Thief of Souls

Rating:
Summary: Enduring Morality
Review: An admirer of Ann Benson's meticulously researched work, I became hooked on Thief of Souls from the very first page, which is unusual for me. The plot shifts rapidly between two parallel stories, each of which traverses rocky ethical, legal, and moral terrain. The heroines are two intensely humanistic women whose lives vary greatly, but who share the characteristic of willingness to sacrifice self-interest for the greater good of the communities in which they work and live. It is difficult to decide which story is the more compelling, and at the end of each chapter, I had to wrench my interest away from the one conflict in order to focus again on the other. In this "all about me" era, it is refreshing and heartening to immerse oneself in a tale of selflessness, dogged determination, and devotion to the good of others

Rating:
Summary: "They Eat Small Children There"
Review: Detective Lany Dunbar and Abbess Guillemette le Drappiere are sisters in both time and crime. Though they are separated by some 600 years of history, each is in pursuit of an abductor and murderer of children. Similiar to her earlier novels, "The Plague Tales" and its sequel, "The Burning Road", Ann Benson weaves two stories, one set in modern times and one in the 1400s. Though this novel doesn't contain a physical link, such as the piece of cloth that ties the two stories together in "The Plague Tales", there are enough nuances and references to keep any detective of historical fiction going. While Lany's perpetrator is fictional, what makes Guillemette's quest even more eerie is that she pursues an actual person, the infamous Gilles de Rais, upon whom Bluebeard is based. De Rais' debauchery is especially unnerving because it is based upon true accounts. How many ghouls would save the heads of over 300 children just to determine who was the prettiest? Ugh! While the collection of the skulls of dead children is a key in the case against de Rais, a collection of footwear plays a part in Lany's investigation. "They eat small children there" is a reference to de Rais' castle but it is also a movie title in Lany Dunbars 21st century Los Angeles. In her pursuit of the serial abductor, Lany uses a text book that references de Rais.

We, as readers, cannot help but root for these strong willed women, both of whom must fight for everything they can in order to succeed in their endeavors in a male dominated society, in Guillemette's case, and in a male dominated profession in Lany's case. Both must deal with the arrogance of their respective abductors and both must find the emerging pattern in their respective investigations.

Ms. Benson throws in some historical plums just for the interest. The actual childhood nurse of de Rais was named Guillemette La Drappiere and some of the 21st century detectives are named for real police detectives. But, still, it is the villains who warrant our attention. The thief in each case here not only steals souls but steals lives as well. And, when each seeks absolution and feels that it is at hand, each thief, as Ann Benson so beautifully puts it, will be as far from absolution as he would ever be in his life and yet more in need of it than ever before. Five stars indeed.

Rating:
Summary: Subject of book is not one I care to know more about.
Review: I did not finish this book. I've read both The Burning Road and The Plague Tales by Benson, and I enjoyed them very much. I like history combined with mystery as a genre, or as the starting point for a book. The history behind both the historical murders and the current 'murders' happens to dwell upon the abuse of children and their slaughter for occult purposes. If I had known this from reading the jacket (it isn't obvious nor did the recommendations help as far as providing the reader something to go on), I would never have picked the book up.

There are just some things that I am uncomfortable with. Benson writes extremely well, and does her research. The other books were about the Black Plague and new, emerging diseases. I did not expect to find myself involved in a historical atrocity.I get enough of that from my research and writing on the killing of the deaf and disabled during Nazi Germany!

Like I said, I did not finish the book. I realize Benson needed a new subject matter linking history and current happenings, and that some of the information was from historical transcripts...but it was way too morbid and disgusting for me. I pitched the book in the garbage. Some will disagree with me and that's fine. I don't want to waste my time on something like this that is extremely upsetting to me as a mother and a grandmother.

Karen Sadler

Rating:
Summary: Very Good, but Not Great.
Review: I hope I don't lower the average stars given this novel by writing this review, and rating it only three stars.
Benson's formula(?), I say formula only because she has written two previous novels with chronological setting shifting betwixt present and past before this one has been slightly altered with this offering. Instead of a "medical" thriller, Ms. Benson has opted to write mystery/thrillers using am L.A. police detective, and a fifteenth century nun as her protagonists.

Reading this the two heroines are not as dissimiliar as one may expect. Lany Dunbar though not specifically stated has some very classic christian values to her character. Mere Guillemette le Drappiere, while a respected nun and confidante/aide to the bishop of Nantes was not always a nunm and has some very pragmatic and secular values leftover before her life of service. One thing both ladies have in common is their passion to solve the mysterious disappearances of young children.

As I said in title of review this book is very good, Benson seamlessly parallels the eras the action of her novel is set in. She writes with a meticulate attention to her chief characters' motives and humanity.

There is only a couple flaws that bugged me very slightly as I read this book but I feel they are worth mentioning for the integrity of this review. 1) One reason I read this is the back blurb sounded really interesting setting half the novel in 1440 Nantes around "Bluebeard's" or Lord Giles de Rais's crimes hooked my jaded attention span. However while Benson gave equal "screen" teehee book i mean time to 1440 Nantes, I felt she could have characterized de Rais a little deeper. Until his trial he was like a phantasm mists of a character(perhaps intentional to further the plot), but if he is a draw to readers like myself I felt I would have liked to get inside his head more so to speak. 2.) This novel is probably longer than it could/should be, again another confession I skimmed about a hundred of the 600+ pages, because although it was entertaining and enjoyable it wasn't Great enough for me to self-justify reading every single word in the massive text.
Everyone's taste is different and this is the reason I can consciously recommend this title to others. While I felt it was long and dragged a little for readers of Benson, and readers that enjoy historical/contemporary fiction this could be the title you are looking for.:)

Rating:
Summary: strong crime thriller
Review: In 1440 Nantes, the abbess Guillemette le Drappiere, assistant and companion to Bishop of Nantes, learns that a child has gone missing. After talking to the mother of the abducted child, she starts an investigation and discovers that many similar children have vanished over the years. Guillemette and the bishop slowly come to the conclusion that the boy she nursed, the powerful Baron Gilles de Rais, is the guilty party but he is untouchable until he commits a crime of unspeakable horror against a churchman.

Over five and a half centuries later in Los Angles, Lany Dunbar is working on a case study eerily similar to the one that Guillemette investigated. Several young males, almost feminine in looks, have been abducted and their bodies never found. Each victim visited a certain popular exhibit at the La Brea Tar pits, leading Lany to the conclusion that the perpetrator is somebody connected to the exhibit who is very wealthy and has time to play out his or her fantasies. She intends to unearth and arrest this person even though the culprit knows that Lany is on the prowl.

Crime and depravity doesn't change very much over the centuries as the actions of the villains in THIEF OF SOULS prove. In both cases, a very strong woman in a position of power brings down a seemingly untouchable person. This is a long juicy novel that takes place ten years after Joan of Arc won the battle of Orleans as well as in the present. The crimes show that the more things change the more things remain the same.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: Highly Entertaining
Review: This book is hard to classify. It's not strictly speaking a historical, nor is it a solid contemporary. Instead, it's a wonderful mix of both. If you like books that make you think a little, you'll like THIEF OF SOULS.

Like THE PLAGUE TALES, THIEF OF SOULS is set in both the past and present, centering on two strong, determined women working hard to solve their own current-day mysteries of missing children.

The different voice Benson uses in her past and present scenes is smoothly transitioned so the reader is never left wondering where s/he is. The foreshadowing is a little heavy-handed, however Benson makes you really care for her characters and the outcome to each story.

If you've read THE PLAGUE TALES and THE BURNING ROAD (which I did), I strongly suggest adding THIEF OF SOULS to your Ann Benson collection. You won't be disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: Highly Entertaining
Review: This book is hard to classify. It's not strictly speaking a historical, nor is it a solid contemporary. Instead, it's a wonderful mix of both. If you like books that make you think a little, you'll like THIEF OF SOULS.

Like THE PLAGUE TALES, THIEF OF SOULS is set in both the past and present, centering on two strong, determined women working hard to solve their own current-day mysteries of missing children.

The different voice Benson uses in her past and present scenes is smoothly transitioned so the reader is never left wondering where s/he is. The foreshadowing is a little heavy-handed, however Benson makes you really care for her characters and the outcome to each story.

If you've read THE PLAGUE TALES and THE BURNING ROAD (which I did), I strongly suggest adding THIEF OF SOULS to your Ann Benson collection. You won't be disappointed.