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A World of Thieves : A Novel

A World of Thieves : A Novel

List Price: $12.95
Your Price: $9.71
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Pales
Review: After the death of his parents, a young, naive Sonny LaSalle gives up his education and career potential to follow his uncles' life of armed robbery and ensuing violence. When a bank robbery goes awry, Sonny is sent to prison. Though he gets a second chance, he never considers a lawful existence. He embraces his uncles' criminal code of conduct without question. He attaches himself to an abused woman he meets by chance. Though a likable character, Sonny achieves his limited emotional fulfillment from sexuality and violence.

This is a well written novel, reminiscent of Bonnie & Clyde. It is a study in loyalty and morality (or lack thereof) in the wilds of Texas and Louisiana in the late 1920s. It was a solid read, albeit one that was at times a bit depressing. Blake doesn't celebrate the violence - he reports it in writing that is crisp and spare, and develops characters that live on, long after the book is closed.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Sadly, this one disappoints
Review: I'm a big James Carlos Blake fan and it is painful to have to give A World of Thieves a mixed review. If this book had been written by another author and I had not read Red Grass River, I certainly would be singing the praises of this book. However, I know that Blake can do much better and really all he has done with this book is rewrite Red Grass River, moving the setting from the Everglades to Angola Prison in Louisianna and West Texas.

If you are new to Blake, do yourself a favor and read Red Grass River or In the Rogue Blood and wait until this one comes out in paperback. I think Blake does a tremendous job in recreating the underbelly of past American eras. His characters tend to be people living on the edge, pushed to violence by the forces of society. Rugged individualists. People who will kill savagely without missing a beat. But also people who have a tender heart towards their families and even complete strangers. One minute the protagonist is holding up a mom and pop grocery--the next he is helping an old man change a tire along the side of a hot dusty Texas highway.

There are no easy answers or platitudes in Blake's books. Violence usually begets violence. And if you need happy, conventional endings, look elsewhere. But if you like to turn over a rock and see what's crawling underneath, then I can highly recommend Blake's work.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A swashbuckler set in the late '20's
Review: Instead of horses, they use cars and instead of swords, they have guns, but this picaresque novel harkens back to the swashbucklers of the past. It is a tale of a young man, his twin uncles and their life as armed robbers in the southwest of the 1920's.

All of the characters are interesting: the youthful protagonist Sonny with worldliness that belies his years and whose "nature" makes him an armed robber; the twins Russell and Buck who served honorably in the Great War, but chose robbery for the thrills (and the money); the women, whores, molls and accomplices; the "professional" criminals; and the implacable, violent pursuer. Some of these are stock characters, the criminals are all rather likeable and the prison guards sadistic, but the author handles then with a deftness that is never dull. The book is full of period touches and is probably an accurate picture of the time and place.

The only shame is that the heroes are criminals whose activities cost innocent people their lives. There is no justification for the crimes other than that it is what the La Salle boys want to do and that it is easier than working for the things they want. As one character opines, "Robbery is supposed to be risky. Otherwise everyone would do it." Sonny, Buck and Russell are charming, brave and funny, but they ARE criminals not noble fighters against tyranny. But, hey, it's a novel not a social science tract.

This is a book meant for film and the scriptwriters wouldn't need to change a thing. It was an enjoyable read, full of great scenes, memorable if not admirable characters, an evocation of a brief turbulent and violent time now quickly fading from memory. Well done, Mr. Blake!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: NOT BLAKE'S BEST BUT STILL GOOD ENOUGH
Review: It is cliche but A WORLD OF THIEVES is not James Carlos Blake's best work. The writing style seems flat or maybe controlled, not full of the vibrancy and literary energy of RED GRASS RIVER or IN ROGUE BLOOD. My best guess is that Mr. Blake decided to write a more subdued tale, a little quieter, more subtle than the others and it came out less passionate. A WORLD didn't win any book awards where both RED GRASS and IN ROGUE did, a fact which helps makes my point. But all this is only comparing Blake to Blake and Blake is the best. A WORLD OF THIEVES is still full of action and adventure and it brings to life the 1920's in Texas and Louisiana. You have roadsters and oil wells and speakeasys and boom towns and New Orleans and West Texas. The action includes fisticuffs (our hero is a champion boxer), prison escapes, gun battles and holdups. A particularly sinister villain adds menace to the tale. And there is a love story and a boy-coming-of-age story here as well. Plenty for the Blake fan. Not his best but still pretty good. I give it three and a half shotgun shells out of five.


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