Customer Reviews

Thieves Like Us

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Thieves Like Us is a young adult novel by Stephen Cole. I picked this book up from my local bookstore on a whim, because I thought that it looked like fun. It's the story of five teenagers who have been plucked from dead-end lives to live with a mysterious Englishman named Nathaniel Coldhardt. Each of the teens has been chosen for some extraordinary skill (computer genius, human lie detector, security specialist, etc.), and they work for Coldhardt as high-end thieves and adventurers.

In this novel, which could be the first of a series, Jonah Wish is broken out of jail by the rest of the team, and invited to join them. They value his computer skills, though he is far from certain that a life of crime is what he's really looking for. But he soon bonds with the other kids: Motti the security expert, Con the fighter and mesmerizer, Tye the human lie detector, and Patch, a gifted young thief with one eye.

Coldhardt sends the five teens on a quest involving priceless artifacts and a possible formula for eternal life. They require high-tech skills to break into modern buildings, and more specialized skills to crack an ancient tomb. They fly around Europe and the Middle East, and experience high-speed car chases, fights, kidnappings, and secret supernatural sects. I would think that this book will appeal to fans of the Anthony Horowitz novels and the Young Bond series by Charles Higson.

All in all, this book reminded me of Indiana Jones crossed with Sneakers. It seems tailor made to be a movie (I think that Sean Connery would be wonderful as the enigmatic Coldhardt). But the characterization is more in-depth than you usually come across in fast-paced adventure stories, with flashes of elaborate back-stories for each of the main characters. I think that it will do well as a series.

Stephen Cole works as a freelance editor while writing books for children and young adults. He was born in 1971 and brought up in rural Bedfordshire, England. His previous young adult books include the Wereling series (starting with Wounded).

This book review was originally published on my blog, Jen Robinson's Book Page, on July 9th, 2006.

If you combine Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist in which Oliver starts out a poverty-stricken orphan and is recruited into a cut-throat gang of thieves with the adventure of Raiders of the lost Ark, you've got an idea of what Thieves Like Us is like. Except Coldhardt, the leader of this gang of thieves is a rich scoundrel who shares ten percent of the booty with his gang. There are five teens in his gang of thieves: Patch (missing an eye) who is a locksmith extraordinaire; Con who can mesmerize or hypnotize; Tye who is a pilot and a human lie detector; Motti, the electronics genius; and Jonah, the new recruit whom they break out of prison in the first chapter, a computer hacker with real skills. The mission: Find the key to everlasting life for two very rich opponents out to discover the key before the other does. There are dark-clad assassins, moldy caves to explore in search of treasure, and snakes...why'd there have to be SNAKES??? LOL!

A fun romp that will keep you entertained to the end.

Daughter: I would have given it five stars!

Mother: I had to suspend belief too many times for it to earn five stars, so I compromised and gave it four. But it was a fun read nonetheless. Plus, for a bunch of teens there was a lot of swearing going on.

Daughter: That's how some teens talk...But not me!

Mother: (Laughing) If you say so.

The concept is intriguing--a mysterious benefactor named Coldhardt handpicks four ingenious teens to comprise a highly select group of global thieves. His `children' are loners; they have no family and no lives to go back to. The main character, is plucked from juvenile prison by the rest of the teen team. He is wanted by Coldhardt for his savvy computer hacking skills. The talented trades of the other teens include flying jets, having the ability to spot a liar, speaking many languages, being able to sweetly con people, picking sophisticated locks and expertly getting around electronic security systems. Perhaps this will make a dynamite screenplay, with 007 espionage and issues of questionable trust and double dealing. The storyline involves racing to find the elixir to eternal life, purported to have been found in antiquity, before `the other bad guys' find it. It's a story that interestingly enough wants to be read but there's not a lot of depth outside the plot's activity, and this ho-hum character environment creates a less than zippy reading. The banter between the teens is typical, and they're really a nice bunch of kids. There's no foul language, insinuation or less than moral circumstances or attitudes in any characters, just your normal teen angst. Voted to be a good summer read.

this was really great. a lot of people said that the writing wasn't good or the character development was shaky, but i have to disagree. the writing, though not the most detailed in the world, was nice and flowed well most of the time. the dialogue was excellent and believable, the best i've seen in a while. i just have some problems with the unnecessary elements of the story. it seems kind of gimmicky in some parts when the author describes the bundles of riches the kids have in the mansions. but other than that, the book is fabulous. :)

Jonah is a teen computer hacker - and the latest addition to a growing group of teen outlaws hired by one Nathaniel Coldhardt. Each teen has a unique talent - and each is sent to an exotic location where they hunt for priceless ancient artifacts using their special skills - which will lead either to the secret of eternal life, or face to face with another, more deadly hunter. Tension, action and semi-science fiction blend in a satisfyingly gripping story that older teens will enjoy.

To be fair, I have to admit that I only got halfway through this book. The premise is rather interesting. A man who is searching for hidden treasures gathers a gang of teens, each of whom is skilled in something -- locks, cars, computer hacking, lie detection -- and then keeps them in luxury until he is ready to send them on a mission to acquire another precious object.

I just got tired of the story, and found I didn't care whether any of these characters ever succeeded or not. On further reflection, I see that much of the burden of making me care about these people rests on the author, and he certainly did not succeed in his authorial responsibilities.

This was an excellent book with well developed characters and a wonderful plot. The main character Jonah is a computer hacker who is in jail at the start of the book. He is rescued by a motley group of thieves working for the mysterious Nathaniel Coldhardt. Motti, the oldest, can dismantle any electronic system. Con can bring anyone under her spell, Tye can detect any lie and Patch can pick any lock. This book is worth every penny.

This was another great book by stephen cole.
He is such a fantastic writer. I reccomend this to you coz this is worth reading!!!