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A review by sde
The Lock Artist by Steve Hamilton
4.0
Very fast-paced, engrossing book. It is filed in the mystery section of my library, but it is more of a crime novel than a mystery. The 17 year old narrator is captivating. He cannot speak due to a childhood trauma which slowly unveils itself as the book moves on. He is a somewhat unwitting victim who gets caught up in organized crime, but he also accepts his own culpability and knows he could have turned away at several points.
The story goes back forth between two time periods about a year apart. I usually find skipping around in time distracting or confusing, but in this case it worked - and each chapter is clearly labelled as to where and when it takes place.
Although there is a fair bit of violence in this story, it is not dwelt upon. The author puts in the violence that is needed to tell his tale, but he does not put in a lot of gory detail. I really appreciated that, and it shows that he is a talented author that can really tell a story without relying on sensationalism.
The story points out how every seemingly minor decision a person makes can have an effect on his or her entire life, so be mindful every day of what you do.
The story goes back forth between two time periods about a year apart. I usually find skipping around in time distracting or confusing, but in this case it worked - and each chapter is clearly labelled as to where and when it takes place.
Although there is a fair bit of violence in this story, it is not dwelt upon. The author puts in the violence that is needed to tell his tale, but he does not put in a lot of gory detail. I really appreciated that, and it shows that he is a talented author that can really tell a story without relying on sensationalism.
The story points out how every seemingly minor decision a person makes can have an effect on his or her entire life, so be mindful every day of what you do.