What do you think?
The Thief Maker: A Novel
OUT OF PRINT
222 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
About the author
D.H. Schleicher
11 books49 followersD.H. Schleicher’s new novel, West Falls Revisited, launched in the summer of 2024. He is also the author of two thematically linked short story collections, When We Come Back (released in 2023), and its predecessor, And Then We Vanish (released in 2020). His earlier novel, the historical thriller Then Came Darkness, plumbs the depths of greed, revenge, and family dysfunction during the Great Depression. He currently resides in the South Jersey suburbs of Philadelphia with his wife and son.
You can follow his blog TheSchleicherSpin.com where he shares his views on books, movies, and travel.
You can follow his blog TheSchleicherSpin.com where he shares his views on books, movies, and travel.
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Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review
September 1, 2007
I finished reading "The Thief Maker" about an hour ago, and since then have been turning over in my mind ways to go about adequately summarizing and reviewing this book...its a twisted complex story and therefore, tricky to effictively summarize in a brief way.
I decided to cheat. Sorry, but its bound to happen sometimes. The following is from the Barnes and Noble website, and also the blurb on the back of the book:
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When a con man steals from Alzheimer's patients in a nursing home, a private investigator attempts to thwart his scheme in this riveting novel.
William looked like a statue, all marble and confidence. He turned his head up to the camera and smiled, his baby-faced sincerity hiding his devious plans.
Con man William Donovan has stooped to a new low. He steals from nursing home residents in the Alzheimer's ward - victims who cannot be used as witnesses for the crimes committed against them. Donovan's disillusioned girlfriend, Alice, and Lucas Tolliver, the security guard still scarred by his experiences in New York City on 9/11, act as his accomplices.
Private investigator Marcus Pierce and Felice Morrison, the mysterious granddaughter of one of the nursing home's residents, are determined to put a stop to Donovan's activities. Meanwhile, the groundbreaking work of psycholinguist Rodamas Fowler and his wife, Catherine, a childhood development psychologist from Princeton, may be put in jeopardy when their foster child's mother becomes involved with the residents at the nursing home.
With the characters' lives tragically intertwining, author David H. Schleicher weaves a chilling tale of love and hate on the streets of New York and Philadelphia. Set against the backdrop of America's war on terror, The Thief Maker explores the duplicity of memory and the loss of one's identity.
************************************************************
In all honesty, that's not even an accurate summary of the story, but the last paragraph says it best. The characters in this story do intertwine in a way that leaves me at a loss for words. Like I said, its complex, and very twisted. Through the whole story I kept shaking my head...I knew there was a kick coming, but I couldn't quite figure it out. And when it did come, it was like a slap in the face, and suddenly all the actions and motivations of all the characters became crystal clear.
"The Thief Maker" is a story about losing your identity and struggling to find redemption and revenge in a cold harsh world. The characters are fatally flawed and at the same time, tragically endearing. While they possess characteristics that are far from admirable, a reader can't help but identify with them -- be it through sympathy, empathy or downright admiration. I enjoyed this book from the first page.
The story is told through alternating characters, and sort of jumps back and forth in time. Through the alternating time settings we are filled in on the childhoods and pasts of the present day characters we are following. The chapters in the past help set the tone for the characters' overall personality and motivations--and will leave you shaking your head at times. While the story is told in both alternate times and through alternate perspectives, it is an easy one to follow, and you'll soon be caught up in its pages.
I decided to cheat. Sorry, but its bound to happen sometimes. The following is from the Barnes and Noble website, and also the blurb on the back of the book:
************************************************
When a con man steals from Alzheimer's patients in a nursing home, a private investigator attempts to thwart his scheme in this riveting novel.
William looked like a statue, all marble and confidence. He turned his head up to the camera and smiled, his baby-faced sincerity hiding his devious plans.
Con man William Donovan has stooped to a new low. He steals from nursing home residents in the Alzheimer's ward - victims who cannot be used as witnesses for the crimes committed against them. Donovan's disillusioned girlfriend, Alice, and Lucas Tolliver, the security guard still scarred by his experiences in New York City on 9/11, act as his accomplices.
Private investigator Marcus Pierce and Felice Morrison, the mysterious granddaughter of one of the nursing home's residents, are determined to put a stop to Donovan's activities. Meanwhile, the groundbreaking work of psycholinguist Rodamas Fowler and his wife, Catherine, a childhood development psychologist from Princeton, may be put in jeopardy when their foster child's mother becomes involved with the residents at the nursing home.
With the characters' lives tragically intertwining, author David H. Schleicher weaves a chilling tale of love and hate on the streets of New York and Philadelphia. Set against the backdrop of America's war on terror, The Thief Maker explores the duplicity of memory and the loss of one's identity.
************************************************************
In all honesty, that's not even an accurate summary of the story, but the last paragraph says it best. The characters in this story do intertwine in a way that leaves me at a loss for words. Like I said, its complex, and very twisted. Through the whole story I kept shaking my head...I knew there was a kick coming, but I couldn't quite figure it out. And when it did come, it was like a slap in the face, and suddenly all the actions and motivations of all the characters became crystal clear.
"The Thief Maker" is a story about losing your identity and struggling to find redemption and revenge in a cold harsh world. The characters are fatally flawed and at the same time, tragically endearing. While they possess characteristics that are far from admirable, a reader can't help but identify with them -- be it through sympathy, empathy or downright admiration. I enjoyed this book from the first page.
The story is told through alternating characters, and sort of jumps back and forth in time. Through the alternating time settings we are filled in on the childhoods and pasts of the present day characters we are following. The chapters in the past help set the tone for the characters' overall personality and motivations--and will leave you shaking your head at times. While the story is told in both alternate times and through alternate perspectives, it is an easy one to follow, and you'll soon be caught up in its pages.
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review