Amazon.in:Customer reviews: A Talent for Trickery (The Thief-Takers Series Book 1)

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Moose Girl

Okay

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 17 September 2020

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I have to admit that I didn't love this. I've really enjoyed the other two series I've read but I found this one quite dull. It's a bit annoying as this series is more expensive than the others, and it was the least satisfying. It's not awful. It's just not as good as the author's other work. If I'd read this first, I'd probably not have bothered with the other series.

I couldn't quite take to Lottie. She was just a little too prickly. Owen was a bit too bland and not very interesting and too much of the story was centred around the same place. There just wasn't much here to grab my interest. I'll give the next book a try just in case it was only this book that wasn't exciting enough. I'll decide after that whether to give up on this series.

Kindle Customer

Great characters, good start to the series

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 30 July 2017

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I really liked this book. Believable characters, and enjoyable dialogue. It's refreshing to read a "regency romance" which doesn't spend any time in ball rooms or with the ton, or in London. Also really liked that the heroine was over 30, and quite independent.

S. Atkinson

Four Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 13 February 2016

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A good solid read. Very good starter book for a series. Got next one on order

Adrienne Muchowski

Five Stars

Reviewed in Canada on 16 January 2016

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Loved it!

Judge Tabor

Interesting Family and Three Heart-Throb Thief Takers

Reviewed in the United States on 29 May 2017

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I've read all the books in this series and have truly enjoyed them. I'll keep this review short and sweet and hold most of my comments for Book #3 in this series. This book lays the foundation for the Thief-Takers, a group of detectives which includes Lord Owen Renderwell, Sir Samuel Brass and Sir Gabriel Arkwright. Each man has his own type of expertise, but all are highly professional and accustomed to getting results.

However, their true claim to fame has come at a cost to the Walker family, whose criminal father, Will Walker, once assisted Lord Renderwell and his team when Renderwell was working for Scotland Yard in rescuing a kidnapped duchess. Will Walker was killed while helping the duchess to escape resulting in his children, Lottie, Esther and Peter being estranged from Renderwell and his associates for 8 years.

The Thief-Takers now have their own private detective agency and they've descended in full force on the Walkers in order to attempt to find some answers in the coded books and notes Will Walker kept detailing every job he had ever worked - successes and failures. Problem is, Lottie isn't eager to help Lord Renderwell because she feels as though the Thief-Takers took all the claim to fame in the rescue of the duchess and never gave her father his due in what Lottie saw as his transformation from a thief to a rescuer of the duchess.

So, there are things to work out. It's obvious from the beginning Renderwell has a "thing" for Lottie, but will Lottie give him a chance? She's rejected every form of communication he's attempted. Lottie, who is a code breaker extraordinaire decides to work with Renderwell to find what he's looking for which gives them lots and lots of time together. In fact, I've come to realize after reading the three books in this series, this author appears to have a writing style which allows the heroes and heroines to have pretty much 75% of the storyline dedicated to the rehashing of their backgrounds and their growing relationship. This will be satisfying to those of us who find ourselves becoming frustrated when an author decides to keep the primary characters apart for much of the story. Believe me, the opposite is true of this author.

Not your every day HR - something different for the palate.

4 people found this helpful

The Evills

delightful, well-crafted mystery/romance

Reviewed in the United States on 7 February 2017

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Eight years ago, Scotland Yard Detective Inspector Owen Renderwell's personal codebreaker and thief-turned-informant, William Walker, died, leaving behind three children. With the Crown's help, Renderwell sent the Walker children to Boston - if by Boston you mean "relocated and renamed inside England." He's watched them from afar, but after Walker's eldest daughter Charlotte continually returned his letters, Renderwell was convinced he'd never see them again.

Until a series of robberies culminated in a murder, and each crime scene had a note in code - the kind of code he'd only seen Walker use.

With nowhere left to go, Renderwell and his associates, now private detectives for the well off, show up on Charlotte's front door and ask for help. To their surprise - she says yes. Several days later, this surprise turns to relief when a thief comes to Charlotte Walker, now Bales', home... and seems to be there for more than the candlesticks.

A solid mystery ensues, built around the history and the misunderstandings between Owen and Charlotte, Charlotte and her siblings, and in one case, a sibling and the world. Each person has a slightly different memory of who William Walker was, and it's in reconciling those memories that Charlotte and Owen finally find the truth - all of it, and regardless of the consequences.

5 people found this helpful

Rachel by the sea

Finally, an especially intelligent, well written romantic mystery.

Reviewed in the United States on 25 December 2017

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In truth, this isn't an ordinary mystery because no one is murdered right at the start of the book. Rather this is a story about the many mysteries surrounding the children of a deceased father who was a renowned London thief. The main female character, Lottie, has been head of the family since the father died ( he was doing something heroic for a change). Lottie is in a love-hate relationship with a private investigator, who is also a viscount, and who knows her and her family well. The mystery aspect focuses on a diamond heist, devised by the father, which happened many years before. The rest of the story details how their criminal past has returned to haunt Lottie's family. The author provides a wonderful, very smart, well-written plot showcasing her cast of complicated characters as they strive to understand the past and discover what the father thief tried to tell them in his encrypted journals and messages. The story moves at a fairly good pace, but their is very little overt violence or pointless action. The intrigue is advanced with descriptions of the characters' deductions and thinking, mixed well with passion and witty, smart dialogue.

3 people found this helpful

Mary W. Matthews

Not your run-of-the-mill historical romance

Reviewed in the United States on 14 May 2019

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I suspect this was Alissa Johnson's first novel, because not *every* character was richly drawn and fully realized -- just most of them. And the plot was more plausible than many of the AJ novels I've read, and the denouement more satisfying .

This book was highly enjoyable, like every AJ novel I've read --although I forgot, halfway through, that it isn't a Regency, and kept wondering why they referred to Queen Charlotte (of Mecklenburg-Strelitz) Hanover instead of her son the Prince Regent. And the obligatory deflowering scene was written from the heroine's point of view, which was a nice change.

If you're looking for a historical romance that isn't the usual round of ball gowns and morning callers, staggeringly beautiful heroines and Corinthian Ken dolls, this book is for you.

Irishbooklady

I liked it a lot. Maybe you will, too.

Reviewed in the United States on 9 December 2015

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This book has a literary "meatiness" to it. If you are expecting a fluffy romance, you will be disappointed. There's plenty of witty banter, flirtation and back-of-the-burner slow-cookin' sexiness, but there's a lot more going on than just that. This is historical mystery with romance rather than historical romance with a mystery on the side as an excuse to be published. I liked it. There are surprises, suspense, crafted characters that are very real in their imperfections, and plausible events that could very well have happened. Seems the author has matured and honed her skills. This is an enjoyable, engrossing and satisfying book to read. Looking forward to book #2 in this series.

9 people found this helpful

E. Homar

An Evening Well Spent

Reviewed in the United States on 13 April 2018

Verified Purchase

I was looking for a fun book to pass a cold and rainy evening. This book checked a lot of boxes for me, and it didn't disappoint in the execution.

I thoroughly enjoyed the characters. The hero was a competent, smart, but not invincible white knight. The heroine had a hard upbringing with a criminal father involving his children in his schemes. She's come a long way, but trust doesn't come easily for her.

The author paints realistic family relationships for the heroine, and that adds a lot to the book. I also loved that the heroine and her sister behaved like real sisters. Arguing, trying to protect each other, and NEVER fighting over the hero.

The romantic plot was solid, and they mystery seemed plausible.

All in, well worth the read.

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5 star		53%
4 star		29%
3 star		11%
2 star		8%
1 star 0% (0%)		0%

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