Prince of Thieves: A Novel [Paperback]

Chuck Hogan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 17, 2007

Four masked men -- thieves, rivals, and friends from the tough streets of Charlestown -- take on a Boston bank at gunpoint. Holding bank manager Claire Keesey hostage and cleaning out the vault were simple. But career criminal Doug MacRay didn't plan on one thing: falling hard for Claire. When he tracks her down without his mask and gun, their mutual attraction is undeniable. With a tenacious FBI agent following his every move, he imagines a life away from his gritty, dangerous work -- a life centered around Claire. But before that can happen, Doug and his crew learn that there may be a way to rob Boston's venerable baseball stadium, Fenway Park. Risky yet utterly irresistible, it would be the perfect heist to end his criminal career and begin a new life. But, as it turns out, pursuing Claire may be the most dangerous act of all.

Racing to an explosive climax, Prince of Thieves is a brash tale of robbery in all its forms -- and an unforgettable odyssey of crime, love, ambition, and dreams.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The dark third novel by the author of The Standoff isn't the fast-paced thriller it's marketed to be. It is, rather, a story of doomed love focusing on Doug MacRay, a Boston-based career thief (he comes from Charlestown, "a breeding ground for bank and armored-car robbers") who becomes enamored with the manager of the bank he and his pals have just robbed. Claire Keesey, who has been badly traumatized by the robbery, later begins to develop feelings for him as well, unaware that a masked MacRay was the lead perpetrator in the heist that turned her life upside down. Hogan then leads readers through a long-winded labyrinth of inner reflection as Doug spends much of the book pondering whether he should quit the criminal life in order to pursue a deeper relationship with Claire. This undermines the suspense that crime fiction requires, and the novel is overlong by more than half. Although some characters are quite lively, most of them (including Doug) are not very sympathetic, and the end brings tragedy for many of them. All the same, the author's original writing style and knack for unusual metaphors can make for engaging reading, and the book's cinematic quality and grittily realistic action sequences bode well for its day on screen (it's been optioned by Law & Order producer Dick Wolf).
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* If Blood Artists (1998) was a weak follow-up to his crackling 1995 debut Standoff, Hogan is back on track in this moody, resonant thriller that cleverly begins and ends in the same place. Doug, Dez, Jem, and Gloansy have been tight since childhood, growing up tough and street-smart in a rough, working-class Irish enclave where "bringing home the bacon" means stealing it from a local bank. Like his father, Doug is a thief, planning ever more sophisticated gigs for his buddies--as much for the high as for the money. The local bank should have been a piece of cake, but Doug's falling in love with bank manager Claire Keesey wasn't part of the plan. Nor did Doug expect a romantic adversary in the person of robbery investigator Adam Frawley. It's not entirely clear why both men fall for Claire, who's barely on stage. But there's no doubt about Hogan's ability to blend weighty emotions with riveting shoot-outs as he depicts a complicated man, noble and villainous by turns, trapped in a life he desperately wants to change. Stephanie Zvirin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Scribner; First Edition edition (July 17, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416554904
• ISBN-13: 978-1416554905
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #349,023 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Chuck Hogan is the New York Times bestselling author of several acclaimed novels, including THE TOWN (aka PRINCE OF THIEVES), DEVILS IN EXILE, and THE KILLING MOON. THE TOWN was awarded the Hammett Prize for excellence in crime writing, and has been made into a movie starring Ben Affleck, Jon Hamm, Jeremy Renner, Rebecca Hall, and Blake Lively. DEVILS IN EXILE is also being developed into a feature film. He is the co-author, with Oscar-winning filmmaker Guillermo Del Toro, of THE STRAIN and THE FALL, parts one and two of the internationally bestselling STRAIN series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic psychological thriller!, August 23, 2004

By 

Wim Biemans (Bedum, The Netherlands) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Prince of Thieves: A Novel (Hardcover)

A couple of years ago I picked up Hogan's debut-novel The Standoff and put is away after 150 pages because it was just plain boring and unbelievable. After that I tried again with The Blood Artists because of its interesting premise, but this time I also lost interest very quickly and decided that Hogan just wasn't it for me. But two weeks ago I found myself at Logan Airport in Boston when Prince of Thieves had just hit the stands. Because of its interesting storyline, the glowing reviews by King, Deaver and McBain and especially the fact that the story took place in Boston (which I had just visited) I bought the book on a whim and never regretted it!

Prince of Thieves is not your typical action thriller but a wonderful psychological profile of some very disturbed young men. It describes wonderfully how the protagonist tries to get out of a criminal life because of the love for a woman (that he met during his last criminal caper). The internal struggle he goes through is very believable and presents a wonderful perspective on human nature.

All in all, a very satisfying story that rises far above the numerous summer beach thrillers. I have no doubt that the story of Doug and his friends will stay with me for a long time (and that's a compliment coming from someone who reads app. 100 books a year). Wonderful book, Chuck, and I will definitely keep my eye open for your next one!!!

30 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Rich Narrative of Friendship, Srange Love and Suspense, August 27, 2004

By 

prisrob "pris," (New England USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Prince of Thieves: A Novel (Hardcover)

"Charlestown, a blue collar Boston neighborhood, produces more bank robbers and armored car thieves than any square mile in the world." So begins Chuck Hogan's compelling novel "Prince of Thieves".

The day after the 100th running of the Boston Marathon, Claire Keesey, a branch manager for a Boston bank, walks into her bank to start her day. And what a start it is! She is met by four men in horribly scarred masks and told to open the vault. She does this reluctantly, and in the midst of the robbery she is able to initiate the silent alarm. However, one of the robbers has a wire into the alarms and alerts the others. They finish taking the money; leaving the top layers of monies that are marked and take Claire as a hostage. On the way out one of the robbers beats the assistant manager thinking he was the one to set the alarm. All of this is registered in Claire's memory. Claire is released unhurt but with residual psychological damage.

The robbers are four friends, born and brought up in Charlestown. Three have violent backgrounds and have spent time in jail. The leader is Doug MacKay. Jimmy "Jem" Coughlin and Freddy "Gloansy" Magloan are the toughies- Mirth or Menace they are called. Des Elden is the brain of the group, recruited by Doug. Des works for Nynex, a lineman who knows how to connect to anything and anybody. They all have a history, date the same girls, drink at the same Irish clubs, and all agree that the influx of young professionals into Charlestown is not a good thing. They are pricing the locals out of their mother's homes and succeeding where the British have failed- driving them out of their neighborhood.

Doug MacKay, the leader can't get Claire Keesey out of his mind. She is lovely, intelligent and wouldn't back down until she was threatened. He develops a relationship with Claire and they fall in love. How can this work? These two so very different souls. Claire has no idea that Doug is one of the robbers and that is how the suspense builds. Into the midst comes FBI agent Adam Frawley, in charge of all bank robberies. He too becomes fond of Claire. Agent Frawley is smart and he is intent upon "getting his man". It is not until the robbers look at taking on Fenway Park, a magnificently dangerous opportunity that leaks and clues becomes apparent.

Church Hogan has written a marvelous book. The characters are richly drawn and you can see them in your mind-the action, and the mystery all come alive. The old neighborhoods of Boston and Charlestown are engraved in memory. And to top it all off, we learn about effective, studious robbers versus lazy robbers. The "ins and outs" of the robbery world, so to speak. A book to be read in one sitting, if you can, it is hard to put down.

Highly Recommended. prisrob 08-24-04

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Devils in Exile: A Novel

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book, March 15, 2009

By 

Terry Berry "mooziklover" (Waco, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Prince of Thieves: A Novel (Paperback)

I won't go into detail on what this book is about, since other reviewers have done so. An excellent read. If you like Dennis LaHane you're gonna love this one. One of those books I didn't want to finish it was so good.