Montmorency: Thief, Liar, Gentleman [Paperback]

Eleanor Updale (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2005 | Age Level: 9 and up | Series: Montmorency (Book 1)

A gripping tale of adventure set in Victorian London. Montmorency is a thief leading a double life -- of a distinguished gentleman & his servant. Perfect for lovers of Sherlock Holmes & RL Stevenson.

When a petty thief falls through a glass roof while fleeing from the police, it should have been the death of him. Instead, it marks the beginning of a whole new life. Soon he has become the most successful -- and elusive -- burglar in Victorian London, plotting daring raids and using London's new sewer system to escape. He adopts a dual existence to fit his new lifestyle, taking on the roles of a respectable, wealthy gentleman named Montmorency and his corrupt servant, Scarper.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Montmorency: thief, liar, gentleman?, a British import from debut author Eleanor Updale, is a smart, stylish antidote to the proliferation of Buffy novelizations masquerading as mysteries these days. In a London cellblock in 1875, career criminal Montmorency is serving time for burglary. Captured while fleeing police, Montmorency suffered several grievous wounds that attract the attention of a brilliant young doctor named Robert Farcett. When Dr. Farcett displays Montmorency's newly healed body before the membership of London's Scientific Society, Montmorency overhears a presentation on the city's new sewer system that will change his life forever. Once released from prison, Montmorency uses his knowledge of the underground tunnels to steal from some of London's wealthiest neighborhoods. But in order to enjoy his new riches, he must assume a dual lifestyle. By day he is Mr. Montmorency, a mysterious opera going gentleman who resides in one of the city's most affluent hotels. By night, he is drain-dwelling Scarper, a smelly character who keeps a room in a dirty boarding house. How long can he keep up this agonizing pretense before someone, perhaps even the good doctor, recognizes his scars and exposes him as a fraud?

Middle school fans of John Bellairs, Lemony Snicket, and Philip Pullman, will delight in plowing through the cliff hanging pages of Montmorency. Updale's prose is clear and plot-driven, full of the kind of fascinating detail about the quirky Victorian thief's dual existence that young mystery readers adore. And, with a sequel coming in 2005, they won't groan too loudly at the wide open, although wholly satisfying ending. (Ages 10 to 14) --Jennifer Hubert --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-10-Cunning criminal mastermind Montmorency used his time in prison to devise the ultimate scheme to relieve the Victorian London upper crust of their prized possessions. Tipped off by a clue he heard while serving as a guinea pig in a medical seminar, Montmorency decides that the ghastly city sewers are his ticket to fame and fortune. And once out of prison, he heads straight below ground where he can enter and leave the apartments of his victims without a trace. Stealing enough goods to buy a room at one of London's poshest hotels, Montmorency discovers that the leisure-filled life he dreams of is finally within reach. Only then can he move to phase two of his plan. He devises an alter ego: Scarper, the sly thief and humble servant of the more esteemed and gentlemanly Montmorency. In true Shakespearean form, the "two" men dive in and out of scenes with astute deftness, duping less fortunate (and sometimes deserving) characters with hilarious aplomb. Peculiarly enough, Updale's seamless historical novel contains no true adolescent characters. Yet the transitional stages of Montmorency's entry into society and evolving sense of self-discovery resemble the paths taken by many famous teen protagonists. Readers will find themselves drawn not only to Montmorency's compellingly bizarre biography, but also to his clever and mischievous nature that eventually leads him to both a realization of his past wrongs and a valid career where he can put his "best" skills to good use.-Hillias J. Martin, New York Public Library
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks (April 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439580366
• ISBN-13: 978-0439580366
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,049,815 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely captivating!, July 2, 2005

By 

B. Bailey "serious book lover" (Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Montmorency #1: Montmorency: Thief, Liar, Gentleman (Hardcover)

I reluctantly picked up this book from the library, as its weird plot made me unsure of whether Ms. Updale could pull it off. But, as my rating tells you, she did! The plot is this: A petty thief falls through a roof when running from the police. Lucky for him, a doctor who is in bad need of some nation-wide acclaim decided to attempt to 'fix' the thief's broken body, almost like sewing this man together again. Needless to say, it works. The thief is named 'Montmorency' and thrown into jail, with frequent visits to the doctor's for further repair. The doctor then shows him off at science conventions and things like that. Montmorency gets tired of being shown off like this, and wants to have a new lifestyle. He finds his answer in the newly made London sewer systems. These are what he uses to navigate his way around England, preforming brilliant burglaries of various shops. But Montmorency needs an accomplice, and he later decides on who the lucky man is to be - himself! He takes on a double identity- Montmorency, the wealthy gentleman, and Scarper, his dirty servant-all while preforming these thefts. Can he keep his secret and live two lives?

This is a captivating, wonderful book. Its plot is quirky without being too quirky. Montmorency is a brilliant, fun character. I simply couldn't put this book down; it held my attention and didn't let go. I strongly recommend this book to everyone. Go pick it up!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Montmorency, February 24, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Montmorency: Thief, Liar, Gentleman (Paperback)

Montmorency is an exciting book that makes you want to keep reading.

When the book starts, Montmorency is running across rooftops and running away from the terror that he has feared for so long; he is afraid that he will now know what it is like in there. One year later waiting in prison, barely able to move, Montmorency meets a new cellmate. His name is Freakshow. Montmorency learns a lot from his newfound friend; most will be quite useful. A few days later Montmorency is free from prison and uses the tools that he learned from Freakshow in thievery.

Montmorency loves thievery and the excitement behind stealing other people's belongings. But Montmorency wants to change his life to avoid going to prison again. Because he wants to change his life so that he doesn't get caught, but still loves to steal, he finds knew ways to avoid being seen when stealing. Montmorency is again drawn to stealing because of the hidden passages, the sewer system under the city, that he has found and the excitement stays with him.

Even though Montmorency used the hidden passage as a way to not be seen, he had trouble in them as well. Montmorency had to watch his back when thieving because there could have been other people around, but he also needed to be careful during storms. Along the way of stealing, Montmorency gets to know people that could help him get away from the thievery way of life. Now it's up to you to see where Montmorency's life will lead him.

My opinion of this book is that it is a great book for people who like mystery and suspense when reading. I loved this book because of that exact reason. I liked how the author created the characters and brought them to life. Another reason why I liked this book was because that as I read the characters and situations came to life, and I felt as if I was there.

I recommend this book for people starting from the fourth grade and above. Because people younger than fourth grade may not understand what it says and may not be able to read it. There are some parts that may be confusing even for those in the fourth grade. Read this exciting book; if you don't you will be missing a chance of a lifetime.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My Kind of Guy, January 8, 2006

By 

Scotty don't "Scottyy Hughes" (Chattanooga, TN Aftrica/Asia/Europe/Spain(isnt that a country?)) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Montmorency #1: Montmorency: Thief, Liar, Gentleman (Hardcover)

Montmorency is a thrilling novel filled with twists and turns about a very versatile criminal. Montmorency is set in the Victorian age in London, England, and was written by Eleanor Updale. Montmorency is the name given to this elusive criminal by the police after he fell through a skylight of a factory and was mashed up by a machine while trying to evade the police. During his time in prison, he became a new experimental toy for an up and coming doctor named Dr. Farcett. Farcett takes care of Montmorency and his work led Montmorency to a full recovery. While in prison Montmorency develops a new plan for his life as a thief, and devises new and exciting ways to get in and out of places leaving Scotland Yard scratching its head in dismay. I recommend this book for anyone above the age of 13, and I hope that you will enjoy this thrilling novel.

Scotty