No Such Creature: A Novel [Hardcover]

Giles Blunt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 28, 2009

Silver Dagger winner Giles Blunt delivers an exhilarating game of cat and mouse with a most unlikely—and likeable—pair of thieves

Eight years ago, Owen Maxwell was saved from a foster home by the arrival of his uncle Max from England. Once a promising Shakespearean actor, Magnus “Max” Maxwell has since put his dramatic skills to new use: a master of disguise, a virtuoso of foreign dialects, and a performer to his core, he has become an extremely successful gentleman thief. Every summer, Max and Owen take a road trip across the United States, pulling off elaborate robberies along the way. But this year is different. Their first, dazzlingly executed summer heist captures the interest of the Subtractors.

Long believed an urban myth, the Subtractors are a gang of vicious thieves who prey on other thieves. They will abduct a fellow crook known to have completed a lucrative job and proceed to “subtract” parts of his body until he tells them where they can find the loot. “No such creature,” Max says, when Owen first suspects that they may be in the Subtractors’ sights. But in this, as in so many things, Max will prove to be disastrously wrong.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In Blunt's overwrought thriller, 18-year-old Owen Maxwell, an orphan who's spent the last eight summers traveling across the U.S. with his bombastic great-uncle, Magnus Max Maxwell, robbing rich Republicans, wants to give up the criminal life. He's been accepted to Juilliard's drama program, and Max is getting too old to pull off the complicated heists. When the pair leaves San Francisco, flush with cash and stolen jewels, they catch the eye of a shadowy group of thieves known as the Subtractors, who track major thefts and steal the loot from the robbers. Complicating matters is flat-out gorgeous Sabrina Bertrand, the 20-year-old daughter of a legendary crook known as the Pontiff, one of Max's idols. Shifting between the Maxwells and the men who pursue them, Blunt (By the Time You Read This) never develops any of the characters beyond the initial stereotypes: the old master losing his touch; his young reluctant apprentice; and various thugs who aren't above a little torture. (Apr. 27)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School—Max and Owen have just pulled off another "show" at an upscale dinner party, one of many they stage each summer, fencing the jewels and banking the cash they receive as "payment" to live on the rest of the year. Uncle Max, a Shakespeare-quoting gentleman thief in myriad disguises, mysteriously showed up to raise Owen after he was orphaned at age 10 in a car crash. Eight years later, the boy is finishing out the season, after which he wants to become an honest actor and begin studies at Julliard. They are joined by the beautiful Sabrina, daughter of a safecracker Max once knew in prison, and whom Owen has just saved from her bullying, ex-policeman, Jesus-loving boyfriend. When the ruthless Subtractors, who are rumored to remove body parts as they try to extract information, get wind of Max and Owen's last big heist, they follow them to steal the loot. Blunt presents readers with a well-crafted plot and lovable, eccentric characters who are magnetizing from page one. Teens will fall in love with this handsome, insightful 18-year-old and his questionable girlfriend, and will be charmed by this quirky, fast-paced tale.—Ellen Bell, Amador Valley High School, Pleasanton, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.; First Edition edition (April 28, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805080627
• ISBN-13: 978-0805080629
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,185,012 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Something different from Giles Blunt, October 24, 2008

By 

Luanne Ollivier - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: No Such Creature (Hardcover)

I have long been a fan of Canadian Giles Blunt and his John Cardinal crime series. Blunt is another one of those authors I just know is going to be a good read.

I was surprised to find that this was not part of the series, but a stand alone book. After the first twenty pages I was hooked and could not put it down.

Owen has been raised by his great uncle Max since he was orphaned at twelve. Max is a failed thespian, but is a very accomplished but genteel thief. Owen is now eighteen and their road trips across America robbing rich Republicans have honed his skills as well. Using acting skills, disguises and charm they have so far steered clear of violence. Owen is thinking of packing it in after this summer to attend Julliard and study drama. He plans to tell Max soon. It is in Vegas that things start to go sour. There is a shadowy legend among thieves about a gang called the Subtractors - mysterious men who steal from other thieves and use whatever means necessary to get what they want. And it looks like they want the riches from Owen and Max's last job. On the road with them now is Sabrina, the daughter of a former 'associate' of Max, who is running from a problem as well - named Bill.

As Sabrina says "Living with a criminal - or being one - is like living on the Titanic. You just know it isn't going to end well."

This is a story that grabs you and just doesn't let go. I kept turning pages well into the night. The plot is great but it is the witty dialogue and characters that stand out for me. The character of Max fairly leaps off the page, larger than life. Max's soliloquies, his manner of speech and pronouncements on life are funny yet poignant. Although we know they are thieves, Max's gang - including the trivia obsessed Roscoe and Pookie - are likable and Max, though flawed, is lovable even. Certainly he loves Owen.

This is a story of larceny, love, heartache, humour and life. Definitely not your typical crime story, but boy is it a good one!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cancel all your plans, November 17, 2008

By 

K. M. Hartmann "bookaholic" (Toronto. Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: No Such Creature (Hardcover)

Cancel your plans for the next few days! This one is hard to put down. Giles Blunt has given us an exciting ride through the States in the company of a likeable and complex set of characters. The details of the various settings, were triggering memories of my own travels to places like San Francisco. It was as if a movie was playing in my head. The description left me expecting to look up from the book and find the characters in my room. The story is unpredictable with twists that leave you satisfied until the very end. I felt like a fly on the wall of the Winnabago! This book was a treat!

3.0 out of 5 stars Just OK, July 10, 2011

By 

JoeV "Reader" (Arlington Hts, IL) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: No Such Creature: A Novel (Hardcover)

With No Such Creature the author of the John Cardinal series makes a departure - a very big departure - from his earlier books. A quick aside, if you are unfamiliar with this author and enjoy for instance Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch series, you won't go wrong with this author's previous books - well written, somewhat dark police procedurals that take place in Canada.

This stand-alone tale tracks the travels and at times, illegal escapades, of an 18 year old young man, orphaned at an early age, and his eccentric British great-uncle, who adopted him. During the summer the two take to the road equipped with disguises, a clever ruse, and rob rich Republicans. The portly uncle, an ex-actor, enjoys turning these criminal events into performances including roles, scripts and the occasional Shakespearian quotation. He also hires on quirky "extras" for these capers including a trivia addicted side-man.

Early on in our story while on the road, our duo meets up with the uncle's mentor's daughter - young and beautiful - who has her own problems with a born-again bible-thumping, proselytizing stalker. To add to the mix, all of them are being followed and terrorized by a psychopath who preys on fellow criminals, stealing their ill-gotten gains. And just to cap it off the elderly uncle is also slowly slipping into dementia.

If this all sounds somewhat like a Carl Hiassen novel to you, well I thought the same thing. The plot is crazy enough and the characters kooky enough to be funny or at least satirical. And occasionally the author tip-toes up to the comedic line but then just as quickly retreats. And that was the problem I had with this book, it was neither fish nor fowl, i.e. not serious enough to be a thriller nor funny enough to be satire. No Such Creature is interesting and even funny at times, but overall, just so-so. Again don't judge this author by this book - his earlier ones are excellent.