Thieves!

Vicky Hill #4

by Hannah Dennison

When the body of a woman is found in a shallow stream, aspiring investigative journalist Vicky Hill suspects there's a connection between the murder and the strong of recent silver thefts plaguing the small town of Gipping-on-Plym. And since both her boss and the local police refuse to investigate, Vicky takes on the case by herself-and she's determined to uncover the answers and clinch her fourth national exclusive!

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction

320 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

British born, Hannah originally moved to Los Angeles to pursue screenwriting. She has been an obituary reporter, antique dealer, private jet flight attendant and Hollywood story analyst. After twenty-five years living on the West Coast, Hannah returned to the UK where she shares her life with two high-spirited Hungarian Vizslas. She enjoys all country pursuits, movies, and theatre, reading and seriously good chocolate.

Hannah writes the Honeychurch Hall Mysteries (Constable) the Island Sisters Mysteries (Minotaur) and the Vicky Hill Mysteries (Constable)

Fun Fact: Hannah is part of the BookTalk author group on social media with pals Kate Carlisle, Jenn McKinlay and Paige Shelton.

Reviews

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cleverly written, I love series from Hannah Dennison - Thieves! was fun to read!

[Maria Thermann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I decided to give investigative reporter Vicky Hill another chance and see if this adventure was better presented than the last. Vicky's main job is to write obituaries for a small rural newspaper in Devon, the South West of England. She is supposedly 23-years-old but surprisingly still a virgin - does this ring true in modern day Britain, where eleven-year-olds are already so sexualised that they wear make-up and high heels? Nah, this is a rural fantasy written by an English-born author who has lived in California for far too long.

Again, the book could have done with proper editing, there are multiple errors, from misprints to the usual American expressions being used when Vicky is supposed to be English, living in rural Devon.

The regular village characters are well fleshed out and great fun with their eccentricities. What is worrying is that Dennison has chosen the subject of Romany gypsies as the centre of her plot. I found the story so cliché-ridden that it was nowhere near as enjoyable as it could have been, had the authors simply chosen to base her plot on "travellers", which would have embraced all manner of creatures, from hippie drop-outs to genuine Irish travellers (allegedly also "gypsies" but apparently not of the Romany kind).

Vicky's inability to make up her mind about which of the men in her life she actually fancies began to get on my nerves half-way through the novel. Admittedly, at age twenty-three hormones are still on the rampage, but when I read about Vicky's romantic exploits I always imagine her to be much younger than she actually is - nearer 16 than 23, a girl rather than a young woman, somebody trapped in puberty it seems.

Spoiler alert:

There are good people and bad eggs in every segment of society, but I find Dennison's depictions of the Romany way of life far too clichéd and the fact that the author makes them the guilty party in the end rather startling. There were better ways of resolving the story, but Dennison chose to go with what "gorgers" would expect. Shame on you, Hannah.

[Sriteja Wudaru · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thieves! by Hannah Dennison is a good book, a lite crime, and mystery thriller, easy to read, enjoyable to a large extent, and humorous. The descriptions and narratives of the surroundings are rather shorter and less detailed but that of other characters are extensive that you could imagine Vicky Hills, the protagonist of the story, and other characters in much detail. Hannah had definitely made Vicky a memorable character to whom we can easily relate. The peripheral characters are often less described adding confusion to the story sometimes when their names come up. The mystery itself is wonderfully plotted out, with no plot holes left open or threads untied, and the reader would enjoy trying to solve the mystery. The book is easy to read, short, and sprinkled with just enough humor across the book. It feels a little bit fast paced and clumsy at times. Nevertheless, it is a good story, not very serious or requiring effort, and so is a good read. Hannah seems to know and have a clear idea about Vicky and I look forward to read more stories by her.

[D Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

0I enjoyed this book and thought it was the best of the series so far.
If I have a criticism it's that Vicky's character never really seems to develope through the 4 books. But a very enjoyable series all in all.

[Cindy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a slow book but the ending was pretty good. Again, I just never seem to learn......gotta start a series with book one!

[Stephanie Cohen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great cozy reading

[Alan Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't usually read cozies, but since I have a signed copy I read this book. It takes place in southwestern England, which is a plus for me because I've been to England many times, including close to where the book takes place. (Hannah Dennison lives in Los Angeles.) The protagonist, Vicky Hill, is young, pretty and could be getting a lot more sex than she is in this book, which is basically none. I forgot--it's a cozy. However, you will learn loads about gypsies and find out that Vicky, a newspaper reporter by trade, knows more about life than most women her age. It's a fun, fast read that never stops moving, which is a good way to describe Vicky.

[Ali · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have loved this series from the first. I still find Vicky and the host of secondary characters delightful and as always, leave this book anticipating the next. I must admit that my enjoyment of this entry rose and then fell in waves rather than the sustained delight of past entries. My reason is singular, although, he is a rather large complaint. I no longer find Dave amusing, in fact, he has grown rather annoying. Here's hoping Dave and his schtick are featured less and less in future volumes. Vicky brings enough humor and interest without Dave weighing the story down.

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this cozy mystery would have been better with fewer characters. I found the many suspects confusing at times.

The shadowy figure of the heroine's father hovering in the background really adds little to the story.

[Sarah A · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting cozy mystery. I really struggled to read some of this, some awful racist comments against gypsies / travelers although in context for the book. I didn't really enjoy this book a lot but it was also a bit of a turn-page book at times.

[Betty Clarkson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first Vicky Hill book. I really like the character. She is persistent, intelligent, humorous and has a personal background worth exploring.

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great characters. Good story. Must read the earlier books in the series.

[Suzan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I needed to read the first books in the series before this one. Not easy to fallow if you don't know the characters.

[Jim Tickner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book.

[Annabelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

definitely the best so far. Most enjoyable.

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some threads were a little harder to follow but overall a good book. Maybe I just kept getting interrupted a bit much to catch all the threads!!

[June Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very similar to the Agatha Raisin (MC Beaton) books, only a younger version of Agatha