Prince of Thieves

Written by Chuck Hogan

Narrated by Richard Ferrone

From the author of The Strain comes a tense, psychologically gripping, Hammet award-winning thriller.

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 is undeniable. With a tenacious FBI agent following his every move, he imagines a 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 way to rob Boston's venerable baseball stadium, Fenway Park. Risky yet utterly irresistible, it would be the perfect heist to end his criminal career and begin a new life. But, as it turns out, pursuing Claire may be the most dangerous act of all.

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

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Release date: Mar 8, 2011
• ISBN: 9781442342255

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 Prince of Thieves

[Marcy · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Surprisingly the movie adaptation The Town was better than the book. Some parts of the storyline were rambling and incomplete in the book. Had to force myself to get to the end and then was disappointed again ?

[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.

[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!

[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.

[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).

[Lambsbread74aol.com · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent! Very well written. Liked the movie. Loved the book

[Michael Harris · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is in my Top 3 Favorite Books/Audiobooks of All-Time.