In Jethro,Tony Broadbent has created a unique character. Both this book and the follow-up 'Spectres in the Smoke' are set in a London of the late 1940's,a London that is as remote to most readers of today as the Middle Ages. Onto the scene comes our anti-hero Jethro,who is an expert cat-burglar and jewel-thief. he is also a throughly decent bloke.
He sets off to rob a foreign Embassy,but what starts off as a fairly easy job turns into a much more difficult proposition. He discovers another burglar already on the premises and finds that one of London's crime bosses is becoming a little too interested in him.
Worse still is the eventual knowledge that he has attracted the attention of the British Secret Service.
A throughly enjoyable read,with a cast of Cockney characters that the reader can empathise with,as well as some really nasty villains. ( )

My only regret is that these are set too late to introduce Mary Russell to Tony's cat burglar, Jethro. ( )

Well written. An air of innocence, despite all the awful things that happen. Like watching a Spencer Tracy movie, with gore. ( )

Jethro is a self-respecting Cockney cat burglar in post-World War II London, minding his own business as he goes about "redistributing the wealth"--robbbing the rich to give to the poor, the latter comprising himself, his family and a few friends. After careful planning, Jethro succesfully burgles the Embassy of an unnamed foreign power--and in doing so, inadvertently finds himself a reluctant participant in MI5's efforts to thwart Soviet espionage and the rise of Communism in England.

The opening is hair-raising suspense that also gives the reader an excellent introduction to the science of being a successful cat burglar.

The writing style definitely evokes the era. England was suffering under an austerity program where rationing was just as severe as during the war and in some cases more so; as a result, the black market economy thrived . It was also a much more innocent era, in that the world could be viewed successfully as black-and-white, a Good Guys vs the Bad Guys attitude that would be laughable if used to describe today's cynical world. Broadbent, through his characterizations, makes it very believable.

Since Jethro is the narrrator, his language is sprinkled with a fair amount of Cockney slanging rhyme, as well as underworld slang. Broadbent provides a glossary of the more obscure terms, which is both helpful and fun.

A good look at the lower layers of post World War II London, as ordinary people struggle to get on with lives that have been affected by losses from the war.

Well written, good plotting, good characterization and suspenseful throughout. Highly recommended. ( )