Thieves' Quarry

By D.B. Jackson

Ethan Kaille isn’t the likeliest hero. A former sailor with a troubled past, Ethan is a thieftaker, using conjuring skills to hunt down those who steal from the good citizens of Boston. And while chasing down miscreants in 1768 makes his life a perilous one, the simmering political tensions between loyalists like himself and rabble-rousing revolutionaries like Samuel Adams and others of his ilk are perhaps even more dangerous to his health. When one hundred sailors of King George III's Royal Navy are mysteriously killed on a ship in Boston Harbor, Ethan is thrust into dire peril. For he—and not Boston’s premier thieftaker, Sephira Pryce—is asked to find the truth behind their deaths. City Sheriff Edmund Greenleaf suspects conjuring was used in the dastardly crime, and even Pryce knows that Ethan is better equipped to contend with matters of what most of Boston considers dark arts. But even Ethan is daunted by magic powerful enough to fell so many in a single stroke. When he starts to investigate, he realizes that the mass murderer will stop at nothing to evade capture. And making his task more difficult is the British fleet's occupation of the city after the colonials' violent protests after the seizure of John Hancock's ship. Kaille will need all his own magic, street smarts, and a bit of luck to keep this Boston massacre from giving the hotheads of Colonial Boston an excuse for inciting a riot—or worse. Thieves' Quarry is a stunning second novel in D. B. Jackson's Thieftaker Chronicles.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Publishers
• Release date: Jul 2, 2013
• ISBN: 9780765327628

D.B. Jackson

D.B. Jackson is the Crawford Fantasy Award-winning author of more than twenty novels and as many short stories. He has written epic fantasy, contemporary fantasy, the occasional media tie-in, and historical fiction. He has a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in US history. His books have been translated into a dozen languages. He currently resides with his family in the mountains of Appalachia in Tennessee.

Reviews for Thieves' Quarry

[speljamr_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is another great book in this series. I love the way D.B. Jackson weaves his tail and fictional elements through the events of real colonial American history.

[books9n9pickles · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Just a quick little note here, since this empty review was looking sad. I felt a bit bad giving the book only three stars, but...it's the book I would have wanted to read when I was younger. Magic and revolutionary Boston? How cool is that?!

Pretty darn, but a couple things kept me from being 100% happy.

First and foremost was that this was not the first book--it's either the third or the fourth, though I was unclear on which, since the author's bio and list of previously published works seemed to contradict each other. There was no indication that it wasn't the first in a series. It wasn't too hard to read without having read the others, but I still felt cheated, like the lack of a big #3 or #4 on the front denied me the chance to say, "You know, this sounds cool, I think I'll start the series properly."

Really, the series sounds great. There were so many interesting-sounding back stories woven into this one that I'm almost afraid they don't all fit in two or three previous books. Ethan Kaille's had an interesting life that I'd like to hear more about--his age and real (as opposed to Gary-Stu-like) imperfection make him interesting.

The same cannot be said of the women characters. Five are named, two are gorgeous, two are pretty, and one is old. Thanks, thanks a lot for reducing a little more than half of humanity to a handful of worn old stereotypes: the trouser-wearing femme fatale, the beautiful and devoted lover, the crazy old black lady spouting wisdom, the girls who need protecting. What's most frustrating is that there are seeds of originality in each that could make them remarkable enough to hold their own...but the narrative denies them that chance and reduces them to either a plot point or a wet dream (almost literally, at one point). I was especially enraged when one of the women forgot that her gun couldn't shoot more than once. If there were any firearms at the time that could do so, that wouldn't be a thing you'd forget. The default of the time would be to assume that you only had one shot.

A lot of the supporting male characters were interesting, and the women were too, it was just frustrating that they couldn't be held in more equal narrative standing. Still, I would like to read more about all of them. Maybe someday I'll pick up the first and start from the beginning.

[jercox · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A good followup to the world of Thieftaker. Early on, a few word for word descriptions from book one are intended to get new readers into the world, so it starts slow. But after that, moves along better and is a quite good story. I recommend reading the first book (Thieftaker) first, although it isn't strictly necessary. If you didn't like thieftaker, you won't like this. Otherwise, worth reading.

[jamiesbookblog · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A day or two after Independence Day I noticed DB Jackson's new book Thieves Quarry was out. I enjoyed Thieftaker quite a bit and thought what better way to celebrate the holiday than with his new Historical Urban Fantasy. I have to say I was completely blown away. I liked the first one a lot but feel that Thieves Quarry was even better. I think this series might just be his best work yet which is saying a lot. Winds of the Forelands along with it's sequel series Blood of the Southlands are two series that are among my favorites when it comes to fantasy.

Once again DB Jackson proves that his world building is just as imaginative and strong as ever. His education in History goes a long way to making the book feel authentic. The magic is truly different and plausible. I can almost imagine real Conjurers during our Pre-Revolution days working as Theiftakers and soldiers. His characters are extremely life like and three dimensional. I love the fact that Ethan is a loyal citizen of England who up until events in this book has considered himself a Tory and not a Whig. Certain events that take place during the story start to change his views and while he's still a proud citizen of England he starts to become more sympathetic to the people of Boston and the colonies who are against England's newfound aggression. I think it takes a bold author to create a character that might not necessarily share his own personal point of views or opinions. It makes Ethan a much richer character. The characters in Thieves Quarry are not all black and white. Sure there are those that I consider heroes along with ones I think of as villains but hardly any of them are pure good or evil, they're made up of many shades of grey. Even the best of people make bad mistakes, much like Ethan in his youth when he took part in a naval mutiny. He served his time in hard labor for it. He's not perfect but who really is? The fact that he's a Speller or Conjurer when most people believe that they are witches and a product of Satan is bad enough. Sure the Salem Witch Trials may be long behind them but witches are still feared and hanged. So it's even worse for Ethan who is considered by many to have once betrayed England and his duty but he's a good guy. He made a mistake and paid for it dearly and does the best he can with what he has each day. He is a man of his word and will stand up for the little guy but he also obey's the law. He's as complex as he is unique and I applaud Mr. Coe for making him so. Saphira Price his main enemy and rival is equally complex and each scene she's in is deliciously fun.

I truly can't praise this book enough, it's as fine a fantasy as you'll find anywhere, actually it's much better than most. Whether you're into Urban Fantasy, High Fantasy or even Historical fantasy you'll enjoy Thieves Quarry. If you haven't read Thieftaker yet I urge you to do so. You're missing what just may be the finest fantasy series to come out this year.