The Good Thief's Guide to Paris

August 11, 2008
Charlie Howard, a crime writer who’s also an international burglar, once again makes a funny, fast-talking narrator in Ewan’s delightful second mystery (after 2007’s The Good Thief’s Guide to Amsterdam
). Tipsy after a Parisian book signing, Charlie agrees to show a new acquaintance the basics of the trade by breaking into the man’s own apartment. Trouble ensues when the apartment actually belongs to someone else. Charlie’s fence commissions him the next day to break into the same apartment to steal an apparently worthless painting, and the apartment’s real owner turns up dead in Charlie’s apartment. Hiding in a Montmartre hotel, Charlie tries to save his skin while also placating his attractive agent, Victoria, who’s arrived unannounced only to discover that the client she’s grown so close to by phone looks nothing like the author photo he provided. That Charlie pens a memoir titled The Good Thief’s Guide to Amsterdam
adds a nice postmodern touch to a classic caper.

February 1, 2012
Ewan's Charlie Howard series is unusual because the protagonist both writes crime novels about a burglar and is one himself. Each tale is set in a different city. In this second outing, Howard, in Paris to publicize his latest work, is finagled into stealing a painting of no obvious value. Soon, he discovers that nothing is as it seems and finds himself suspected of murder. Howard is a delightful creation--smart, clever, and a bit naive. Simon Vance, an excellent reader of thrillers, ably conveys the character's mixture of duplicity, bumbling innocence, and charm. Ewan provides light entertainment with a bit of an edge while capturing the glamour and magic of the setting. This program should appeal to fans of thieves, exotic locales, and, especially, Lawrence Block's similar Bernie Rhodenbarr novels.--Michael Adams, CUNY Graduate Ctr. Lib.

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.