No Such Creature

by Giles Blunt

Book Overview

Silver Dagger winner Blunt delivers an exhilarating game of cat and mouse with a most unlikely--and likeable--pair of thieves. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0679314318
• ISBN13: 9780679314318
• Release Date: October 2008
• Publisher: Random House Canada
• Length: 270 Pages
• Weight: 1.16 lbs.

Customer Reviews

When thieves rob thieves

Giles Blunt's //No Such Creature// introduces us to Magnus "Max" Maxwell and his great-nephew Owen, a pair of gentleman thieves. They travel across the country each summer, robbing wealthy socialites - preferably rich Republicans - at dinner parties. This may be their last trip, though, since Max is starting to have senior moments and Owen wants to study acting at Juilliard. Their first venture - a robbery in the San Francisco Bay area - is successful, but things start to unravel when they reach Las Vegas. A rival gang of thieves plots to relieve them of their loot, an old friend's daughter becomes dependent on them, and they attract the unwanted attention of a tenacious born-again Christian security guard. Can the Maxwells successfully make it back to Manhattan? This is an interesting story that moves forward with a good plot. The characters are well developed; perhaps some are too well developed. We spend too much time with Bill Bullard's religion, and Aunt Rachel and her theory on sex could have been totally dropped from the story. The mood of the ending is not a good fit to the rest of the story. But these criticisms aside, this is still a good book that deserves to be read. Reviewed by Douglas McWilliams

zany crime caper

An orphan for years, eighteen year old Owen Maxwell has toured the country with his verbose Shakespearean actor Uncle, Magnus "Max" Maxwell conning wealthy Republicans. However after doing this for a few years, Owen has a chance to attend Juilliard. He tries to persuade his uncle to give up the criminal life as Max is getting on in years and should retire, and the teen wants to attend the drama school. As they leave San Francisco for Vegas with their latest loot, Zig and the Subtractors come after them; the gang is known for catching up with thieves in order to rob them after they pound the crap out of their prey. On the run from the Subtractors the duet meet twenty year old Sabrina Bertrand, daughter of the legendary jailed felon Pontiff. With her also in trouble from a security guard obsessing on her, she joins the uncle and nephew as they flee across the country Although none of the key players are full blooded though they bleed, NO SUCH CREATURE is a zany crime caper that seems on the verge of going out of control, but never quite does. Leaving Canada for the States (giving Homicide Detectives John Cardinal and Lise Delorme a breather), Giles Blunt provides an over the top chess game between violent criminals and rakish criminals. Bluntly fans of Elmore Leonard will want to join the cross country marathon. Harriet Klausner

Cancel all your plans

Cancel your plans for the next few days! This one is hard to put down. Giles Blunt has given us an exciting ride through the States in the company of a likeable and complex set of characters. The details of the various settings, were triggering memories of my own travels to places like San Francisco. It was as if a movie was playing in my head. The description left me expecting to look up from the book and find the characters in my room. The story is unpredictable with twists that leave you satisfied until the very end. I felt like a fly on the wall of the Winnabago! This book was a treat!

Something different from Giles Blunt

I have long been a fan of Canadian Giles Blunt and his John Cardinal crime series. Blunt is another one of those authors I just know is going to be a good read. I was surprised to find that this was not part of the series, but a stand alone book. After the first twenty pages I was hooked and could not put it down. Owen has been raised by his great uncle Max since he was orphaned at twelve. Max is a failed thespian, but is a very accomplished but genteel thief. Owen is now eighteen and their road trips across America robbing rich Republicans have honed his skills as well. Using acting skills, disguises and charm they have so far steered clear of violence. Owen is thinking of packing it in after this summer to attend Julliard and study drama. He plans to tell Max soon. It is in Vegas that things start to go sour. There is a shadowy legend among thieves about a gang called the Subtractors - mysterious men who steal from other thieves and use whatever means necessary to get what they want. And it looks like they want the riches from Owen and Max's last job. On the road with them now is Sabrina, the daughter of a former 'associate' of Max, who is running from a problem as well - named Bill. As Sabrina says "Living with a criminal - or being one - is like living on the Titanic. You just know it isn't going to end well." This is a story that grabs you and just doesn't let go. I kept turning pages well into the night. The plot is great but it is the witty dialogue and characters that stand out for me. The character of Max fairly leaps off the page, larger than life. Max's soliloquies, his manner of speech and pronouncements on life are funny yet poignant. Although we know they are thieves, Max's gang - including the trivia obsessed Roscoe and Pookie - are likable and Max, though flawed, is lovable even. Certainly he loves Owen. This is a story of larceny, love, heartache, humour and life. Definitely not your typical crime story, but boy is it a good one!