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Loading... House of Thieves: A Novel (edition 2015)by Charles Belfoure (Author)
Work InformationHouse of Thieves by Charles Belfoure
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. Nowhere near as good as The Paris Architect. John Cross is a successful architect in late 19th century New York City. His son George has accumulated substantial gambling debts, and his creditor (gentleman gangster James Kent) forces John to set up robberies of prominent New York citizens using his architectural expertise. The entire Cross family seems opposed to the strict social mores of the times, the so-called Knickerbocker code, and each has found a diversion. John's brother is a Pinkerton detective and is called upon to stop the crime wave. I thought the ending was silly, but liked the location/event. ( ) I received an ARC for an honest review. I have never read this author before but I definitely will in the future! If you love history, architecture, mystery and family drama then this book is for you! It was set in NYC in the late 1800's and features fictional characters along with real life people and places. If you liked The Alienist by Caleb Carr then you'll like this one too. Very well written and makes you care for ones that you might not initially care for. Makes you wonder what you would do in their place. Fascinating! As payment for his son's gambling debts, an architect uses insider knowledge to help a gang of thieves pull off heists. Meanwhile his wife and children, unbeknownst to one another, also discover the thrill of a life of crime. I liked it, didn't love it. It was well-written but I didn't like it as well as the author's first book, The Paris Architect. He lost me when I couldn't buy into the premise that independently of one another the entire family would get involved in the criminal underworld. And enjoy it. But if, unlike me, you can suspend disbelief, it would be a great read that makes the The Gilded Age, with the stark contrast between the have and have-nots, come alive. no reviews | add a review
Fiction.
Mystery.
Historical Fiction.
HTML: "Belfoure's sly, roguish writing opens a window to those living both gilded and tarnished lives... Best of all, Belfoure holds together each and every thread of the novel, resulting in a most memorable, evocative read."â??Publishers Weekly, STARRED Review Gangs of New York meets The Age of Innocence as a society architect in 1880s Manhattan is forced to join a gritty crime ringâ??from the author of the New York Times bestselling The Paris Architect! The Debt Must Be Repaid â?? or Else In 1886 New York, a respectable architect shouldn't have any connection to the notorious gang of thieves and killers that rules the underbelly of the city. But when John Cross's son racks up an unfathomable gambling debt to Kent's Gents, Cross must pay it back himself. All he has to do is use his inside knowledge of high society mansions and museums to craft a robbery even the smartest detectives won't solve. The take better include some cash too â??the bigger the payout, the faster this will be over. With a newfound talent for sniffing out vulnerable and lucrative targets, Cross becomes invaluable to the gang. But Cross's entire life has become a balancing act, and it will only take one mistake for it all to come crashing down â??and for his family to go No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.6Literature English (North America) American fiction 21st CenturyLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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