The Thief Taker
In in the heat of 1665, London was in the grip of a monster – the Black Death! Trying to make his living – and stay alive – is Charlie Tuesday, a thief taker. He is persuaded, against his instincts, to try to solve a case of murder. He soon discovers that the killer may hold the secret of his past. Suddenly, he finds himself on the run – desperate to clear his name and find the killer. It becomes clear that there will be other gruesome murders. All Charlie has to use is his skills as a consummate “thief taker”: cunning, and a gift for observation and conclusion. He has to stop a monster in the guise of a human, surrounded by a monster in the guise of an epidemic. Quinn paints a gruesome picture of Restoration London in the grip of terror and desperation. She uses excellent pacing and dialogue to keep the whole heady chase for a serial killer going, from the back streets of the city to the festering marshes of Wapping.
