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There's something about historical mysteries set in 18th century England which usually fail to engage me. Many times, the book will feature a dandy-ish sort of character whose habits and language are completely irritating. If the protagonist is from the lower classes, they tend to be presented as being at that status only as a result of birth and exhibit only the most positive traits as far as character and intelligence. Neither strikes me as being particularly realistic or representative of the time. Therefore, when the protagonist of THE THIEF TAKER was presented performing her domestic duties competently and not overreaching her station, it was a pleasant surprise. Unfortunately, this level of realism was not sustained throughout the entire book. Agnes Meadowes is employed as the head cook of the Blanchard family, renowned silversmiths who are beginning to experience some business difficulties. Their reputation and future is dependent upon the successful execution of a major commission for a silver wine cooler. When the cooler is stolen and an apprentice silversmith murdered, the son of the head of household asks Agnes to serve as a liaison between the family and a local 'thief taker', Marcus Pitt. A thief taker is a person who gathers intelligence that leads to the restitution of stolen property. Oftentimes, the thief taker actually participates in the planning of the crime, so they are able to make the necessary connections. At the time of the theft, Agnes' kitchen assistant, Rose disappears. Is she involved in the murder and robbery? After completing the negotiations with Pitt, Agnes feels compelled to investigate Rose's disappearance; in the meantime, there are other deaths and strange events occurring in the household. Aided by one of the other servants, Thomas Williams, who she does not entirely trust, Agnes proceeds to unravel a complex scheme and bring the truth to light. Gleeson did a great job of portraying a typical Georgian England household, how its servant class supported their masters, the mores of the time. The details around meal preparation were fascinating. I give her five stars for how she handled the historical aspects of the book. However, once the plot moved beyond Agnes negotiating with the thief taker, the book fell apart for me. It was completely implausible for a poorly-educated domestic to be involved in an investigation of the scope in this book. There wasn't a valid reason for her to be so deeply into interrogating suspects or pursuing clues around robbery and murder. I wondered how she was able to perform her domestic duties and have the time to chase leads all around London, in that she only had one day off every fortnight. There was a secondary thread involving her young son that was touching, but Agnes as Sherlock Holmes just did not work for me. From its promising beginning, the book descended into predictable territory, with a denouement that was completely over the top. I was disappointed to find my negative feelings about these kinds of historical mysteries reinforced, as I felt that Gleeson could have taken the premise somewhere special.
Reviewed by Maddy Van Hertbruggen, November 2006
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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