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  • The Thief Taker

  • The Thief Taker, Book 1
  • By: C. S. Quinn
  • Narrated by: Napoleon Ryan
  • Length: 11 hrs and 28 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (647 ratings)
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The Thief Taker cover art

The Thief Taker

By: C. S. Quinn
Narrated by: Napoleon Ryan
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Summary

The year is 1665. Black Death ravages London. A killer stalks the streets in a plague doctor’s hood and mask....

When a girl is gruesomely murdered, thief taker Charlie Tuesday reluctantly agrees to take on the case. But the horrific remains tell him this is no isolated death. The killer’s mad appetites are part of a master plan that could destroy London – and reveal the dark secrets of Charlie’s own past.

Now the thief taker must find this murderous mastermind before the plague obliterates the evidence street by street. This terrifying pursuit will take Charlie deep into the black underbelly of old London, where alchemy, witchcraft and blood-spells collide.

In a city drowned in darkness, death could be the most powerful magic of all.

©2014 C.S. Quinn (P)2014 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved

What listeners say about The Thief Taker

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    308
  • 4 Stars
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  • 3 Stars
    92
  • 2 Stars
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  • 1 Stars
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Performance
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Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
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  • 4 Stars
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  • 3 Stars
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  • 2 Stars
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  • 1 Stars
    9

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Story OK maybe; this rendition awful.

Story is pretty predictable with lots of cliches and stereotypes. Tons of gore - Chamber of Horrors style. Dash of sex with lesbianism in Charles' court for the fellas. (Yes he pops up for some reason.) But if you like this sort of thing it might be enjoyable as a read. But as an audio book the silly accents, and the mix of the modern and archaic (and regions) it seems like a pantomime and it is hard to suspend disbelief. I finished listening but only just.

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23 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Time travelling back to the 1600s

This is not my usual kind of book but I really enjoyed The Thief Taker. It was well researched and written. I was up until 3am until I had finished it. It makes you glad that you didn’t live in 1600’s London. The narrator was so good I could almost smell the rotting bodies of the plague victims and could picture it all in my mind. Napoleon Ryan’s female impersonation was so perfect I had to go back into Audio Books to make sure he was the only narrator as Maria’s voice sounded much like Joanna Lumley. I have now bought the second book ‘The Fire Catcher’ and can’t wait to start it tomorrow. Well worth a credit.

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12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great story for London dwellers

Being a Londoner, loved the descriptions of the city during plague time and could picture the city from the fantastic descriptions. A little disappointed by the lack of difference between characters voices, but otherwise a great story with twists and turns a-plenty.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

No plot, little characterisation

Well written and read,nice historic gritty feel. Put no real plot, a few set scenes without any link and the characters are simplistic and unreal.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Promising plot, poor narration.

I found the plot intriguing at first and the detail in the storytelling was interesting. I might have persevered beyond the first couple of hours If It hadn't been for the narration which was dull and lacked the pace needed for the story.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Hidden grim gem...

Well, this was something of a nice surprise! Very well written and an overall expertly crafted plot with some very dark moments. The quality of the historical research is top notch so you can forgive a few shortcomings in the story telling where Quinn takes a few cheap shortcuts. The narrator is also great but his otherwise solid performance is sadly marred by a bad and "tinny" audio quality....luckily nothing that gets in the way of your enjoyment of this great hidden little grim gem.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The Thief Taker

Great story...really grabs you and twists and turns that keep you listening. Well read too.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

A Great Opening Book.

What made the experience of listening to The Thief Taker the most enjoyable?

A great sense of place, the author really gets the population's panic of being caught in a pandemic plague. I've not listened to any books set in Restoration England before and this was interesting, it showed the uneasy truce between the factions of the Civil Wars.

What other book might you compare The Thief Taker to, and why?

CJ Sansom and SJ Parris. Both series set in historic England. They both feature reluctant detectives. This series is a little less cerebral than the Shardlake or Bruno books. It's more of a thriller and that's not a bad thing. Its a rollicking read!

Have you listened to any of Napoleon Ryan’s other performances? How does this one compare?

No, but it was a fine narration.

Any additional comments?

An enjoyable start to a set of mysteries. What seems like a relatively straightforward whodunnit soon becomes a conspiracy thriller with the state of the nation in danger.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

OK...

I drifted in and out of this one... OK but not sure I'd want go listen again

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

really enjoyed and narration was great.

really enjoyed it. great narration and story ..i could see the city and felt i was there ..

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3 people found this helpful