Book Review: The Thief of Blackfriars Lane

This should have gone out Tuesday but SOMEONE forgot to hit “Publish.” 😉

My first review for 2021 is of Michelle Griep’s The Thief of Blackfriars Lane. This story takes the reader back to London in 1885.

What a great opening paragraph:

For want of a properly working pocket watch, Jackson Forge failed to save the world today—or at least the City of London. Now he’d be lucky to save himself.

Jackson is a young man who’s come to the city to make his mark on the police force as a constable and save people from crime. It isn’t as easy as he expected, and he fears being sent home a failure.

We meet Kit Turner right away, though it’s not flattering. Kit heads a gang of con artists in a seedy section of the city. However, she prides herself on never having technically stolen anything.

When the two of them are thrown together to solve a series of disappearances, her street smarts and his wisdom just might save London afterall.

Overall, I enjoyed this somewhat-Robin-Hood story and the action. At first, I wasn’t too sure about Jackson. He comes across as a complete bumbler. So much so, I couldn’t imagine looking on him as hero material. It seemed everything he did went sideways. But he turned out to be more competent than I gave him credit for at the beginning.

On the other hand, Kit was totally in control—smart, independent, and quick-witted – a little too much of each for her own good.

Bottom line: I’m giving The Thief of Blackfriar’s Lane 4.5 stars for characterization, setting details, and the semi-twist at the end. (I’d figured that out long before the reveal.)