Thieftaker

 

 

On my quest to read a different type of literature, in this case historical mixed with fantasy, I came across this book. A fantastical murder mystery set during the time of Samuel Adams in Boston 1765 and I enjoyed every page of it.

 

I thought that D. B. Jackson did a really nice job with this tale. It easily transported me to Colonial Boston and the characters were all familiar since some of them were actual people from the time. Because I am sucker for description, I was taken with the setting and could honestly see the taverns, poor parts of town, rick parts of town, the wharfs, and even feel the cobble streets. A great deal of research was done for this book and it never once came off like a history lesson from 8th grade Social Studies.

 

The main character Ethan Kaille was pretty well rounded. In fact many of the characters were well developed. My only complaint with Ethan is that he seemed much more older in the way that he emoted than he actually was. I think that he was supposed to be in his thirties, but he came off as much older to me. Maybe even in his late forties. I also thought that he had interesting morals for basically being a thug or thief, which might be one of the reasons I found myself liking him.

 

Overall, the story was well paced and had some nice twists and turns. I especially enjoyed the scene in the tavern with Samuel Adams. Although, I had to keep telling my thoughts not to turn to the comedy sketch done by Dave Chappelle did in regards to Samuel Jackson selling beer. But I digress...I do wish that there was a little more action throughout it and that the conjuring side of the plot had been built up a little more. Especially since that is one of the main pieces to finding the murderer in the story. Speaking in Latin and then letting the ghost guide Reg do the casting seemed rather dull. If those scenes had been a little more fleshed out and fantastical, I think it would added another layer of dimension to the storyline.

 

The only other thing that needed wither further developing or should have been limited were all the beatings Ethan received from his enemy/rival Sephira Price. There were too many of them and I got a little tired of them as the plot went on. If they were taken out completely, I don't think that the storyline would have been weaker one bit. The only reason to keep them in would be a foreshadowing for a possible sequel, but even then, she could just be introduced in the next book.

 

If you enjoy fantasy books with a great deal of Colonial American History, then this book might be for you. If you're not big on spell casting and don't really enjoy American History, then this book might not be for you.

 

Rating: 4 out of 5

 

I borrowed this book from my local library; I was not asked to review this book.