No Such Creature: A Novel

by: Giles Brunt

Published by: Harry Holt

Reviewed by: Sara Porter

Max and Owen Maxwell are just your typical uncle and nephew going on a family summer vacation- except that they are a duo of thieves.

Giles Blunt’s No Such Creature is a book that is amusing, touching, and at times suspenseful. The two protagonists, Max and Owen, travel the Southwest and crash swank Republican parties, making off with the party-goers’ jewels. It appears to be a fine life, until the duo are hit with problems including Max’ failing health, a mysterious young woman, and the Subtractors, a group of violent thieves who not only take other thieves’ spoils, but parts of their anatomy as well.

Max and Owen are brilliantly written characters, because they jerk the reader from tears to laughter and back again. A failed Shakespearean actor, Max is something of a ham in his performances as he practices various dialogues to fit his robbery disguises. Even though he is a criminal, the reader never believes that Max is a dangerous one. In fact, he hearkens back to the gentleman thieves of the past like A.J. Raffles and ArsÌ€ene Lupin, charismatic and charming. You want to listen to him even while counting your change afterward.

Owen is the more mature of the two, at times acting more like an adult than his elderly relative. Orphaned since he was 10, he sees a world beyond the thief’s life. He wants to attend Julliard in the fall and is worried about his uncle’s senility. Despite their differences the affection between the two is apparent. The two most touching scenes in the novel, where Max reveals a long-buried truth about Owen’s past , and a final robbery, reveal the love between the two fellow criminals.

Armchair Interviews says: A delightful 5-star. Check out his other books.

Author’s Web site: http://www.GilesBlunt.com