanded a variety of areas including Homicide and Violent Crimes, Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, Internal Affairs, and Advanced Training, Metropolitan Section and Special Planning, Homeland Security, and the aforementioned Night Duty Command.
Low began his writing career at the University of Washington's Bothell campus writing for the school's newspaper: The Bothell Commons. A Seattle native and graduate of Shoreline High School, Low now lives in Snohomish County. All eight of his novels will soon be available at independent bookstores, but right now are available only at select stores, Amazon.com, and Kindle.
When not writing short-stories or novels, Low works as a law enforcement consultant, specializing in procedures, tactics, training, and discipline. HeLow is available for author readings and guest appearances.
In support of his writing career, Low has held a number of signings and participated in special events such as the Tigress Wine and Words with Authors series and the Tigress Publishing Murder Mystery Tour featuring Neil Low--a behind the scenes walking tour focusing on Seattle's seedy past and notorious crime scenes in Pioneer Square.
Low has been featured regularly in print media, as well as on local talk radio and television, and has been a keynote speaker and panelist for such varied organizations as the City Arts Fest, NW Mystery Writers of America, the University of Washington, and WaState C.O.P.S., as well as the combined Mill Creek reading clubs. As a guest or speaker, Low engages audiences with lively tales of Seattle's seedy past; behind-the-scenes looks at real-life crime solving; the trials and tribulations of completing an education and launching a second career during the later stages of life, and how he personally approaches the writing process. With his wide ranging experience and extensive knowledge of Seattle's colorful past, Low makes a compelling interview or guest.
"
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 31, 2012
Review of Thick As Thieves
By Neil Low
Reviewed by R. Murry
Mr. Low’s writing of Alan Stewart’s becoming an adult is persuading, where you cannot feel for the character and his plight. Moving through each fast pace chapter after chapter, the reader is involved, and can emphasize with the illegal decisions Alan makes through happenstance – one major choice after another.
His father, a union detective in Seattle, Washington, is murder. This is the starting point of Alan’s self-imposed resolution to avenge his father’s brutal killing by local thugs. In his quest, he investigates the coming and goings of his father, leading him to the union’s door.
He resolves that they are not the culprits, after kind honest encounters with Mr. Brinkman, the union’s boss, who turns out to be a very important key in Alan’s development into adulthood. And here is where he meets Vic, his father’s ex-partner, who becomes Alan’s mentor in street smarts, sex, crime and murder – all on a higher moral standard than the real criminals that are out to get them.
Of course there is money involved. Greed and power are the motivators of the thugs’ leader, who is one of Seattle’s finest and can’t shake his Prohibition persona. In those days, the moral ground was falsely taken by the police. He is after thousands of gold certificates that he believes Alan’s McAlister and Vic have – a true sub plot that brings about the clashes of the law against the union.
How does this un-ravel? Does Alan avenge his father’s murder? Well, I’ll let you read this exciting collision of good vs. evil – not legal vs. illegal.
Mr. Low does leave you hanging in a good way on a couple of minor points so you’ll read his sequel. It’s on my book-to-read list. Alan Stewart’s transition from young man to a young detective is a story that is a must read for Law and Order lovers. For Mr. Low’s links, see his interview below.
By Neil Low
Reviewed by R. Murry
Mr. Low’s writing of Alan Stewart’s becoming an adult is persuading, where you cannot feel for the character and his plight. Moving through each fast pace chapter after chapter, the reader is involved, and can emphasize with the illegal decisions Alan makes through happenstance – one major choice after another.
His father, a union detective in Seattle, Washington, is murder. This is the starting point of Alan’s self-imposed resolution to avenge his father’s brutal killing by local thugs. In his quest, he investigates the coming and goings of his father, leading him to the union’s door.
He resolves that they are not the culprits, after kind honest encounters with Mr. Brinkman, the union’s boss, who turns out to be a very important key in Alan’s development into adulthood. And here is where he meets Vic, his father’s ex-partner, who becomes Alan’s mentor in street smarts, sex, crime and murder – all on a higher moral standard than the real criminals that are out to get them.
Of course there is money involved. Greed and power are the motivators of the thugs’ leader, who is one of Seattle’s finest and can’t shake his Prohibition persona. In those days, the moral ground was falsely taken by the police. He is after thousands of gold certificates that he believes Alan’s McAlister and Vic have – a true sub plot that brings about the clashes of the law against the union.
How does this un-ravel? Does Alan avenge his father’s murder? Well, I’ll let you read this exciting collision of good vs. evil – not legal vs. illegal.
Mr. Low does leave you hanging in a good way on a couple of minor points so you’ll read his sequel. It’s on my book-to-read list. Alan Stewart’s transition from young man to a young detective is a story that is a must read for Law and Order lovers. For Mr. Low’s links, see his interview below.
June 5, 2012
Fun read for me and most likely other readers who enjoy noir.
I felt like I was reading through a lens of a black and white movie from the 40's. I've read Raymond Chandler and Mickey Spillaine so I am familiar with and love the noir genre and this book fit right in. It was a different age and things were different with graft in police departments (probably still some of that somewhere) and unions not wearing a white hat well and certainly not at all times. There was a constant power struggle. The writer cleverly brings in historical information such as Henry Ford's support of the German Nazis and the infamous Lindbergh kidnapping.
There's enough similes to make the reader enjoy the book and the descriptions of the characters are so clear and vivid you can see them in your mind's eye. I enjoyed one particular sentence so much that I remembered it for this review: "Benny floating, dangerously resembling a channel buoy clad in tweed." Now how much fun is that to read?
Never been to Seattle where the action takes place but the characters take clear turns in Ford Coupe, the Packard or the Hudson all over the city with nice explanations and descriptions of how specific areas came about. Not sure if I was dropped in Seattle that I could get around easily but certainly feel I would recognize different landmarks.
With no clear delineation of the good guys and the bad guys, it reminded me some of Elmore Leonard's writing, which is not a bad thing at all. To the reader, the good guys can be bad, and the bad guys have some reason to be good.
It was definitely a different time when 21 year olds grew up to become a "man" much faster than today. That's what happened to Alan Stewart who apparently had an uncanny resemblance to his father who was murdered at the opening of the book. Alan wants vengeance early on and with his good (hum, good?) fortune, opportunity comes knocking. Fortunately his dad's old partner Vic pals up with Alan and shows him the ropes of becoming a detective, like his dead dad. Alan begins his adventure as a naive and unknowing driver of a bakery delivery driver and winds up a more worldly and sophisticated detective. It happened in a short time frame but hey, things moved fast and were different in the late 30's and early 40's and yes, as Americans, we were a bit naive. Remember history? The mood was, it's their war; we're not getting into it.
Nice read, pick it up.
I felt like I was reading through a lens of a black and white movie from the 40's. I've read Raymond Chandler and Mickey Spillaine so I am familiar with and love the noir genre and this book fit right in. It was a different age and things were different with graft in police departments (probably still some of that somewhere) and unions not wearing a white hat well and certainly not at all times. There was a constant power struggle. The writer cleverly brings in historical information such as Henry Ford's support of the German Nazis and the infamous Lindbergh kidnapping.
There's enough similes to make the reader enjoy the book and the descriptions of the characters are so clear and vivid you can see them in your mind's eye. I enjoyed one particular sentence so much that I remembered it for this review: "Benny floating, dangerously resembling a channel buoy clad in tweed." Now how much fun is that to read?
Never been to Seattle where the action takes place but the characters take clear turns in Ford Coupe, the Packard or the Hudson all over the city with nice explanations and descriptions of how specific areas came about. Not sure if I was dropped in Seattle that I could get around easily but certainly feel I would recognize different landmarks.
With no clear delineation of the good guys and the bad guys, it reminded me some of Elmore Leonard's writing, which is not a bad thing at all. To the reader, the good guys can be bad, and the bad guys have some reason to be good.
It was definitely a different time when 21 year olds grew up to become a "man" much faster than today. That's what happened to Alan Stewart who apparently had an uncanny resemblance to his father who was murdered at the opening of the book. Alan wants vengeance early on and with his good (hum, good?) fortune, opportunity comes knocking. Fortunately his dad's old partner Vic pals up with Alan and shows him the ropes of becoming a detective, like his dead dad. Alan begins his adventure as a naive and unknowing driver of a bakery delivery driver and winds up a more worldly and sophisticated detective. It happened in a short time frame but hey, things moved fast and were different in the late 30's and early 40's and yes, as Americans, we were a bit naive. Remember history? The mood was, it's their war; we're not getting into it.
Nice read, pick it up.
March 23, 2012
THICK AS THIEVES: Solid Debut in Seattle’s Noirish Corners
Alan Stewart’s father is dead; his mother may not be the woman he thought she was; he’s got a house to take care of, a family to feed; the unions need a man with flexible morality; and the mastermind behind the Lindbergh kidnapping may’ve just dropped into his lap … what’s a guy to do? Stewart may not know, but his creator – author Neil Low – has a few ideas, along with a few tricks up his sleeve, and, together, they’ll make you believe noir is back in THICK AS THIEVES.
I’ve always found mysteries a ‘hard sell’ to review, mostly because I’ve read so many of them, and I’ve always wanted to go into them blindly … so I tend to be fairly limiting over the detail I go into when reviewing one. I’ll try to be concise without giving away too much here (despite the fact that this one is a year or two old), though I’ll encourage you to find it all out on your way.
What I appreciated most in THIEVES was the pacing: after the first chapter -- which is largely a set-up event for things to come – author Low sets his characters out on a velocity that changes only when discoveries are afoot. In those moments, he slows down, lets the character (and the reader) drink it all in, before launching ahead to the next series of events. Dialogue (throughout) is crisp and believable – a commodity long lost from much of mainstream crime noir, and that’s probably Low’s greatest strength here next to the world he’s created. Unions and crooked cops and secret pasts and dames with legs that go up to there is a great place to set any crime noir, and Low’s certainly penned a universe worth visiting again. Once the pace is set, it grows harder and harder to turn away – for both the reader and the characters – and that’s a testament to solid writing.
Where I struggled a bit, as a reader, was with the protagonist, Alan Stewart. He starts out more than a bit green – fueled by a sense of revenge – but, once action is called, he leaps into the fray! Without going into great detail (spoilers, people!), he makes a significant character shift in transitioning from a ‘character of wants’ to a ‘character of means’; when the opportunity arises for him to take his first, bold, bloody step, he jumps in, wholeheartedly, with both feet. The issue I had with this is that I didn’t see Stewart as all that driven by these impulses all that earlier in the work; once he’s given certain bits of information, he’s ready to act on them. Given how thoughtful and introspective he was in the book’s early chapters, I didn’t see him as one to jump in without going to great lengths to authenticate the veracity of the information. This doesn’t make him dishonest; it only means I didn’t quite catch all the ‘beats’ in the character’s arc. It’s a character hiccup to this reader – nothing all that brash from the writer – only seeming a little brash for Alan Stewart.
Also, this may be simply the nature of creating first novels. I’ve often been told by authors who create characters and worlds they long to revisit that the first book is often times the most difficult: there’s great effort put into getting it right the first time (this new place and its people), otherwise the writer has to spend time tinkering with the history unnecessarily (and distractingly) in subsequent tomes. I’ve no doubt that, now that Low’s world has been set to pages, it’s the kind of place that can be convincingly revisited without re-inventing the wheel.
It’s a first novel, and, as any first novel is, it’s not without its “first novel blemishes,” but, all in all, THICK AS THIEVES works as a period ‘crime’ piece, introducing characters and situations clearly inspiring the author to get back to this world where men are men, and women love them in spite of it.
Alan Stewart’s father is dead; his mother may not be the woman he thought she was; he’s got a house to take care of, a family to feed; the unions need a man with flexible morality; and the mastermind behind the Lindbergh kidnapping may’ve just dropped into his lap … what’s a guy to do? Stewart may not know, but his creator – author Neil Low – has a few ideas, along with a few tricks up his sleeve, and, together, they’ll make you believe noir is back in THICK AS THIEVES.
I’ve always found mysteries a ‘hard sell’ to review, mostly because I’ve read so many of them, and I’ve always wanted to go into them blindly … so I tend to be fairly limiting over the detail I go into when reviewing one. I’ll try to be concise without giving away too much here (despite the fact that this one is a year or two old), though I’ll encourage you to find it all out on your way.
What I appreciated most in THIEVES was the pacing: after the first chapter -- which is largely a set-up event for things to come – author Low sets his characters out on a velocity that changes only when discoveries are afoot. In those moments, he slows down, lets the character (and the reader) drink it all in, before launching ahead to the next series of events. Dialogue (throughout) is crisp and believable – a commodity long lost from much of mainstream crime noir, and that’s probably Low’s greatest strength here next to the world he’s created. Unions and crooked cops and secret pasts and dames with legs that go up to there is a great place to set any crime noir, and Low’s certainly penned a universe worth visiting again. Once the pace is set, it grows harder and harder to turn away – for both the reader and the characters – and that’s a testament to solid writing.
Where I struggled a bit, as a reader, was with the protagonist, Alan Stewart. He starts out more than a bit green – fueled by a sense of revenge – but, once action is called, he leaps into the fray! Without going into great detail (spoilers, people!), he makes a significant character shift in transitioning from a ‘character of wants’ to a ‘character of means’; when the opportunity arises for him to take his first, bold, bloody step, he jumps in, wholeheartedly, with both feet. The issue I had with this is that I didn’t see Stewart as all that driven by these impulses all that earlier in the work; once he’s given certain bits of information, he’s ready to act on them. Given how thoughtful and introspective he was in the book’s early chapters, I didn’t see him as one to jump in without going to great lengths to authenticate the veracity of the information. This doesn’t make him dishonest; it only means I didn’t quite catch all the ‘beats’ in the character’s arc. It’s a character hiccup to this reader – nothing all that brash from the writer – only seeming a little brash for Alan Stewart.
Also, this may be simply the nature of creating first novels. I’ve often been told by authors who create characters and worlds they long to revisit that the first book is often times the most difficult: there’s great effort put into getting it right the first time (this new place and its people), otherwise the writer has to spend time tinkering with the history unnecessarily (and distractingly) in subsequent tomes. I’ve no doubt that, now that Low’s world has been set to pages, it’s the kind of place that can be convincingly revisited without re-inventing the wheel.
It’s a first novel, and, as any first novel is, it’s not without its “first novel blemishes,” but, all in all, THICK AS THIEVES works as a period ‘crime’ piece, introducing characters and situations clearly inspiring the author to get back to this world where men are men, and women love them in spite of it.
April 2, 2012
"Thick as Thieves" by Neil Low is a fast, fun noir thriller set in 1940s Seattle. Plenty of characterization and action in a story that moves easily from an exclusive dining room populated by movers and shakers to a hidden brothel in Chinatown.
After the beating death of his father, who worked for a powerful union boss as a detective, Alan Stewart is working as a bakery goods driver. Curious about his father's job and death, Alan yearn for revenge. A chance meeting with the union boss at a barbershop sets Alan on a collision course with the truth.
"Thick as Thieves" is the first book in a series, and it does a great job of setting the scene of pre-war 1940s Seattle and describing the main characters. Alan develops the most, naturally, and the union detective who emerges at the end of the story is more world-wise than the bakery truck driver.
I enjoyed nearly everything about this book, with my only small complaint being an out-of-left field plot twist thrown in very late in the going which I suspect was a set-up for a later book. I will likely get to that book at some time, but the twist was somewhat of a head-scratcher in the context of this book.
After the beating death of his father, who worked for a powerful union boss as a detective, Alan Stewart is working as a bakery goods driver. Curious about his father's job and death, Alan yearn for revenge. A chance meeting with the union boss at a barbershop sets Alan on a collision course with the truth.
"Thick as Thieves" is the first book in a series, and it does a great job of setting the scene of pre-war 1940s Seattle and describing the main characters. Alan develops the most, naturally, and the union detective who emerges at the end of the story is more world-wise than the bakery truck driver.
I enjoyed nearly everything about this book, with my only small complaint being an out-of-left field plot twist thrown in very late in the going which I suspect was a set-up for a later book. I will likely get to that book at some time, but the twist was somewhat of a head-scratcher in the context of this book.
January 1, 2013
There are definitely things to like about this book. The two main characters are very well drawn; Alan especially is sympathetic and complex. It's well plotted, and although long, well paced. The prose is serviceable. Overall, a solid three star effort.
Two things bump it down for me. Although nominally set in Seattle (which is why I read it in the first place), the book could've taken place anywhere. The neighborhood names are right, but there's no local flavor. It's like any of the million TV shows and movies that are shot in Vancouver - it's just not quite right. I might be spoiled by Curt Colbert's very atmospheric novels, but this one was lacking.
Second, the obvious racial stuff was bothering. It felt to me as if Low set the book in the past so that he would have an excuse to gleefully exoticize the Chinese prostitutes. Although even those characters were complex, I could've done without the awful sex scenes.
Overall, sadly not recommended. There are better books out there.
Two things bump it down for me. Although nominally set in Seattle (which is why I read it in the first place), the book could've taken place anywhere. The neighborhood names are right, but there's no local flavor. It's like any of the million TV shows and movies that are shot in Vancouver - it's just not quite right. I might be spoiled by Curt Colbert's very atmospheric novels, but this one was lacking.
Second, the obvious racial stuff was bothering. It felt to me as if Low set the book in the past so that he would have an excuse to gleefully exoticize the Chinese prostitutes. Although even those characters were complex, I could've done without the awful sex scenes.
Overall, sadly not recommended. There are better books out there.
May 18, 2012
Too violent for me! I picked this up because it was historical and about Seattle, but I can't stomach any more in this series. Nothing wrong with the author's skills! Bit it isn't my cup of tea.
July 26, 2014
Good read! Enjoy Neil's writing and look forward to meeting the author again, too.
April 9, 2015
A really good police tale set in Seattle in the early 1940s.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews