Tony Hillerman: The Leaphorn & Chee Novels: Skinwalkers, A Thief of Time, Coyote Waits

Tony Hillerman: The Leaphorn & Chee Novels: Skinwalkers, A Thief of Time, Coyote Waits
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Hillerman mysteries

Tony Hillerman: The Leaphorn & Chee Novels: Skinwalkers, A Thief of Time, Coyote Waits
Tony Hillerman
Manufacturer: HarperCollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0060753382
Release Date: 2005-05-03

Book Description

Three of New York Times bestselling author Tony Hillerman's most popular novels are together for the first time in one volume.

Tony Hillerman is one of the most revered and honored mystery writers published today. This stunning collection includes the critically acclaimed novels Skinwalkers, A Thief of Time, and Coyote Waits, all of which have been adapted for PBS by producer Robert Redford. This is a must-have anthology from one of the great masters of suspense.

In Skinwalkers, three shotgun blasts explode into the trailer of Officer Jim Chee of the Navajo Tribal Police. Chee survives to join partner Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn in a frightening investigation that takes them into a dark world of ritual, witchcraft, and blood -- all tied to the elusive and evil "skinwalker." In A Thief of Time, a noted anthropologist vanishes at a moonlit Indian ruin where "thieves of time" ravage sacred ground for profit. When two corpses appear amid stolen goods and bones at an ancient burial site, Leaphorn and Chee must plunge into the past to unearth the astonishing truth behind a mystifying series of horrific murders.

And in Coyote Waits, it wasn't the car fire that killed Navajo Tribal Policeman Delbert Nez -- a bullet did. Officer Jim Chee's good friend Del lies dead, and a whiskey-soaked Navajo shaman is found with the murder weapon. The old man is Ashie Pinto. He's quickly arrested for homicide and defended by a woman Chee could either love or loathe. But Pinto won't utter a word of confession or denial. Leaphorn and Chee must unravel a complex plot involving a historical find, a lost fortune, and the mythical Coyote, who is always waiting, and always hungry.

Customer Reviews:

Hillerman mysteries.......2007-01-10

As always, Hillerman mysteries are great reads and give an opportunity to learn about the culture of the Southwest. Thief of Time is one of my all time favorites, but I never miss a chance to read anything by Tony Hillerman

A Thief of Time (Joe Leaphorn/Jim Chee Novels)

Average customer rating:

PERFECT
Great work as usual.
One of Hillerman's best
Interesting and educational
Good Process; Weak Story

A Thief of Time (Joe Leaphorn/Jim Chee Novels)
Tony Hillerman
Manufacturer: HarperTorch
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

General | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

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Skinwalkers (Joe Leaphorn/Jim Chee Novels)
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The Ghostway

ASIN: 0061000043

Book Description

A noted anthropologist vanishes at a moonlit Indian ruin where "thieves of time" ravage sacred ground for profit. When two corpses appear amid stolen goods and bones at an ancient burial site, Navajo Tribal Policemen Lt. Joe Leaphorn and Officer Jim Chee must plunge into the past to unearth the astonishing truth behind a mystifying series of horrific murders.

Customer Reviews:

PERFECT.......2007-03-15

Everything was as promised. Got it VERY fast. Good service. Will do business with again.

Great work as usual........2007-01-05

Tony Hillerman paints a real picture. This book is a very good one.

One of Hillerman's best.......2006-10-31

'A Thief of Time' was Hillerman's 'breakout' book and led to numerous awards, although by the time the book was first printed in 1988 Hillerman had been writing his Leaphorn and Chee Navajo adventure mystery novels for some 18 years.

This tale takes Leaphorn and Chee into the field work of anthropology and archaeology, as well as the shadowy world of 'pot' collectors. The desire to make a breakthrough and the wide availability of off-limits ruins can be too much for some experts to resist.

Hillerman's stories are just a very comfortable read. An interesting mix of history and Indian culture with a good msytery and a bit of adventure. Some of Hillerman's other award-winning books are 'Skinwalkers'(1986) winner of the Western Writers of America Spur Award, 'Dance Hall of the Dead' (1973) winner of the Edgar Award for the Best Mystery Novel of the West, and 'The Blessing Way' (1970)a finalist for the Best First Novel Edgar Award.

Highly recommended for fans of mystery, adventure, and Westerns.

Interesting and educational.......2006-07-04

The plot had interesting twists and turns. It was a little hard to follow. I liked learning about Navajo culture and the local conditions. The characters were very human.

Good Process; Weak Story.......2006-07-01

In "A Thief of Time", Tony Hillerman describes the Desert Southwest, especially the landscapes of the Colorado Plateau, marvelously. His two Navajo detectives are defined very well; Hillerman makes sure that the two men are not stereotypes of each other, but have separate ambitions, challenges, beliefs, and experience. They are not drawn to each other because they happen to be Navajo, but because the cases they are each working on just happen to coincide. And just because they are Navajo, they don't automatically take up each other's cause, but are drawn into the mystery for different reasons. I found this to be very authentic and very refreshing, as I also found the way Hillerman describes their processes for solving crimes, with a lot of shoe leather and inductive reasoning.

But these two strong characters could not compensate for the weakness in the rest of the characters, for a crime that is underdeveloped, and for an ending that is anticlimactic. Hillerman explores many issues that are pertinent to the Desert Southwest and to Native culture, but he doesn't set these issues into context well enough to fully educate the reader or provide an emotional conclusion.

Tony Hillerman: The Leaphorn and Chee Audio Trilogy: Skinwalkers, A Thief of Time & Coyote Waits CD (Joe Leaphorn/Jim Chee Novels)

Average customer rating:

love these novels
Fun to read, fun to listen

Tony Hillerman: The Leaphorn and Chee Audio Trilogy: Skinwalkers, A Thief of Time & Coyote Waits CD (Joe Leaphorn/Jim Chee Novels)

Manufacturer: HarperAudio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

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The First Eagle CD Low Price (Joe Leaphorn/Jim Chee Novels)

ASIN: 0060792817
Release Date: 2005-05-03

Book Description

Three of New York Times bestselling author Tony Hillerman's most popular novels -- a must-have anthology from one of the great masters of suspense.

Audio includes:

Skinwalkers: Three shotgun blasts explode into the trailer of Officer Jim Chee of the Navajo Tribal Police. Chee survives to join partner Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn in a frightening investigation that takes them into a dark world of ritual, witchcraft, and blood -- all tied to the elusive and evil "skinwalker."

A Thief of Time: A noted anthropologist vanishes at a moonlit Indian ruin where "thieves of time" ravage sacred ground for profit. When two corpses appear amid stolen goods and bones at an ancient burial site, Leaphorn and Chee must plunge into the past to unearth the astonishing truth behind a mystifying series of horrific murders.

Coyote Waits: It wasn't the car fire that killed Navajo Tribal Policeman Delbert Nez. A bullet did. Ashie Pinto is quickly arrested for homicide, but Pinto won't utter a word of confession or denial. Leaphorn and Chee must unravel a complex plot involving an historical find, a lost fortune ... and the mythical Coyote, who is always waiting, and always hungry.

Also includes selections from Tony Hillerman's autobiography, Seldom Disappointed.

Enhanced CD: CD features an interactive program which can be viewed on your computer, including: a photo galary, an author Q&A and a 35 years of excellence timeline.

Customer Reviews:

love these novels.......2007-05-13

I love the Chee Leaphorn novels just wonder where leaphorn retired and what was the first Leaphorn/ Chee novel

Fun to read, fun to listen.......2007-02-07

I have read and liked all of the Hillerman books. Its great to pick up the CDs and load them up on my IPod and enjoy them one more time. Great for the commute or walks.

Average customer rating:

If you're a Susan fan
Great potential, but seemed to wind down half way through
skip the audio version
A Bad Place to Start?
Seemed to drag a bit for me

Thief of Time
Terry Pratchett
Manufacturer: HarperTorch
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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The Fifth Elephant: A Novel of Discworld

ASIN: 0061031321
Release Date: 2002-04-30

Amazon.com

If you were helpless with laughter over Shanghai Noon, enjoy satirical British humor and terrible puns, or just need your Pratchett fix, grab this book. Unfamiliar with Terry Pratchett and his Discworld series? It's time to discover one of the funniest, most literate, and most thought-provoking authors writing today.

The Monks of History live in a Tibetan sort of area known as "enlightenment country." Their job: "to see that tomorrow happens at all." A mysterious Lady wants time-obsessed Jeremy Clockson to build a totally accurate glass clock. It will trap time and stop it, eliminating humanity's irritating unpredictability. This would make the Auditors, who observe the universe and enforce the rules governing it, very happy. It would also put Death out of a job, which the Grim Reaper isn't happy about. Fortunately, the History Monks have encountered this situation before; in fact, Lu Tze, the Sweeper, has personally dealt with it before. Even better, he has a new, gifted apprentice, Lobsang Ludd, the "thief of time." This time, they'll stop trouble before it can start! To add chaos to the mix, there's the Fifth Horseman of the Apocalypse--the one who quit before they became famous.

Although there are 25 other Discworld novels and many of the characters appeared first in previous books, you don't need to have read even one to enjoy The Thief of Time. (If you're the sort of reader who hates to miss any references, you might want to track down a copy of The Discworld Companion.) As a bonus, this book is a painless introduction to what quantum physics says about the nature of time. --Nona Vero

Book Description

Everybody wants more time, which is why on Discworld only the experts can manage it -- the venerable Monks of History who store it and pump it from where it's wasted, like underwater (how much time does a codfish really need?), to places like cities, where busy denizens lament, "Oh where does the time go?"

While everyone always talks about slowing down, one young horologist is about to do the unthinkable. He's going to stop. Well, stop time that is, by building the world's first truly accurate clock. Which means esteemed History Monk Lu-Tze and his apprentice Lobsang Ludd have to put on some speed to stop the timepiece before it starts. For if the Perfect Clock starts ticking, Time -- as we know it -- will end. And then the trouble will really begin...

Customer Reviews:

If you're a Susan fan.......2007-10-02

This is a great book with Susan as the main (on-going) character.

Very entertaining, and as always with Pratchett an easy and funny read.

Great potential, but seemed to wind down half way through.......2007-09-22

Much as I love Pratchett, this one was probably the weakest Discworld book of his I've read so far. The first half was great, wittily interweaving three seemingly separate subplots. When they merged half way through, though, something just didn't click together correctly. Sadly, the book never regained its earlier momentum.

On the bright side, parts of it throughout are genuinely funny -- we expect no less from Pratchett -- and he has a few interesting insights into the nature of time and what it is to be human.

Unfortunately, the climax of this book seems to occur half way through it, and then becomes an overly extended sequence that takes up another quarter or so of the book. Several parts of this seemed awkwardly written and/or structured, enough I had to reread a few paragraphs to make sure I hadn't brain-blipped and missed something. That's not normally the case with Pratchett, so I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and chalk it up to both him having a bad day as a writer and me as a reader.

One other thing disapointed me: I've always thought that one of the strengths of the series is the vast cast of well-developed characters, yet they are conspicuously absent. There are cameos by Nanny Ogg, Quothe, and Death of Rats, but that's about it. I kept hoping some of the others (the Librarian, Nobby, Vetinari, etc) would show up for at least a "walk on" but no luck.

If you're a fan of Discworld, I suspect this book will be a let-down. At the very least, keep your expectations reasonable, knowing he's done a lot better.

skip the audio version.......2007-05-17

This is Terry Pratchett in his usual wonderful style, full of humor but also thought. However, the audio book ruins the character of Susan. It takes a brisk, self-confident partly immortal schoolteacher and turns her into a sentimental, even sappy, voice. Too bad, because the other voices are quite good (it's a cast of readers rather than just one).

A Bad Place to Start?.......2007-05-06

Several stories come together in this novel. Jeremy Clockson, an orphan taken in by the clockmaker's guild, is exceptionally talented at his trade. He has something of a genius for clockmaking, which is why he has been hired to construct a glass clock that will be the only device ever to measure time perfectly. Well, except for the other glass clock that came very close to destroying the world and was almost completely written out of history.

Death, personified, knows what is happening and puts his somewhat-immortal granddaughter Susan on the case. She is to track down and fix the problem, while Death tries to round up the other Apocalyptic Horsemen to ride out if the end of the world can't be avoided, as is their tradition.

The famous philosopher and sort-of History Monk, Lu-Tze, has taken on an apprentice, Lobsang Ludd. The apprentice has a better grasp of time than anyone Lu-Tze has ever met; he is able to balance it and split it better than experts in the field. When Lu-Tze also becomes aware of the construction of the glass clock, he takes Ludd with him to try to stop it before it's too late.

This was the first book I've read by Pratchett. I was led to believe it was a good stand-alone volume and one I could enjoy if I couldn't get my hands on his first book. However, I found it difficult. First of all, I came to the book with none of the Discworld backstory I should have had, which made it hard for me to grasp some of the details of how this universe was put together. Second, I felt as if the book had a sort of smugness that I couldn't understand, like there were lots of jokes I didn't quite get. The ones I did get, though, didn't seem as funny as the author seemed to expect. One example is the names of the martial arts practiced by the monks, which include "Okidoki" and "Upsidazi." Details like this were just a bit too cutesy for my taste.

Half of the story grabbed my attention. I really liked Death, the Death of Rats, and Susan. However, I found the other characters mostly tedious and the story itself alternately confusing and bland.

Seemed to drag a bit for me.......2007-01-15

Stopped halfway. Just didn't work for me - seemed a bit shallow / dragging.

The Napoleon of Crime: The Life and Times of Adam Worth, Master Thief

Average customer rating:

Not for fans of Confessions of A Jewel Thief
Terribly disappointing
Misleading Title
Elementary, Dear Adam
Missed his Target

The Napoleon of Crime: The Life and Times of Adam Worth, Master Thief
Ben MacIntyre
Manufacturer: Farrar Straus & Giroux (T)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0374218994

Amazon.com

Arthur Conan Doyle fictionalized him as the superhuman Professor Moriarty, and the popular press luridly chronicled his daring heists, though the police never managed to convict him of anything major until he was nearly 50. Forgotten since his 19th-century heyday, master thief Adam Worth (1844-1902) gets a contemporary dusting-off in this cheerfully cynical biography by a British journalist, who sees Worth's story as a case study in Victorian hypocrisy. The colorful New York and London underworlds are as meticulously described as Worth's surprisingly attractive personality.

Book Description

He is the Napoleon of crime, Watson.
He is the organizer of half that is evil and of nearly all that is undetected in this great city.
He is a genius, a philosopher, an abstract thinker. . . .
--Sherlock Holmes on Professor Moriarty in "The Final Problem"

The Victorian era's most infamous thief, Adam Worth was the original Napoleon of crime.  Suave, cunning Worth learned early that the best way to succeed was to steal.  And steal he did.

Following a strict code of honor, Worth won the respect of Victorian society.  He also aroused its fear by becoming a chilling phantom, mingling undetected with the upper classes, whose valuables he brazenly stole.  His most celebrated heist: Gainsborough's grand portrait of the Duchess of Devonshire--ancestor of Diana, Princess of Wales--a painting Worth adored and often slept with for twenty years.

With a brilliant gang that included "Piano" Charley, a jewel thief, train robber, and playboy, and "the Scratch" Becker, master forger, Worth secretly ran operations from New York to London, Paris, and South Africa--until betrayal and a Pinkerton man finally brought him down.

In a decadent age, Worth was an icon.  His biography is a grand, dazzling tour into the gaslit underworld of the last century.  .  .  and into the doomed genius of a criminal mastermind.

Customer Reviews:

Not for fans of Confessions of A Jewel Thief.......2005-09-30

I picked this book up because it is heavily promoted by Amazon with Confessions of a Jewel Thief, Bill Mason's larger than life book about being a burglar. These books have nearly nothing in common other than fitting into the true crime genre. Macintyre misses the mark by getting bogged down in details and random facts (his research is impressive, yes) and forgetting to spin a compelling tale. There is too much material here with no cohesive narrative. Many other readers have hit it in the head by identifying the failings of Mason to focus solely on the topic of Worth and his exploits.

Terribly disappointing.......2005-08-04

If you meander through all these reviews, checking the lower-rated ones, you will get a fairly accurate view of this book. I have read hundreds of true crime books, and this ranks near the bottom. It is a fascinating topic. Or should be. But in the hands of this author, it is a tedious, irritating, blather. Let me explain.

Two of my favorite reads in the past few years make interesting comparisons. Big Trouble by J. Anthony Lukas was one of the most fascinating books I've ever read. Lukas wandered far and wide, reeling in everything and everyone, and in doing so, built a portrait of a time and place that was riveting. Every detail was useful, every speculation added value. Some of the reviewers found the rambles bothersome; I have rarely finished such a big book wishing it were even longer, but Big Trouble left me wanting more.

A similar book was Dark Horse by Kenneth Ackerman. Extraneous details were seamlessly woven into the tale, making the world come alive and the characters multi-dimensional. I could almost hear the creak of boots and smell the cigar smoke. Skilled writing and skilled choosing.

But this book ambles pointlessly, dragging in details that are neither of interest in themselves nor add to the tale being told. Long excursions into the lives of everyone who wanders into the main tale, endless condescending sermonizing about Victorian moralizing and double-standards, repetitive and irritating discursions into the "double" which the author seems to think the Victorians invented, and the most silly and irritating speculation sink this tale. Which is amazing, for the story of Adam Worth in the hands of the most plodding storyteller should be gripping. The man was a doer of great evil (which Macintyre blows off rather casually; Adam Worth left a wake of broken businesses, crushed dreams, falsely accused victims, and bankrupted people, but because he shot no one, and was "elegant" it seems OK.) He committed some astonishingly brave and brazen crimes. But there just isn't enough there that we can know, so invented details that grow wearying are heaped on.

At one point, Macintyre compares Worth to Captain Nemo. Now, this is a weak comparison on its own grounds, but then we get something about "no one knows if Worth read the book, but if he did, he would certainly see himself there." Now there's a pointless speculation. One of the common tactics of authors trying to puff up a lesser talent is to compare their achievements in some irrelevant way. "As Shakespeare did, So-and-so lived in Stratford," thereby gratuitously tying a grade z author and an acknowledged master. At gerat length the author "compares and contrasts" Worth and J.P. Morgan, in a stupendously overblown manner. Over and over we are told how Worth would have enjoyed this quip by Wilde. Give us a break, pal. The guy was a crook, a scuzz, a humbug, and a thug who hurt many, many people, much like Melmotte in Trollope's novel, The Way We Live Now (another book we don't know if Worth read.)

Misleading Title.......2005-03-16

I agree with the reviewers saying this book missed its target. It seems like MacIntyre couldn't find sufficient material for a book about Adam Worth, but went ahead and wrote it anyway. My guess is that there's plenty of information about "The Duchess of Devonshire," and so MacIntyre used that to pad out his manuscript. Worth pulled off plenty of other capers, and I'd like to read about those. What I don't want to read is the author's unsubstantiated speculation about Worth's psyche.

If you're interested in the provenance of the "Duchess," this book might be an interesting read. Otherwise, I'd recommend Asbury's "Gangs of New York." Two of Worth's contemporaries and sometime associates also wrote books which might be worth tracking down. These were Sophie Lyons and William Pinkerton.

Elementary, Dear Adam.......2005-03-14

This book provides a fascinating portrait of one of the last of the gentleman criminals. In fact, Adam Worth wanted to be known solely as a gentleman rather than as a notorious criminal. The crimes were simply his way of gaining power and prestige in a Victorian world where he could never gain this position without buying it. And buy it he did by perpetrating almost every crime imaginable. An honorable thief who was fiercly loyal to his henchmen, Worth was devilishly clever, many times carrying out operations right out in the open without being caught. No wonder Doyle tapped him for Sherlock Holmes' arch-rival and Elliot immortalized him as Macavity, the Mystery Cat. Not bad for a guy who officially "died" in the Civil War at the 2nd Battle of Bull Run (reports of his death were greatly exaggerated--and he used his deceased status for financial gain, thus beginning his very lucrative criminal career).
Much of the book is taken up with his most famous crime, the stealing the "Duchess of Devonshire" by Gainsborough mere weeks after it was sold at the highest price ever paid for a painting up to that time. For a crime that was almost done on a whim, it is the one for which he is most well known and for which he was never caught (he returned the painting 25 years later anonymously).
Two very nice sub-themes run throughout the book. First was his undying love for his best friend's wife, Kitty Flynn. Flynn went on from humble beginnings (and after dropping he thieving hubby) to become a true Victorian lady of note, but Worth never dropped the torch he held for her (he was probably the father of two of her children).
The second was his friendship with William Pinkerton later in life. Born of mutual respect for each other throughout their careers as antagonists, Pinkerton not only did not volunteer evidence that could have condemned Worth to life in prison after he was caught and exposed, but also brokered the return of the Duchess while keeping Worth anonymous. Pinkerton mourned Worth when he died and kept a promise to watch out for his children by bringing his son into the detective agency, an ironic legacy for the Napoleon of Crime.
Fascinating stuff. Truly stranger than fiction.

Missed his Target.......2005-01-18

I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, the subject matter is guaranteed to fascinate. Adam Worth was a truly bizarre and unique character who knew and was related to several famous people. The book is also very well-written.

My complaint is that the author often seems not really very interested in his subject, Adam Worth. Large sections of the book--including the beggining and the end--are not about Adam Worth at all. The author seems obsessed with the Gainsborough painting, The Duchess of Devonshire. Admittedly, stealing this painting was perhaps Worth's most famous crime and would certainly have rated a chapter. However, Macintyre drones on and on and on about the painter, the history of the painting, the many people who have owned the painting, wholly unsupported psychological assertions about the painting's affect on Worth. He devotes an entire chapter just to J.P. Morgan, who Worth never met nor stole from. Morgan rates a chapter simply because he was the last owner of the Gainsborough.

This is a basically good book that is fatally flawed by the author's tendency to obsess about what is a peripherial issue. Too bad. If you are an art historian I can recommend this book whole-heartedly. If you are interested in a biography of Adam Worth, I recommend the book only with reservations.

Average customer rating:

An entertaining foray through the years, told with style and wit
fascinating historical fantasy
Unique Points of View
Brilliant!

The Thief of Time
John Boyne
Manufacturer: Thomas Dunne Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Crippen: A Novel of Murder
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Ancora

ASIN: 0312354800
Release Date: 2007-03-06

Book Description

John Boyne has become internationally known for his acclaimed novels Crippen and the bestselling The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. Now, for the first time in the United States, comes the book that started the career of the author that the Irish Examiner calls “one of the best and original of the new generation of Irish writers."

It is 1758 and Matthieu Zela is fleeing Paris after witnessing the murder of his mother and his stepfather's execution. Matthieu's life is characterized by one extraordinary fact: before the eighteenth century ends, he discovers that his body has stopped ageing. At the end of the twentieth century and the ripe old age of 256 he is suddenly forced to answer an uncomfortable question: what is the worth of immortality without love?

In this carefully crafted novel, John Boyne juxtaposes history and the buzz of the modern world, weaving together portraits of 1920s Hollywood, the Great Exhibition of 1851, the French Revolution, the Wall Street Crash, and other landmark events into one man's story of murder, love, and redemption.

Customer Reviews:

An entertaining foray through the years, told with style and wit.......2007-05-30

Frenchman Matthieu Zéla may be the only 256-year-old television executive in London. He has been gifted with extraordinary long life minus the nuisance of actually aging, but this supposed blessing comes with a price: Matthieu must bear witness to the destruction of a long line of nephews and grand-nephews, who all die young and violent deaths and are named some variation of Thomas.

THE THIEF OF TIME by John Boyne (author of the recent bestseller THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS and the acclaimed novel CRIPPEN) begins in the French revolution during Matthieu's natural lifespan. After his mother's murder at the hands of his stepfather, Matthieu leaves France for England, his young stepbrother Thomas --- the first of the doomed Thomases --- in tow. The boys soon meet Dominique, another French citizen fleeing Paris. They join forces, finding work as domestics in an English village, and Dominique becomes Matthieu's first love. Their story is told intermittently between Matthieu's adventures over the last 200 years to bring us up to 1990.

Matthieu is a Zelig figure, planning the first Olympics, partying with Charlie Chaplin and watching his first career in television fall victim to McCarthyism. After a dozen or so wives and nearly as many career changes, Matthieu is a TV executive worried over the current Thomas, Tommy DuMarqué, a soap opera star with dangerous habits. One of Tommy's girlfriends is expecting a child; in Matthieu's experience, as soon as a Thomas has ensured the continuance of the line, his luck runs out and tragedy strikes.

It's beginning to get to Matthieu --- all these young men dead while he remains perfectly preserved in his early 50s, almost as if the years his young relatives gave up were transferred to him. He is curiously blasé about his protracted life, expressing very little curiosity concerning how or why he's reached his miraculous age. But he wonders what would happen if, instead of passively standing by as Tommy tries to destroy himself, he tried to save Tommy.

Matthieu spares no effort. After a sensational drug overdose destroys the actor's career, Matthieu gets him a job and arranges drug treatment, ensuring that Tommy DuMarqué is the first of his charges to live to see the birth of their child.

As long as the reader does not ask too many questions --- such as why Matthieu is "the thief of time" when he has no control over his own years and isn't really stealing anything --- this is an entertaining foray through the years, told with style and wit.

--- Reviewed by Colleen Quinn

fascinating historical fantasy .......2007-03-11

In 1999, Matthieu Zela turned two hundred and fifty six years old though anyone seeing him would guess he is in his late forties. Matthieu has never understood why he simply stopped aging back in the late eighteenth century, but he has outlived nine generations of descendents of his late younger half-brother Tomas. That is not saying much since they all died in their twenties after siring a male offspring due to either insanity or events out of their control.

Currently he resides in London where he earns a nice living as a satellite TV businessman. He worries about his nephew of the moment Tommy, a soap opera star, because he expects the lad to die soon especially since the youngster is out of control with a nasty heroin habit that makes him this generation's dolt. However, Matthieu vows not this time will his nephew pass on..

This is a fascinating historical fantasy that is fun to follow though the TIME THIEF never decides between a gallop through major Western historical events of the last two and a half centuries like the French Revolution, etc or a current thriller to save the life of the nephew. Matthieu is an absorbing protagonist with his employment over the years being similar but modified to the era while he grieves his losses. However, one strike is that the audience never knows why he is immortal. Still overall this is a fine rapid dash through history.

Harriet Klausner

Unique Points of View.......2006-02-17

"And I am not one of these long-living fictional characters who prays for death as a release from the captivity of eternal life; not for me the endless whining and wailing of the undead."

With these words, written on the first few pages of his novel "The Thief of Time," John Boyne pretty much sold me on the central idea of the book: a man who is over 250 years old but looks like a man in his late 40's or early 50's, and who has looked essentially the same for about 200 years.

Matthieu Zela, the long-lived main character, has lived a long time and seen much change in his life. I found the perspective he had on his apparent immortality quite refreshing -- he does not question it and he does not curse it. He simply accepts it as part of his life and lives...really lives. In his time he experiences the French Revolution, the Great Exhibition, the Great Depression, the rise of Hollywood, war, marriage, love, and death. So much death, all around him...but not for him.

The strength of the book comes from its ability to capture uniquely all the different time periods experienced and convince us that they are all seen through the eyes of this one singular character. Bouncing back and forth to different places in the past to modern day and back to the past again, Boyne tells several stories in parallel, and we slowly come to learn about the central events in Matthieu's life that changed him most dramatically, including the loss of the first true love he would ever know. Each thread of story is skillfully handled, coming together at last in a satisfying ending that explains only just enough, and still leaves much up to the imagination of the reader.

"The Thief of Time" is ambitious in its way, depending on the fact that the reader will be interested enough in the story to not question too much the whys and wherefores of it -- that they, as Matthieu himself does, will simply accept it as presented and enjoy it for what it is...an entertaining tale of a life, skillfully told. If there is a lesson to be learned from this book, it is that not everything has to be fully understood to be appreciated. Some experiences are enough in themselves. This book is one of them.

Brilliant!.......2002-11-20

Immagine living to see your 250th birthday!
For those who enjoy either historical, time travel, litterary, coming of age or even light romance( light enough for us guys-that is) novels, this one's for you.
Beatifully written.
Expertly plotted.
Crisply paced.
Above all entertaining yet infomative.
...And the best last phrase I've read in a novel in years.
Kudos to the author. I look forward to his next tale.

Four By Hillerman, a Thief of Time, People of Darkness, Skinwalkers, and Dance Hall of the Dead.

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Four By Hillerman, a Thief of Time, People of Darkness, Skinwalkers, and Dance Hall of the Dead.

Manufacturer: Harper Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000CBHULO

Product Description

Four paperback books are in a Slip Case.

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Steal some time for Pratchett

Thief of Time
Terry Pratchett
Manufacturer: Doubleday
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

Book Description

The twenty-sixth Discworld novel from Britain’s funniest and bestselling novelist.

Time is a resource. Everyone knows it has to be managed.

And on Discworld that is the job of the Monks of History, who store it and pump it from the places where it’s wasted (like underwater – how much time does a codfish need?) to places like cities, where there’s never enough time.

But the construction of the world’s first truly accurate clock starts a race against, well, time for Lu Tze and his apprentice Lobsang Ludd. Because it will stop time. And that will only be the start of everyone’s problems.

Thief of Time comes complete with a full supporting cast of heroes and villains, yetis, martial artists and Ronnie, the fifth horseman of the Apocalypse (who left before they became famous).

Customer Reviews:

Steal some time for Pratchett.......2007-05-24

When young, orphaned Lobsang Ludd of the Time Monks is apprenticed to the monastery's little bald wrinkly smiling sweeper he is at first disappointed. Then he learns who Lu-Tze really is: a sweeper, yes; but also a renowned patcher-upper of time.

Time has already been stopped once in the Universe, which had the effect of shattering history into millions of detached fragments. Only Lu-Tze and the Time Monks were able to patch the pieces back together again.

Now someone else is once again building the perfect clock that will stop Time for good. This time the Universe will be destroyed if he is not caught. Unfortunately no one, not even Death seems to know where to find the clock-builder.

Death calls on his fellow riders, War, Pestilence, and Famine to get ready for the Ride at the End of Time, and delegates the task of finding the clock maker to his daughter, Susan.

Meanwhile Lu-Tze and his apprentice, Lobsang are also on the trail of the man who would stop the Universe.

Will they find him in time? Or out of time?

"Thief of Time" is crammed with word-play, sly shards of philosophy (see Rule #1), and countless subplots (there is a Fifth Horseman of the Apocalypse named Ronnie, who runs a dairy in his spare time). It's like reading a land mine. I'll usually be a couple of sentences beyond the point where something blew up in my face, before I mutter, "what the hell happened?"

For example, "it never rains but it pours."

A jug.

Steal some time for Pratchett. This book is one of his best.

Leaphorn & Chee: Three Classic Mysteries Featuring Lt. Joe Leaphorn and Officer Jim Chee : Skinwalkers/a Thief of Time/Talking God

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Leaphorn & Chee: Three Classic Mysteries Featuring Lt. Joe Leaphorn and Officer Jim Chee : Skinwalkers/a Thief of Time/Talking God
Tony Hillerman
Manufacturer: Harpercollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Tony Hillerman : Three Jim Chee Mysteries ( People of Darkness / The Dark Wind / The Ghostway )
The Sinister Pig
The Joe Leaphorn Mysteries: The Blessing Way/Dance Hall of the Dead/Listening Woman
The Joe Leaphorn Mysteries: Three Classic Hillerman Mysteries Featuring Lt. Joe Leaphorn: The Blessing Way/Dance Hall of the Dead/Listening Woman
Sacred Clowns (Joe Leaphorn/Jim Chee Novels)

ASIN: 0060169095

The Sun Always Shines for the Cool: A Midnight Moon at the Greasy Spoon ; Eulogy for a Small Time Thief

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Life is a one act play

The Sun Always Shines for the Cool: A Midnight Moon at the Greasy Spoon ; Eulogy for a Small Time Thief
Miguel Pinero
Manufacturer: Arte Publico Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

United States | Drama | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Drama | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0934770255

Book Description

A collection of three plays by the master playwright Piñero. "Cool is every bit as powerful, as supercharged with emotion, and as true to life as Short Eyes, only this time, the ex-cons are on the street shucking, jiving and plying their trade" (WRC-TV (NBC)).

Customer Reviews:

Life is a one act play.......2000-07-06

Take a trip with Miguel. Visit the bars of the Lower East Side. Visit the junkies, pimps, prostitutes, and the wannabees. Come on, take this trip and see the world of New York as Miguel saw it. Sit back and watch the dramas of everyday life of the weary unfold. Feel what it's like your first day out of prison. See the tough meet someone tougher. Don't pack any bags. Come as you are. Anything you might need will be provided to you, free of charge. Don't be surprised if you want to leave quickly, or stay longer than you intended. Miguel, the junkie christ, has a habit of doing that to people.

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