Twice Baked Thursday is an original weekly meme created here at Cardigans, Coffee and Bookmarks. This feature was created because Randi and Becky, often read the same books and have very different opinions about them. When we read the same book we do a joint review on it, showing both sides. Our reviews will "talk back" to one another, one reviewer writing in another color text. Please feel free to join us and link to our blog in your post, and also use the widget below to link your own double-review to our page.
Title: The Lock Artist
Author: Steve Hamilton
Genre: Suspense/Thriller
Audience: Adult (Crossover Teen)
Pages: 304
Source: Library;Library
Rating: 4.5 I'd take this book to an expensive dinner (Randi)
Five Stars: I'd marry this book after an awkwardly quiet courtship (Becky)
Goodreads Summary:
"I was the Miracle Boy, once upon a time. Later on, the Milford Mute. The Golden Boy. The Young Ghost. The Kid. The Boxman. The Lock Artist. That was all me.But you can call me Mike."
Marked by tragedy, traumatized at the age of eight, Michael, now eighteen, is no ordinary young man. Besides not uttering a single word in ten years, he discovers the one thing he can somehow do better than anyone else. Whether it's a locked door without a key, a padlock with no combination, or even an eight-hundred pound safe ... he can open them all. It's an unforgivable talent. A talent that will make young Michael a hot commodity with the wrong people and, whether he likes it or not, push him ever close to a life of crime. Until he finally sees his chance to escape, and with one desperate gamble risks everything to come back home to the only person he ever loved, and to unlock the secret that has kept him silent for so long. Steve Hamilton steps away from his Edgar Award-winning Alex McKnight series to introduce a unique new character, unlike anyone you've ever seen in the world of crime fiction. The Lock Artist is the winner of the 2011 Edgar Award for Best Novel.
Our Thoughts:
Let me start by saying that this is the first adult book I've read in awhile (though it is an Alex Award winner, so it has strong appeal to teens as well). It did not disappoint! The story, following Mike (Michael) the safecracker, was unlike any I've read. The format jumps from Michael as a high school kid to Mike(MICHAEL) as a pro, and from the point-of-view of Mike (I give up) in prison, as we're told from the very beginning. It was both enjoyable and frustrating at the same time. I liked it as well, although for a while I had trouble figuring out what age he was at what time, so for half the book I thought he was about 9 when he was actually 17, lol. every time a chapter ended and the time period switched, I felt myself going "NO! I need to know what's next!" And then of course, I had to keep flipping the pages. It's also interesting that we see how Michael goes from a fairly average teen (except for the whole not-talking thing) to a much more mature, focused, intense teen who is definitely more man than boy. The characterization of Michael really shone for me as well. The fact that he never spoke actually made me relate to him more, because I felt like I was in the story but I couldn't speak to anyone either. He was very likable and introspective!
I really like Mike as a character, and Amelia. I thought Amelia was a tinesy bit underdeveloped, but still likable despite their instalove. At least in this case the instalove is based in something other than physical attraction. And how their story comes together. When we finally learn about the thing that happened that caused Mike's muteness, it's both horrifying and clarifying, and is definitely an intense moment for the reader. I may or may not have screamed "NOOOOOOO" out loud, and startled my dog. I even found myself liking the Ghost a.k.a. Mr. G, the crotchety old man. He was not a nice person, Randi! And Uncle Lito seemed like a guy who, though not necessarily affectionate, gave Mike everything that he knew how to give. Other than that, this book is full of evil, disdainful characters that make me hope I'm never unlucky enough to run into any of their real-life doubles in person. Seriously badasses, and not in the fun, rebellious, "that guy's cool" kinda way. Well-developed secondary characters make or break novels for me, and it was refreshing to find one that did it so seemingly effortlessly.
Other than the fact that this book is denser than your average YA (it was a big switch reading an adult-marketed book after so long, and took me longer than I anticipated), it reads very much like a YA as far as content. The writing is much better than your average YA. I'm sorry, but it's true. They definitely got it right when they gave The Lock Artist the Alex Award! Though I was a little unsure about the whole knowing-Mike's-in-lockup from the beginning aspect, the story tied up nicely and had a satisfying conclusion (which pleasantly surprised me!). I wish it weren't a standalone because I really felt like I got to know Mike, and it's always hard to leave those characters behind. SEQUEL SEQUEL!!! Anyway, if you're looking for a unique suspense story with strong appeal for both adults and teens, definitely look into this one. You won't be disappointed.
Goodreads Summary:
"I was the Miracle Boy, once upon a time. Later on, the Milford Mute. The Golden Boy. The Young Ghost. The Kid. The Boxman. The Lock Artist. That was all me.But you can call me Mike."
Marked by tragedy, traumatized at the age of eight, Michael, now eighteen, is no ordinary young man. Besides not uttering a single word in ten years, he discovers the one thing he can somehow do better than anyone else. Whether it's a locked door without a key, a padlock with no combination, or even an eight-hundred pound safe ... he can open them all. It's an unforgivable talent. A talent that will make young Michael a hot commodity with the wrong people and, whether he likes it or not, push him ever close to a life of crime. Until he finally sees his chance to escape, and with one desperate gamble risks everything to come back home to the only person he ever loved, and to unlock the secret that has kept him silent for so long. Steve Hamilton steps away from his Edgar Award-winning Alex McKnight series to introduce a unique new character, unlike anyone you've ever seen in the world of crime fiction. The Lock Artist is the winner of the 2011 Edgar Award for Best Novel.
Our Thoughts:
Let me start by saying that this is the first adult book I've read in awhile (though it is an Alex Award winner, so it has strong appeal to teens as well). It did not disappoint! The story, following Mike (Michael) the safecracker, was unlike any I've read. The format jumps from Michael as a high school kid to Mike(MICHAEL) as a pro, and from the point-of-view of Mike (I give up) in prison, as we're told from the very beginning. It was both enjoyable and frustrating at the same time. I liked it as well, although for a while I had trouble figuring out what age he was at what time, so for half the book I thought he was about 9 when he was actually 17, lol. every time a chapter ended and the time period switched, I felt myself going "NO! I need to know what's next!" And then of course, I had to keep flipping the pages. It's also interesting that we see how Michael goes from a fairly average teen (except for the whole not-talking thing) to a much more mature, focused, intense teen who is definitely more man than boy. The characterization of Michael really shone for me as well. The fact that he never spoke actually made me relate to him more, because I felt like I was in the story but I couldn't speak to anyone either. He was very likable and introspective!
I really like Mike as a character, and Amelia. I thought Amelia was a tinesy bit underdeveloped, but still likable despite their instalove. At least in this case the instalove is based in something other than physical attraction. And how their story comes together. When we finally learn about the thing that happened that caused Mike's muteness, it's both horrifying and clarifying, and is definitely an intense moment for the reader. I may or may not have screamed "NOOOOOOO" out loud, and startled my dog. I even found myself liking the Ghost a.k.a. Mr. G, the crotchety old man. He was not a nice person, Randi! And Uncle Lito seemed like a guy who, though not necessarily affectionate, gave Mike everything that he knew how to give. Other than that, this book is full of evil, disdainful characters that make me hope I'm never unlucky enough to run into any of their real-life doubles in person. Seriously badasses, and not in the fun, rebellious, "that guy's cool" kinda way. Well-developed secondary characters make or break novels for me, and it was refreshing to find one that did it so seemingly effortlessly.
Other than the fact that this book is denser than your average YA (it was a big switch reading an adult-marketed book after so long, and took me longer than I anticipated), it reads very much like a YA as far as content. The writing is much better than your average YA. I'm sorry, but it's true. They definitely got it right when they gave The Lock Artist the Alex Award! Though I was a little unsure about the whole knowing-Mike's-in-lockup from the beginning aspect, the story tied up nicely and had a satisfying conclusion (which pleasantly surprised me!). I wish it weren't a standalone because I really felt like I got to know Mike, and it's always hard to leave those characters behind. SEQUEL SEQUEL!!! Anyway, if you're looking for a unique suspense story with strong appeal for both adults and teens, definitely look into this one. You won't be disappointed.
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