Workmanlike book. Adequate plot & characters. May try another in the series ( )

I had this as an audiobook because of this I missed some of the plot.
The narrator was very good
The story was good and brought to life the horrors of the 17th century ( )

I really, really enjoyed this book. I picked it up for a little light reading before bed, and before I knew it, I was staying up hours later than intended each night until I finished it. What a gripping story! Charlie is a character that you root for right from the beginning. There is something so compelling about him. He's certainly not the stereotypical hero - dashing, debonair, well equipped to handle any situation, the natural victor for any tussle with a villain - but he's not the underdog, either. He is written so well, that it's clear he is not a party to be pitied, but a force to be reckoned with in his own right.

Maria is a tough cookie to swallow, honestly. I did not like her character at all, even at the very end. That being said, I think she was written perfectly to accurately reflect the classist attitudes of the time period.

And Thomas - well, Thomas is just the stuff that nightmares are made of, quite frankly. I genuinely hope to never meet a human like him in all of my days.

The story itself is so easy to fall into. There is not a moment of dry writing, or section that is difficult to get through. Many times, I felt like I could not turn the pages fast enough. I was enthralled from the first page to the last. And, interestingly enough, I did not realize that this is the first book in a series! I cannot wait to get my hands on Book #2. ( )

Nuns, in 17th century London? Are you kidding? The only reason this doesn't go into my 'oh God this was dire' collection is because the main character is actually quite engaging. Pity about the poor research. ( )

Main character Charlie Tuesday is known about London for being an effective thief taker, recovering stolen property for the rich.

The plague is causing havoc in the city, order is breaking down, and a plague doctor is murdering and plotting with impunity. Those plague doctors were creepy enough with wearing beaked masks; adding one of them in the story as a potential serial killer takes plague nightmares to a whole new level. Charlie is mistakenly identified as the murderer and must avoid the authorities as he works to clear his name, avoid the plague, confront witchcraft, and appease a demanding yet compelling client.

C.S. Quinn is explicit in depiction of the plague's effects. London was grim to live in, and death was torturous. Be warned that Quinn can write effective gross descriptions.

In spite of the odors that I swore that I could smell and the pustules of disease that I could envision, I still viewed this as a book to satisfy imagination and provide diversion. Warning, one of my favorite courses in The Great Courses Plus is the Black Death so my interests should be considered on the warped side.

The narrative contains scenes of political intrigue, mystery, witchcraft, gambling and prostitution. At first I was going to rate The Thief Taker with 3 stars because there are a lot of handy coincidences, but I did enjoy the pace of the action and the immersion into another time so I'm awarding it 4 stars. Consider this book if you're looking for a plot that is fast paced. ( )