The Town: A Novel

Written by Chuck Hogan

Narrated by Donnie Wahlberg

Some criminals get a second chance.Will Doug MacRay be one of them?

Four masked men—thieves, rivals, and friends from the tough streets of Charlestown—take on a Boston bank at gunpoint. Holding bank manager Claire Keesey hostage and cleaning out the vault were simple. But career criminal Doug MacRay didn’t plan on one thing: falling hard for Claire. When he tracks her down without his mask and gun, their mutual attraction isundeniable. With a tenacious FBI agent following his every move, he imaginesa life away from his gritty, dangerous work—a life centered around Claire.But before that can happen, Doug and his crew learn that there may be a wayto rob Boston’s venerable baseball stadium, Fenway Park. Risky yet utterly irresistible, it would be the perfect heist to end his criminal career. But, as it turns out, pursuing Claire may be the most dangerous act of all.

Racing to an explosive climax, The Town is a brash tale of robbery in all its forms—and an odyssey of crime, love, ambition, and dreams.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Release date: Aug 24, 2010
• ISBN: 9781442339071

Chuck Hogan

Chuck Hogan is the author of several acclaimed novels, including Devils in Exile and Prince of Thieves, which won the 2005 Hammett Award , was called one of the ten best novels of the year by Stephen King, and was the basis of the motion picture The Town. Chuck Hogan es autor de varias aclamadas novelas, entre las cuales se encuentra Prince of Thieves que ganó el Hammett Award 2005 y que fue considerada una de las diez mejores novelas del año por Stephen King.

Reviews for The Town

[paul_s-289480 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I would've probably liked it more if I managed to sympathise with the protagonist but I can't. Not sure it's the author's fault. To be fair I have the same issue with other crime stories. Otherwise I liked the writing, down to earth like the characters and the plot, even if straining credulity does have a pretty neat conceit.

[susandennis-139327 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I have no idea what prompted me to read this book - I forget now where I got the recommendation - but I am forever grateful. Hogan is a new auhor to me and I'm delighted to add him to the mix. He has a fine touch - especially with dialogue. Claire is a bank manager who is being stalked by Doug, the lead of a team of bank robbers. They successfully rob Claire's bank but he can't get her out of his mind so his stalking continues.

[csdaley-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I read this because I loved the movie The Town. I figured the source material would be as good. It was but I will warn you. It is an extremely moody and sad piece. I feel terrible upon finishing it.

[mtlkch-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I'm so glad I didn't read the book first; I would have never gone to the movie. The movie was very good - a lot of things were different, but a lot were the same, also. I would not read this book again.

[techeditor_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

PRINCE OF THIEVES by Chuck Hogan is an excellent story of four thieves, with Doug as the prince among them; the victim Doug falls in love with; the FBI agent who pursues all five of them, maybe confusing his mutual attraction to the victim with his duty; and the Boston town they live in. How could anyone rate this as anything less than a five-star novel? At first this book seems too detailed when it describes the bank heist. But soon you will discover that this is necessary to understanding how and why Doug is the prince. Not only is he the brains behind their plans, he is also the compassionate one who feels responsible for the other three and for the innocent victims.This is an unputdownable book. If I could find a Web site or Facebook page with Hogan's contact information, I would tell him so.

[suzemo · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

3.5 stars, really.

This is a fast pace, surprisingly interesting book. The characters have more depth than I was expecting, and Hogan's writing is clean and smart. The book is about four bank robbers, but Charlestown (the town they live in) is it's own character as well.

This isn't the kind of book I normally read, but it was fast and fun. I definitely recommend for a fast light read if you like action packed thrillers, because it's great *and* it has a fair amount of good character development (which is rare).

[bkwurm · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I took a chance on this book, even though I'm not usually a fan of crime novels or mysteries, and was pleasantly surprised. This novel (which inspired the recent movie "The Town") is not a crime drama or a mystery after all. It is mainly a character study of Doug, an ex con, bank robber, recovering alcoholic who has grown beyond his friends, his profession, and the small-town, hard-core, bad neighborhood he grew up in. Insightful, thought-provoking, and impossible to put down.

[bookmarque · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

While overall I did enjoy this book, I think it was a bit uneven. Parts of it read like a love story about Charlestown (called The Town which is also the name of the movie adaptation) which adds a lot of richness in terms of setting and atmosphere, but which also takes the pressure off and eases the tension. Not something you want to do with a heist thriller. Just when either the investigation of or the crimes themselves get going, we get an ode to The Town thrown in and so I couldn’t get worked up about the situation. Doug was written as such an extreme of a romantic lead that his ending wasn’t surprising. What was is how far into the heist Frawley let the caper go. I don’t think cops would do that no matter what, but it’s fiction so you have to let it go. Claire I found to be the most strange of the bunch. I didn’t quite buy her reaction to the knowledge that her new boyfriend was the same guy who bound and gagged her during the bank robbery. Then again, she was Doug’s opposite number so had to be equally romanticized and dramatic. That was another issue with the whole thing; the high-flown style was a bit much. One part gritty thriller one part Romeo & Juliet. Eh, it had commitment issues, but if you can allow for that it’s enjoyable.

[nizmart · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I can see why this book was made into a film, the action is great and the characters are memorable and real. I really enjoyed it and will definitely watch The Town!