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The Thief-Taker: Memoirs of a Bow Street Runner

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The Bow Street Runners do not, by large, enjoy a very good reputation in history or literature. They are frequently accused of, and portrayed as, individuals that were highly corrupt and self serving, incompetent and stupid. And yet, there probably were Runners who were highly professional, capable, intelligent, honest and decent. And T. F. Banks's new novel, "The Thief Taker: Memoirs of a Bow Street Runner" centers on the work and cases of exactly one such runner, Henry Morton, who deplores the fact that Runners have such a bad reputation, even if it is well deserved. He has hopes that by setting a good example himself, he will inspire both confidence in the public for the Runners as to their trustworthiness, as well as encourage his fellow Runners to change their ways and take their chosen profession more seriously.

The events that takes place in "The Thief Taker" start off in June of 1815. Even as England waits uneasily for news of the wars from the Continent, life goes on as usual -- dinner parties are still being held, the theatres are still open, robberies and murder are still being perpetrated, and the Runners are still apprehending wrongdoers and bringing them to justice. One evening, Henry Morton is summoned to Portman House in Claridge Square. There, he finds young Halbert Glendinning dead from asphyxiating on his own vomit, according to the doctor at hand. However, Morton is not so sanguine that this is indeed the case. Noticing that the 'good' doctor had not made any kind of examination before rendering his opinion, Morton examines the body carefully, and comes to the conclusion that Gledenning's death was probably murder, and that it was brought about by poison. However, he has a hard time selling this notion to either the magistrates or Glendinning's parents, who want to put the scandal of their son's death behind them without any further fuss.

Questions however continue to niggle at Morton. Why for example did the hackney driver who had delivered Glendinning to Portman House take off before he was paid? And why had such a mild mannered gentleman as Glendinning taken part in a duel of honour on the very morning of his death with a notorious duelist? And most perplexing of all, why had Glendinning, a young man of good reputation and unsullied character, visited a tavern known to provide children for 'gentlemen's' pleasure? Fortunately for Morton's peace of mind, Geldenning's fiance, Louisa Hamilton, hires Morton to inquire into Glendenning's death. Morton's inquiries however soon raises the wrath of a powerful and implacable enemy, who decides that Morton has to be dealt with one way or the other. Soon, Morton is battling not only to to discover why Halbert Glendenning of all people was murdered, and by whom, but also to preserve his own life and reputation.

I enjoyed "The Thief Taker" very much. While the novel did not take place in the Regency drawing rooms that most of us are familiar with, "The Thief Taker" was, nonetheless, evocative of the age. I found myself appreciating the manner in which the authour evoked the atmosphere of the period -- from the cobbled streets of London, to the Surrey countryside; and from the elegant Georgian drawing rooms to the smoky parlors of notorious taverns -- T. F. Banks brought these sights and scenes to life. I also found myself appreciating the way in which Banks vividly depicted all the characters, both primary and secondary, in the book. Henry Morton and his sometime lover, actress Mrs. Malibrant, were especially engaging and appealing.

"The Thief Taker" is an incredibly absorbing and compelling read. The plot was a clever, intriguing and sometimes quite perplexing one. And the authour did a wonderful job of maintaing the level of suspense. I liked this mystery novel immensely, and I'm definitely looking forward to the next book in the series.

Historical mysteries seem to be all the rage these days, but this is one of the best I've seen lately. Set in London during the summer of 1815 -- Waterloo summer -- it's the story of Henry Morton, a constable with the king's warrant, working as a semi-independent policeman out of the Magistrate's office at No. 4, Bow Street. I know something about the time and the place, and Banks seems to have made no false steps at all in his depiction of the people of a London which had a very low opinion of professional cops (who worked on commission for each felon hanged). The plot is also very well done, involving several murders, theft of antiquities, and deep corruption among the Runners of Bow Street. The principal characters -- Arabella, the actress with whom Morton has a nonexclusive arrangement, and Lord Arthur Darley, Arabella's other interest, whose open friendliness Morton isn't entirely at ease with, and young Jimmy Presley, who seems likely to make a good Runner himself if he's careful, and Sir Nathaniel Conant, the Chief Magistrate -- are introduced in such a way as to make you look forward to their future interaction. The story does not begin with the beginning of Morton's career, for he makes numerous references to events in his own past, and the author is already at work on the second volume in the series -- which I look forward to reading.

Napoleon is loose on France and Belgium, George III is insane and his son rules as regent, and modern policing is being born. In London, the Bay Street Runners hunt down criminals--and are paid by the catch. It's a perfect setup for corruption. In a London where wealth and squallor live side-by-side, the police are held in contempt by everyone.

Henry Morton is a Bay Street Runner. When his ladyfriend calls on him to inspect a young man who arrives dead at a party, he suspects murder. A local doctor assures everyone that the young man simply drank too much, killing himself. When Morton learns that some of his fellow officers broke up an arranged duel that morning, he begins to suspect that the corruption in Bay Street goes beyond simply taking a few pounds to look the other way.

Author T. F. Banks writes an exciting tale of adventure and humanity. Morton is a well developed character and Banks's characterization of the young prostitute Lucy is charming. Although in retrospect a few of the plot twists were a little stretched, at the time I was reading, I didn't notice--I was too caught up in what was going to happen next.

A very enjoyable book.

I appreciate your 'helpful' vote.

I bought this book due to the recommendations here on Amazon. I had hesitated because I am really fond of Bruce Alexander's Sir John Fielding mysteries and thought it would pale in comparison. I was very pleasantly surprised in that while it is indeed similar to Alexander's series, it actually improves on it in some aspects. I like the protagonist very much as he is a level-headed and fair-minded individual, something rare in that particular era. And I fell in love with Lucy and hope that she will appear in the future books although it might be heard to weave her into any more storylines. This is a great read and looking forward to the second in the series.

I sought out this series on the rebound, as it were -- having completed the Bow Street Runners mysteries of the late Bruce Alexander and seeking a period-mystery replacement. It seemed sensible to take over where the last series left off and pick up this decently-regarded mystery series set among the Runners of a later era, as stockings and tricorn hats give way to Beau Brummell suits among England's fashionable. Unfortunately, my brilliant idea left me comparing the two series and making it hard for me to judge this book for itself.

Taking it on its own merits, what The Thief-Taker offers is a tightly plotted police thriller with a decent mystery thrown in for good measure. The action scenes are well done and the pacing is quick enough that even though the pieces of the mystery are late falling together, you can forgive the delay. The book's a real page-turner, particularly in the last third or so when our hero's chief nemesis is revealed and battle is joined in earnest.

Where the book falls down is characterization. And here, perhaps, I am tainted by unwarranted comparisons to the Alexander series, which featured amiable and realistic characters that ingratiate the reader to the point at which each new book was more a chance to hang out with old friends again than to solve a new mystery. Compared to those characters, and, I think, to most, the protagonist here is more of a wish-fulfillment fantasy: handsome, physically indomitable, incorruptible, brilliant, instinctively loved by the righteous and hated by the evil, and having an affair with the most beautiful and sought-after woman in London. The traditional way to humanize the presentation of this kind of power fantasy is to present the super-character at a remove, through the eyes of a more recognizably human character -- e.g., Sherlock Holmes is generally presented through Watson's eyes; or, in the Bruce Alexander series, the brilliant John Fielding is viewed through the lens of his young protege Jeremy. Here, the focus is directly on the protagonist, and he (and other main characters, like his beautiful mistress/sidekick and a diamond-in-the-rough serving girl) are just too perfect to be approachable in the way I wanted them to be.

Mystery series sometimes take a couple of books to get on their feet, and there's a lot to like about this tidy period action/mystery. I'm likely to get the next book to see if author T.F. Banks develops his characters a bit more in the direction I like. Even if Banks doesn't, I'm sure plenty of readers will enjoy Thief-Taker for what it offers.

T. F. Banks, who is actually two Canadian fantasists named Sean Russell and Ian Dennis, did a very good job recreating a Regency London that might have been. I think, even if I hadn't read the second novel first and learned their identities, that I would have suspected the author wrote sff for a couple of reasons.

First, the ability to bring to life a place that no one now living has ever visited. World building is the term usually used. The touchstone for fiction about the Regency era has been the historical writer Georgette Heyer, but she made infrequent forrays into the seamier side of the Regency world in her novels. Banks while having Morton press his nose up the glass and look wistfully inward at the life style that Heyer described, deals with issues like child prostitution from the Regency viewpoint rather than trying to impose a modern sensibility. His use of Regency cant is effective and not overdone.

Second Henry Morton is a hero in the classical sense. In an effort to mock him another Runner refers to him as Sir Galahad, but it's not far from the truth. However, he does have his human foibles-- for instance, setting himself up as a ha'penny gentleman, a wannabe in modern terms, even employing the discarded valet of a nobleman. Sff is one of the few areas of fiction where heroes remain heroic and rarely fall into whining introspection. (Not that I'm against introspection, it's the whining I dislike.)

Another thing I really like about this book is Morton's mistress. This is one of the few female characters I have run into recently in any genre novel who has her own concerns and pursues them without regard to the hero's sensibilities.

I've deliberately tried to talk about characters and setting because I don't want to give any of the plot away. It is actually two plots that neatly twine together in the end as Morton is hired to kind the killer of a young gentleman and is himself stalked by a ruthless force.

This is not a book to inspire Deep Thoughts but it is a book that is entertaining and well repays reading. (Read the sequel, too!)

After finishing this wonderful mystery set in early
1800's London, I was delighted to see that the author,
T. J. Banks, was at work on his next Bow Street Runner
book. I absolutely love books set in 19th century London and
New York City, e.g. The Dress Lodger, The Alienist, Laurie
King's Sherlock Holmes tales...Beekeeper's Apprentice, etc.
This definitely rates among the best of this genre. I was
fascinated with the language and oftentimes unfamiliar terms
that cropped up throughout. Not only were historical events
and people (Wellington, Bonaparte, Lord Byron) included, but
the plot of this mystery was well thought out and unpredictable.
Henry Morton is a Bow Street Runner - a constable who is
brought into a murder because of his acquaintance with Arabella Malibrant, a beautiful actress of the time. The investigation takes him to the Otter, a flash house (house of ill repute)
that caters to men who enjoy young girls. The eventual
outcome hinges on the testimony of a most unlikely witness.
Banks has managed to capture this period of London's history, including a dark setting, corrupt police, public hangings,
perverse habitues of the Otter, the rich and the famous, and
a story that cries out for another Bow Street Runner tale.
Hurry, please.

Henry Morton is one of the most engaging and well characterized detectives in historical fiction today. A Bow Street Runner at the turn of the 19th century, Morton catches criminals for reward money--a somewhat unsavory profession in this time before Scotland Yard. From the peek behind the stage door as Morton trades repartee with his mistress, to the real-life corruption of Bow Street, to the snapshot of the uglier side of the criminal classes... The Thief Taker is a deftly written historical mystery with a great ending. Highly recommended.

dont need 1000 words to review this great new book,The biggest accolade I can give is to say "Hurry up with number two in the series"(I hope it will turn into a series)From start to finish,this book held me,Mr Banks holds the reader in suspense and I couldn't wait to turn the page,and his style of writing is very pleasing.Thanks for the enjoyment.

I agree with a previous reviewer, this is a good plane read. If you like Anne Perry you will enjoy this book. Henry Morton is very similar to William Monk. However this book didn't quite have the "feeling of the era" like Perry's books do. A good read, but a little short of what I was expecting.