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In the blue-collar Boston suburb of Charlestown, one does whatever one can to survive what is considered by some a dreary existence. For Doug MacKay and his friends, they find meaning in their lives by robbing local banks in their neighborhood -- and they are good. Doug, a fallen professional hockey player, does not see a future for himself as he continues to mastermind the next robbery. It will be a successful, early morning heist that will transform his life as he becomes fully conscious of how his actions affect the people around him, most importantly his victims. He is now determined to change his life, but the question will be, 'Is it too late?' During the course of the robbery depicted in the opening chapters of Chuck Hogan's PRINCE OF THIEVES, Doug is bothered by the way the caper went down, especially the vicious behavior of his partners in crime against their hostages. The young bank manager's life is forever altered and Doug feels responsible for what is going on with her life. Claire Keesey's sense of security has been obliterated and she does not know if she will be able to feel safe again, to trust a human being. This all changes when she meets a kind stranger at a local business and falls for him not knowing that it is Doug, the man behind the ski mask and the one who robbed her of her independent nature. Doug's interest in her is personal, but not romantic (or so he tells himself), and he wants to help her gain her lost confidence without exposing who he really is. He cannot have it both ways and he will be forced to make some tough choices and it will carry repercussions. But now there is no turning back. He has fallen for Claire and with that his fate has been sealed. In PRINCE OF THIEVES, it would have been easy for Chuck Hogan to create a sappy love story of a lonely bank teller and the handsome bank robber ready to whisk her away into happiness across the sunset, but that is not the case here. What you get is a terrific character-driven story about people reevaluating their lives, making something different for themselves and being unrecognizable to themselves from the way they used to be. There is conflict and clashes as Doug works to distance himself from the life he knows and his 'friends' who are not willing to get away so easily. Making matters worse is a relentless FBI agent who has a score to settle against MacKay and who intends to bring him down. In short, as a crime novel this book is good; as a drama, terrific; and as a character study, outstanding. My only complaint? The book's title. As clever as the pun is it does not do justice to this excellent crime book. Well, as Doug will learn, one cannot have it all. Regardless of that, PRINCE OF THIEVES is highly recommended for those looking for a satisfying read.
Reviewed by Angel L. Soto, November 2004
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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