The Good Thief's Guide to Amsterdam

By: Chris Ewan

Narrated by: Simon Vance

Charlie Howard travels the globe writing suspense novels for a living. To supplement his income - and keep his hand in - Charlie has a small side business: stealing for a very discreet clientele on commission. When a mysterious American offers Charlie 20,000 euros to steal two small monkey figurines to match the one he already has, Charlie is suspicious; the job seems too good to be true, and of course, it is. He soon finds the American beaten nearly to death, while the third figurine has disappeared. Back in London, his literary agent, Victoria (who is naive enough to believe he actually looks like his jacket photo), tries to talk him through the plot problems in both his latest manuscript and in his real life - but Charlie soon finds himself caught up in a caper reminiscent of a Cary Grant movie, involving safe-deposit boxes, menacing characters, and a beautiful damsel in distress.

©2007 Chris Ewan (P)2011 AudioGo

Starts strong but really fizzles

Interesting plot and action to start .. really bogs down with an overly expository latter half. The final section is a lonnnnng discourse where the protagonist is basically giving a speech to wrap things up. Then it ends and you’re like, wait, what?

A bit convoluted and the ending format spoils it

A good cast of characters and an interesting story although a lot is left untold until the end when the main character - a thief - summons all others - including a couple of police inspectors - to a Poirot-style grandiose finale where all is revealed.
While this type of ending worked beautifully for Agatha Christie's beginning of the XX century master detective stories, here it completely destroys the necessary suspension of disbelief.

To catch a thief

A nice modern remake of the to catch a thief concept. The characters were well developed and the story was quite entertaining.

Nice Little Mystery!

This was plain fun! The premise is an old standby but it is wonderfully done. The characters come to life in full color. No lessons to be learned here, no moral to the story really, just a merry band of criminals going about the business of being criminals. Completely enjoyable.

A Good Romp

You can never go wrong with Simon Vance as a narrator and his reading adds a dash to an enjoyable but not memorable story. Charlie Howard is a bit of a throw back to the 60s, as are most of the other characters. A bit of Robert Wagner in It Takes a Thief. The story could easily be set 40 years ago instead of now except transactions are done in Euros. I don't know that I will follow Charlie on his larceny tour of world cities, I didn't feel much like I was in Amsterdam and I prefer tales that bring the setting alive and pull it into the story.

I love Chris Ewan!

After reading (and loving) his most recent novel, Safe House, I worked backwards and bought this book, the first of his "The Good Thief's Guide to...." and that's when I discovered that I also love Charlie Howard, Ewan's dashing, but hardly angelic, main character.

Charlie's a writer of crime mysteries, and it's no wonder because Charlie himself enjoys a little larceny in between writing projects. Although his moral compass is a tad off-kilter, he's basically a very likable fellow with a sharp wit and a non-violent streak. It's not about the haul really, but about the thrill and excitement. OK, so it's about the loot too, but that thrill and excitement stuff is important.

Charlie's currently in Amsterdam penning his latest book, but he's having trouble with it. So, while seeking inspiration, he takes a break to indulge in his favorite pasttime, but things go terribly awry, and as usual, Charlie gets involved in a spiderweb of tangled intrigue.

As I write this review, I'm finishing the final book in the Good Thief series, and I'm delighted to say that each book has been pure fun! I'm so thankful that I discovered Chris Ewan. It's been a wonderful journey.

Entertaining

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I listen to books during my commute to work and when I'm working around the house. I pick books that are entertaining, not ones that require a lot of concentration, and brain power. This book entertained me, and I looked forward to listening to it.

Would you be willing to try another book from Chris Ewan? Why or why not?

Yes.

What about Simon Vance’s performance did you like?

Excellent depiction of the varied accents required in this book.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Yes, we recently were on vacation in Amsterdam.

Solid But None Too Thrilling

What did you like best about The Good Thief's Guide to Amsterdam? What did you like least?

I thought that the main character--an author of mystery novels who is also a thief--was an interesting concept.

Did Simon Vance do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

Yes, he is a great narrator and has a knack for doing different characters without making you aware that he is putting on a performance. His narration probably made an underwhelming tale more enjoyable.

Any additional comments?

It was interesting enough to keep me listening but overall a little underwhelming. Simon Vance's narration is great. It gets the job done but could have used a little more drama and tension.

Fun and simple - great for a workout or drive

Where does The Good Thief's Guide to Amsterdam rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

in the middle to the top. 7 out of 10

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

not on the edge of my seat, but intrigued to a point that I was looking forward to the next time I could listen to it.

What does Simon Vance bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

the voices and characters are great - wonderful preformance

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

no

The Good Thief

Narration as usual was excellent. Mr Vance can bring each character into its own. The series is always bringing new insight into the main character.
He never falls into too much ‘goodness’. That makes him a lot more believable a thief!