Thieves’ Quarry is the worthy follow up to Thieftaker (The Thieftaker Chronicles) by D.B. Jackson of which I received a free review copy courtesy of Tor. It is a blend of historical novel, murder mystery and fantasy which continues the story of Ethan Kaille, a thief taker in 18th century Boston. I don’t believe it’s necessary to have read Thieftaker prior to reading Thieves’ Quarry, although it does help to appreciate the solid character development and deepening understanding of the magic system. What I liked Unique blend of murder mystery, fantasy and historical drama. This mixture appealed to me in Thieftaker and it continues to work well in the continuation. This time the stakes are higher with the murder – it could have ramifications on the stability of the city of Boston. The setting. Speaking of the city, the author has evoked the setting beautifully. It was easy for me to imagine Ethan walking down the narrow cobbled streets of Boston. It’s incredible to realise this wasn’t the original setting for the series. Character development. Although it’s not necessary to have read Thieftaker before Thieves’ Quarry, by not doing so, you miss out on the subtle but excellent character development….
Thieftaker by D.B. Jackson tells the story of Ethan Kaille, a man with a checkered past, who uses his conjuring skills to track down thieves and return stolen goods to their owners. When the daughter of a prominent citizen is found killed by non-conventional means, Ethan is hired to track down her missing brooch and to shed light on her murder. Tor McMillan was kind enough to send me a copy of this book to review. Here are my thoughts. D.B. Jackson’s writing style is light, easily accessible and engaging. It was very easy to become drawn into the story and to empathise with Ethan, the protagonist. Set in mid 18th century Boston, the book is a fun blend of historical drama, fantasy and murder mystery. Now, I am neither American nor a student of American history, so I am unfamiliar with the historical events referenced in this novel – The Stamp Act of 1765, The Sons of Liberty, the riots in Boston – but I was inspired to read more about this period of American history. I was intrigued to read in the author’s note that the novel was originally set in a fictional world and that it was…
It always seems to happen this way. I’d placed holds on three library e-books and all three became available within a few days of each other! On my reading list I now have: Harry Potter et les Reliques de la Mort by J.K. Rowling. (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in French). For some reason it really amuses me to see how the Potter-specific terms were translated into French; “Muggle” becomes “Moldu”, “Squib” becomes “Cracmol” and “Crumple-Horned Snorkack” becomes “Ronflak Cornu.” However, Quidditch remains Quidditch. Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake by Anna Quindlen. I think this was a recommendation I picked up from GoodReads. I don’t know much about it, other than that it’s a well written memoir by a Pulitzer prize winning author but it seemed an interesting read. It was free to borrow from the library, so I thought I’d give it a go. Rapture by Kate Lauren. This is the fourth and final part of Lauren’s Young Adult fantasy series about angels and demons. It’s not the best series in the world, and probably not one I’ll invest in to buy, but again, I don’t mind borrowing it from the library to see how it ends….