Always a Thief [Mass Market Paperback]

Kay Hooper (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 3, 2003

In a deadly game of skill and deception...A master thief is just the first wild card…

The priceless, rarely displayed Bannister collection is about to be exhibited—and the show’s director, Morgan West, can’t ignore her growing uneasiness. She’s certain she hasn’t seen the last of the infamous cat burglar Quinn. But she never expected him to turn up at her apartment one dark night in desperate need of her help—help she can’t refuse. The mysterious master thief is playing a dangerous game, and it’s a game that just might get him killed.

With Morgan’s help, Quinn sets a trap intended to catch someone far more elusive…and more deadly…than a thief. But an unseen threat shadows him in the fog-shrouded San Francisco night, an unknown adversary more cunning than any he has yet encountered. Now, just when the stakes are higher than even Quinn can imagine, no one can be trusted—and everything’s at risk.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Before Hooper penned single-title paranormal romantic suspense novels, she wrote series romances for Bantam's Loveswept line. In this uninspired offering, she puts her out-of-print Men of Mysteries Past quartet through a sieve, filters out much of the sex and romance and mixes in elements of the paranormal. What's left is a gaggle of flat characters and a formulaic story line that mirrors Hooper's previous book, Once a Thief, the first entry in this "reimagined" series. When the renowned cat burglar simply known as Quinn comes to exhibition director Morgan West for help after being shot, Morgan promptly calls wealthy, no-nonsense Max Bannister, who's preparing to exhibit his family's collection of priceless jewels and art. Max inexplicably rushes to aid Quinn, who we later learn is working for Interpol in order to catch a murdering thief known as Nightshade. The light bantering between Morgan and Quinn adds a touch of romantic tension to this otherwise tame mystery, but the paranormal aspect-Morgan's weak psychic connection to Quinn-isn't likely to satisfy fans of Hooper's more recent novels. Apart from Quinn, Hooper's characters are sketchily drawn, and many readers may find it far too difficult to grasp the intricacies of their relationships without having read the original Loveswept series.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Kay Hooper, who has more than six million copies of her books in print worldwide, has won numerous awards and high praise for her novels. Kay lives in North Carolina, where she is currently working on her next novel.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Bantam (June 3, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553585681
• ISBN-13: 978-0553585681
• Product Dimensions: 4 x 0.9 x 6.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #410,370 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

KAY HOOPER is the award-winning author of Sleeping with Fear, Stealing Shadows, and more than ten other novels of suspense and intrigue along with dozens of other books. She lives in North Carolina.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Don't bother with this one, June 27, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Always a Thief (Mass Market Paperback)

As with its prequel "Once A Thief" this book doesn't know if it is a romance or a mystery. In the end, it is neither. While the character of Quinn is fun, the supporting cast is flimsy and unbelievable and what you might call a plot is a complete joke.

As in most romances (which this book originally was - see the author's introduction) the characters are all gorgeous, smart, rich, and incredibly talented. They fall into each other's arms after many pages of stifled emotion and terrible diaologe and ocassionally address the "mystery" at hand.

This two book series could have been interesting with the character of Quinn, but instead it is irritating and boring. Spare yourself and look elsewhere.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't bother!, July 9, 2003

By 

C. Seewer "First Watch" (Jeffersontown, KY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Always a Thief (Mass Market Paperback)

I read Once A Thief, what a disappointment. The first book was just an introduction for the second. The preview of Always A Thief ,located at the back of the first book, is still trying to solve the same crime. The characters are the same, still in the same location and still nothing happening. I really got weary of every person and animal described as having witchy green eyes. Remember Snoopy sitting on his dog house roof typing. "It was a dark and stormy night? " Well you would probably be happier with his book!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars tune in tomorrow . . ., July 10, 2003

By 

David Group (Buffalo, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Always a Thief (Mass Market Paperback)

Credibility goes out the window right from Chapter One as major characters converge on cue to jump-start the plot-- you can almost hear the mechanical plot snapping together like Lego blocks in the first few pages. Cliches infect the writing like the Black Plague sweeping through Europe. This one is for the soap opera crowd; all others, beware.