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shinychick's review against another edition
3.0
I was recommended this by [a:Maggie Stiefvater|1330292|Maggie Stiefvater|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1268241579p2/1330292.jpg]. (No, not personally, but on her blog.) I decided to give it a shot, and I was kind of really happy to see that MacLeod Andrews, who was fantastic on [b:The Spectacular Now|3798703|The Spectacular Now|Tim Tharp|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320493552s/3798703.jpg|3842894], also was the reader here.
And yeah, she was right - just when you thought you could imagine the worst possible thing that could have happened to Mike as a little boy, you are BLOWN OUT OF THE WATER with how much worse you could not imagine.
That said, I really enjoyed the 2000 storyline, with Mike as the established boxman (safecracker) working with the White Crew. The 1999 storyline interested me less, but I stuck with it, and did end up enjoying it.
The best part, overall, though, was the feeling that I could take this book to the places Hamilton mentioned and find them. That's something I really appreciate about definite-location books: the feeling of reality.
And yeah, she was right - just when you thought you could imagine the worst possible thing that could have happened to Mike as a little boy, you are BLOWN OUT OF THE WATER with how much worse you could not imagine.
That said, I really enjoyed the 2000 storyline, with Mike as the established boxman (safecracker) working with the White Crew. The 1999 storyline interested me less, but I stuck with it, and did end up enjoying it.
The best part, overall, though, was the feeling that I could take this book to the places Hamilton mentioned and find them. That's something I really appreciate about definite-location books: the feeling of reality.
hardscifi's review against another edition
5.0
Love, love, love Hamilton's characters
Great writing, characterizations and action. Great style.
You don't need more.
Try this one out.
You won't regret it. Promise.
Great writing, characterizations and action. Great style.
You don't need more.
Try this one out.
You won't regret it. Promise.
gawronma's review against another edition
4.0
A very well written book. Michael was an interesting character facing difficult choices.
dianadomino's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this one. Michael engaged my attention from page one and I kept turning them until the satisfying end.
chinacatsun76's review against another edition
5.0
Review on Reading Lark: http://readinglark.blogspot.com/2013/07/book-review-lock-artist.html
You know how sometimes you read a book that you'd never pick up on your own, but a friend strong-armed you into reading it? And then you're caught off guard when you absolutely LOVE it? I hope that The Lock Artist by Steve Hamilton becomes that book for you, because it was for me. The only difference between my hypothetical scenario and reality is that my "friend" was the American Library Association's annual Alex Awards which "are given to ten books written for adults that have special appeal to young adults," not an actual friend.
Michael is an 18-year-old who has a gift; he can open pretty much anything with a lock. Bike locks, padlocks, combination locks, key locks, safes, gym lockers - if it locks, he can open it. While Michael uses his lock picking abilities as a way to pass the time, once other people find out about his talent, they realize he is a commodity. But his "special gift" isn't the most interesting, or odd, thing about him. Michael hasn't spoken since he was eight years old; he hasn't uttered a word since the night both of his parents died which has earned him the nickname "The Miracle Boy."
There is little else I can tell you about The Lock Artist without giving away some minor and major plot points. I can tell you that Hamilton writes his main character with an incredible voice. And yes, I know saying that about a character that doesn't speak is sort of ironic, but it's true. Michael speaks directly to the reader and recounts the events leading up to his current predicament, which involves a prison cell and an orange jumpsuit, and is a believable and consistent character from the first few lines of the story to the final chapter. You root for him. You yell at him. You want good things for him. And most of all, you desperately want to know what happened to him that day back when he was eight years old. (You find out eventually, and even after reading 3/4th of the book with a huge build up of the mystery surrounding it, I was both surprised and immediately satisfied.)
And Michael isn't the only good thing about this book - his friends, relatives, and (ahem) business associates are varied and interesting and real. I loved Julian and Ramona and even the token sassy-but-damaged teenage girl is more complex than she initially appears to be. And the sequencing! I loved the way Hamilton played with time and sequence to keep the pacing fresh, interesting, and it never let the story get too heavy with the crime/first love/trauma details. Just when I was ready for a break from Lock Picking 101, the story went back to when Michael was 10. And when I was ready for something other than the teenage, angst-filled romance, it was time for slick criminal Mike to take over. Truly, this may be a crime/suspense novel, but in my opinion it is completely character driven.
Like I said in the beginning, based on the back-of-book description this is 100% not something I'd have ever picked up on my own, but I am SO glad I did. Now I'm looking forward to reading a few more of the Alex Award winners I have in my Goodreads list! And, if you're into that kind of thing, The Lock Artist also won an Edgar Award (presented by Mystery Writers of America) for Best Novel in 2011.
Final Word: If you enjoy great storytelling, rich characters, and the occasional "Wow, I didn't see THAT coming!" moment that makes complete and total sense once you think about it, read this book. Also, the audiobook version is fan-freaking-tastic - I can't recommend it enough!
You know how sometimes you read a book that you'd never pick up on your own, but a friend strong-armed you into reading it? And then you're caught off guard when you absolutely LOVE it? I hope that The Lock Artist by Steve Hamilton becomes that book for you, because it was for me. The only difference between my hypothetical scenario and reality is that my "friend" was the American Library Association's annual Alex Awards which "are given to ten books written for adults that have special appeal to young adults," not an actual friend.
Michael is an 18-year-old who has a gift; he can open pretty much anything with a lock. Bike locks, padlocks, combination locks, key locks, safes, gym lockers - if it locks, he can open it. While Michael uses his lock picking abilities as a way to pass the time, once other people find out about his talent, they realize he is a commodity. But his "special gift" isn't the most interesting, or odd, thing about him. Michael hasn't spoken since he was eight years old; he hasn't uttered a word since the night both of his parents died which has earned him the nickname "The Miracle Boy."
There is little else I can tell you about The Lock Artist without giving away some minor and major plot points. I can tell you that Hamilton writes his main character with an incredible voice. And yes, I know saying that about a character that doesn't speak is sort of ironic, but it's true. Michael speaks directly to the reader and recounts the events leading up to his current predicament, which involves a prison cell and an orange jumpsuit, and is a believable and consistent character from the first few lines of the story to the final chapter. You root for him. You yell at him. You want good things for him. And most of all, you desperately want to know what happened to him that day back when he was eight years old. (You find out eventually, and even after reading 3/4th of the book with a huge build up of the mystery surrounding it, I was both surprised and immediately satisfied.)
And Michael isn't the only good thing about this book - his friends, relatives, and (ahem) business associates are varied and interesting and real. I loved Julian and Ramona and even the token sassy-but-damaged teenage girl is more complex than she initially appears to be. And the sequencing! I loved the way Hamilton played with time and sequence to keep the pacing fresh, interesting, and it never let the story get too heavy with the crime/first love/trauma details. Just when I was ready for a break from Lock Picking 101, the story went back to when Michael was 10. And when I was ready for something other than the teenage, angst-filled romance, it was time for slick criminal Mike to take over. Truly, this may be a crime/suspense novel, but in my opinion it is completely character driven.
Like I said in the beginning, based on the back-of-book description this is 100% not something I'd have ever picked up on my own, but I am SO glad I did. Now I'm looking forward to reading a few more of the Alex Award winners I have in my Goodreads list! And, if you're into that kind of thing, The Lock Artist also won an Edgar Award (presented by Mystery Writers of America) for Best Novel in 2011.
Final Word: If you enjoy great storytelling, rich characters, and the occasional "Wow, I didn't see THAT coming!" moment that makes complete and total sense once you think about it, read this book. Also, the audiobook version is fan-freaking-tastic - I can't recommend it enough!
pqimparfait's review against another edition
5.0
a few images i adored:
- michael's pagers, inherited from the Ghost. the Ghost marked them with pieces of colorful tape.
- the white pager -- these guys are money in the bank, the consummate professionals.
- the Ghost's stonehenge of safes
- Julian, Ramona, Lucy in the club, Ocean's Eleven style
- Gunnar explains to Michael he's cranked up the heat in the house they're robbing to neutralize as much as possible infrared fluctuations from their body heat
- michael's pagers, inherited from the Ghost. the Ghost marked them with pieces of colorful tape.
- the white pager -- these guys are money in the bank, the consummate professionals.
- the Ghost's stonehenge of safes
- Julian, Ramona, Lucy in the club, Ocean's Eleven style
- Gunnar explains to Michael he's cranked up the heat in the house they're robbing to neutralize as much as possible infrared fluctuations from their body heat
jbragg6625's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
lemonadee's review against another edition
3.0
Not too 'too good for words' as the NYT said in the cover. Pretty average imo. The romance is right up my alley though.
jcbmathcat's review against another edition
4.0
I was torn between four and five stars for this book. I love when a book grabs me from the beginning and then I want to do nothing other than read it. The Lock Artist was such a book for me.
It was written in a non-linear format, which sometimes bothers me. In this case, I felt as if it added to the unfolding of the story.
The main character is a young man who finds he has an excellent talent for picking locks. Even though he ends up committing crimes, the reader likes him. It's almost as if he has no control over where life takes him because of this skill.
He has also not spoken for ten years, due to something that happened when he was 8 years old. He is known as the Miracle Boy, and this traumatic event is alluded to throughout the book.
I don't want to give away any more of the plot, as this is a glorious read and the less you know going in, the better it will be.
I would give it 4.5 stars.
It was written in a non-linear format, which sometimes bothers me. In this case, I felt as if it added to the unfolding of the story.
The main character is a young man who finds he has an excellent talent for picking locks. Even though he ends up committing crimes, the reader likes him. It's almost as if he has no control over where life takes him because of this skill.
He has also not spoken for ten years, due to something that happened when he was 8 years old. He is known as the Miracle Boy, and this traumatic event is alluded to throughout the book.
I don't want to give away any more of the plot, as this is a glorious read and the less you know going in, the better it will be.
I would give it 4.5 stars.
rachelkiwi's review against another edition
4.0
There are a few authors' blogs that I read regularly... hoping that they will announce Western PA tour dates or post snippets of upcoming titles to hold me over until faraway release dates. This weekend, Maggie Stiefvater, author of The Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy (that Sara exposed me to) and the more recent YA release, The Scorpio Races, posted about a book she enjoyed. So, using the same philosophy that is behind the idea that "the enemy of my enemy is my friend," I realized that a favorite author of one of my favorite authors is bound to be a favorite author of mine, too. Or something.
So that's why I ran out to Barnes and Noble and used my last remaining gift card from Christmas (that is restraint, I tell you. It's the middle of January!) to grab The Lock Artist.
It's the story of Mike, "the Miracle Boy" from industrial Michigan, who survives something terrible that happened to him when he was eight-years-old. Something so terrible that his story made big-time news and so terrible that he hasn't spoken a word since. Now, ten years later, he lives with his liquor-store-owning uncle in a depressed part of town and still lives that fateful day from his past over and over again. It turns out that Silent Mike has two talents: one reputable and one disreputable. He's a really good artist... and he can pick any lock and break any combination. One night of drunken teenage stupidity changes Mike's life forever. It's the night that simultaneously leads him to the girl he wants to find his voice for and the man who will take away his freedom and innocence.
This is one of those books that leaves you raw. Mike tells his story himself, from prison, some time in the future. He's brutally honest in his account of his criminal misdeeds, even though he's seen and done some pretty gnarly things. From a first-person POV, he interweaves the two strands of his life: his messed-up life pre- and post- indoctrination into the seedy underworld of criminalia (That should be a word. But the squiggly red line under it in my draft says otherwise). Ultimately, the strands lead to the events that locked him, the lock artist, behind bars--and yes, he eventually shares the terrible event that silenced him when he was eight. I can't totally describe the interwoven time-strands. Because I don't think I've ever read a book that bounced through time in quite the same way, into a seamless ending where the strands line up perfectly. However it happened, it worked. There's a lot of detailed information about picking locks and breaking into safes that somehow never gets repetitive, even though I couldn't understand half of it. Hamilton manages to intrigue with every lock and every safe.
Incidentally, Mike reminds me a lot of the character of Sam from Linger, Shiver, and Forever, by Maggie Stiefvater. They both have had tragic childhoods that cause them to lose their families and neither really fits in until each meets the Girl Who Changes Everything. Sam and Mike both strike me to be similar physically: cute, with shaggy dark hair. Mike is repeatedly called "beautiful" by girls in The Lock Artist. Which is an adjective I wholeheartedly endorse to describe men. Handsome is an emotionless word. Sure, it expresses that a man is well-put-together and aesthetically pleasing in a generally symmetrical manner. But beautiful expresses more than just handsomeness. It's a word that expresses feeling and character. Mike can be beautiful, even with the sadness in his eyes and his broken voice.
Something I've been enjoying lately is the Subtle Love Story. Readers are probably natural voyeurs, but characters in a book deserve a little privacy to carry on their love affairs. I love that, even though we know that Amelia and Mike are in love, we don't see everything of how they got there. We don't have a play-by-play of their shenanigans in the bedroom, even though we know they're in there. But that doesn't make the feelings less strong. It doesn't make the moments they share less beautiful. Sometimes less is more. I'm not just talking about sex here. But sometimes that's what it comes down to. End scene, dim the lights, give the lovers some privacy. And Mike (or Steve Hamilton) gets that. This is where he dims the lights (figuratively and literally, probably):
She took my hand and led me back to her bed.
This beautiful line from Gone with the Wind popped into my head when I read the love scenes from The Lock Artist:
She was darkness and he was darkness and there had never been anything before this time, only darkness and his lips upon her.
Rating: 4/5 stars. Original, suspenseful, heart-wrenching. An action read with heart. Now, I'm off to get some bobby pins and safety pins and see what I can do about the locks around here...
www.rachelkiwi.blogspot.com
So that's why I ran out to Barnes and Noble and used my last remaining gift card from Christmas (that is restraint, I tell you. It's the middle of January!) to grab The Lock Artist.
It's the story of Mike, "the Miracle Boy" from industrial Michigan, who survives something terrible that happened to him when he was eight-years-old. Something so terrible that his story made big-time news and so terrible that he hasn't spoken a word since. Now, ten years later, he lives with his liquor-store-owning uncle in a depressed part of town and still lives that fateful day from his past over and over again. It turns out that Silent Mike has two talents: one reputable and one disreputable. He's a really good artist... and he can pick any lock and break any combination. One night of drunken teenage stupidity changes Mike's life forever. It's the night that simultaneously leads him to the girl he wants to find his voice for and the man who will take away his freedom and innocence.
This is one of those books that leaves you raw. Mike tells his story himself, from prison, some time in the future. He's brutally honest in his account of his criminal misdeeds, even though he's seen and done some pretty gnarly things. From a first-person POV, he interweaves the two strands of his life: his messed-up life pre- and post- indoctrination into the seedy underworld of criminalia (That should be a word. But the squiggly red line under it in my draft says otherwise). Ultimately, the strands lead to the events that locked him, the lock artist, behind bars--and yes, he eventually shares the terrible event that silenced him when he was eight. I can't totally describe the interwoven time-strands. Because I don't think I've ever read a book that bounced through time in quite the same way, into a seamless ending where the strands line up perfectly. However it happened, it worked. There's a lot of detailed information about picking locks and breaking into safes that somehow never gets repetitive, even though I couldn't understand half of it. Hamilton manages to intrigue with every lock and every safe.
Incidentally, Mike reminds me a lot of the character of Sam from Linger, Shiver, and Forever, by Maggie Stiefvater. They both have had tragic childhoods that cause them to lose their families and neither really fits in until each meets the Girl Who Changes Everything. Sam and Mike both strike me to be similar physically: cute, with shaggy dark hair. Mike is repeatedly called "beautiful" by girls in The Lock Artist. Which is an adjective I wholeheartedly endorse to describe men. Handsome is an emotionless word. Sure, it expresses that a man is well-put-together and aesthetically pleasing in a generally symmetrical manner. But beautiful expresses more than just handsomeness. It's a word that expresses feeling and character. Mike can be beautiful, even with the sadness in his eyes and his broken voice.
Something I've been enjoying lately is the Subtle Love Story. Readers are probably natural voyeurs, but characters in a book deserve a little privacy to carry on their love affairs. I love that, even though we know that Amelia and Mike are in love, we don't see everything of how they got there. We don't have a play-by-play of their shenanigans in the bedroom, even though we know they're in there. But that doesn't make the feelings less strong. It doesn't make the moments they share less beautiful. Sometimes less is more. I'm not just talking about sex here. But sometimes that's what it comes down to. End scene, dim the lights, give the lovers some privacy. And Mike (or Steve Hamilton) gets that. This is where he dims the lights (figuratively and literally, probably):
She took my hand and led me back to her bed.
This beautiful line from Gone with the Wind popped into my head when I read the love scenes from The Lock Artist:
She was darkness and he was darkness and there had never been anything before this time, only darkness and his lips upon her.
Rating: 4/5 stars. Original, suspenseful, heart-wrenching. An action read with heart. Now, I'm off to get some bobby pins and safety pins and see what I can do about the locks around here...
www.rachelkiwi.blogspot.com