The Thief (Quick Reads) [Import] [Paperback]

Ruth Rendell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 4, 2006 | Series: Quick Reads

From the author of End in Tears comes a chilling thriller for “Quick Reads” — books for emergent readers, published as part of the UK’s World Book Day Adult Literacy Initiative 2006.

What you do in childhood may come back to haunt you. Stealing things from people who had upset her was something Polly did quite a lot. There was her Aunt Pauline; a girl at school; a boyfriend who left. And there was the man on the plane… Humiliated and scared by a total stranger Polly does what she always does. She steals something. But she never could have imagined that her desire for revenge would have such terrifying results.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"'Rendell knows how to make your hair stand up straight on your head' Maeve Binchy 'Rendell's eerie capacity to comprehend disturbed criminal minds continues to astonish' The Times 'It's impossible to read the terrors abroad in her shabby streetscapes without total emotional involvement' Sunday Times"

About the Author

Ruth Rendell is celebrated around the world as a novelist at the peak of her craft. The British Crime Writer’s Association has honored her with four Gold Daggers, a Silver Dagger, and the Diamond Dagger for outstanding contribution to the genre. In the United States she has been acknowledged by a remarkable total of three Edgar Awards from the Mystery Writers of America, as well as the organization’s Grand Master Award for lifetime achievement. Over the past forty years Ruth Rendell has created an extraordinary body of literary work. In addition to seven volumes of short stories, one novella, and two works of nonfiction, Dame Rendell has written fifty-two novels, including tales of psychological suspense, the Inspector Wexford mysteries, and eleven novels under the pseudonym Barbara Vine. She lives in London.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Arrow (April 4, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0099497883
• ISBN-13: 978-0099497882
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,498,960 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Weird little story -- great for a plane trip, September 24, 2009

By 

Carlye R. Nystrom (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: The Thief (Quick Reads) (Paperback)

This is almost like a short story. I read it in about an hour or so. Polly steals things from people as revenge when they do mean things to her. I can't really tell you much more without giving away the entire plot. If you can get a copy of this inexpensively, I'd get it, expecially for a plane trip. A lot of the action takes place on an airplane. I could see this as an Alfred Hitchcock episode, if that gives you any help.

3.0 out of 5 stars Starts of Well, But the Wussification of Main Character for the Second Half Lets Down This Short Story, April 2, 2011

By 

James N Simpson (Gold Coast, QLD Australia) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Thief (Paperback)

Rendell's The Thief starts of really, really well. In fact until half way through I was thinking to myself, this is one of the best short stories I've ever read. Polly, the main character as a child and young adult was a brilliantly written strong minded girl, who knew how to handle herself and gave those who deserved it, wether an aunt who humiliates and assaults her for not letting her children come out on top in pool games, a school bully or bad boyfriend, everyone got their comeuppance. Granted it was through stealing stuff but she was a young, you can't expect her to come up with grandeur plans of vengeance. So when she's now in her 20s for the second half of the story and has put her thieving and lying days behind her you'd expect she's still the same strong female character. However when she experiences a bully in the airport, who ends up in the seat beside her on a flight to New York who burns her with hot coffee she doesn't stand up for herself at all. Then the bully is also on the flight back and when a thieving opportunity comes up she takes it. Then the rest of the story instead of fully ensuring this guy gets him comeuppance she instead decides she'll return his possessions to him, including even ironing his clothes, the only problem is she doesn't want her boyfriend to find out. You can predict what the bully is going to do which is exactly what he does. However your just waiting for the brilliant minded Polly from the childhood days to emerge, instead the wussified adult version never lets her make an appearance.

The Thief, is part of the Quick Reads series of books to increase literacy levels by encouraging those who don't like to read beyond magazines and comic books to try fiction through cheap priced short story length fiction and non fiction. The first half of the story would definitely have achieved that, however the weak second half won't encourage much further short story reading.

2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars ghost writer??, February 28, 2010

By 

Trapper "Lynda Dye Brown" - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Thief (Paperback)

Was very disapointed in this comic book novel-save your money and find a copy at a spring yard/garage sale-that's where mine's going-in the bargain bin.