“I was the Miracle Boy, once upon a time. Later on, the Milford Mute. The Golden Boy. The Young Ghost. The Kid. The Boxman. The Lock Artist. That was all me. But you can call me Mike.” Marked by tragedy, traumatized at the age of eight, Michael, now eighteen, is no ordinary young man. Besides not uttering a single word in ten years, he discovers the one thing he can somehow do better than anyone … can somehow do better than anyone else. Whether it’s a locked door without a key, a padlock with no combination, or even an eight-hundred pound safe … he can open them all.
It’s an unforgivable talent. A talent that will make young Michael a hot commodity with the wrong people and, whether he likes it or not, push him ever close to a life of crime. Until he finally sees his chance to escape, and with one desperate gamble risks everything to come back home to the only person he ever loved, and to unlock the secret that has kept him silent for so long.
Steve Hamilton steps away from his Edgar Award-winning Alex McKnight series to introduce a unique new character, unlike anyone you’ve ever seen in the world of crime fiction.
The Lock Artist is the winner of the 2011 Edgar Award for Best Novel.
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The Lock Artist is one of my top ten favorite books of all time! It blew me away with its originality and voice. It’s about a boxman or safecracker named Mike who was rendered mute after a horrific childhood incident. Despite being mute, Mike has one of the most awesomely original voices in fiction. He reels you in during the first chapter and doesn’t let go as he tells you his story—taking you from that traumatic incident at 8 years old, to discovering his talent with locks, to a sordid career in theft and then eventual imprisonment. While those in the story aren’t privy to Mike’s thoughts and feeling, you as a reader are. Mike makes you feel as if he’s telling his story only to you, his confidant.
I worried the novel would get too technical with the ins-and-outs of safecracking, but the author walked the perfect line. I never lost interest in what was being explained because Hamilton never took it too far.
The Lock Artist doesn’t follow a traditional time sequence in its telling. It jumps around a lot (much like the TV show Damages or How to Get Away with Murder) but is never confusing. If anything the story sequencing makes the novel more gripping. It’s faced-paced and is a perfect beach or weekend read!
Verdict: A solidly paced, sure fire winner with a whip smart protagonist you’re going to love!
This is a book where we root for eighteen-year-old Mike Smith, the unreliable narrator who has been mute after a traumatic childhood experience. He compensates for not speaking by learning to pick locks. And he is very, very good. It’s no surprise his “talent” soon gets him in big trouble–especially since he doesn’t speak to defend himself. The book ends on an ambiguous note that seems to indicate Mike has more to say in another story.
A departure from his Paradise series but proof the man can write a compelling, imaginative, well-told story. This character & story will stick with you every time you turn a doorknob!
Great book with a unforgettable antagonist.
This is a one off from Steve Hamilton, outside of his long-running Alex McKnight novels and apart from his Nick Mason novels. I like The Lock Artist for its main character and the manner in which Hamilton develops him in arcane situations. The settings are detailed and of the quality that are so real you think you have been there.
Not one of his series books. Hamilton is a very competent writer. I liked it. Buy this book.
Fantastic read! I wish Steve Hamilton would write more books with this protagonist. I read so many police procedurals/crime/detective/mystery books. I’ve become extremely picky about the believability and originality of the story. This one is right along the top of my list!
Can not go wrong reading this novel…Will keep you up at nites!
amazing
Told in first person, the story takes you in deliberate fits and starts back through the life of a boy with an unusual talent. He can open any lock. He comes under the influence of less than wonderful members of the underworld, and has to find his way out in order to have the life he wants with the girl he loves. But all in all, an interesting look at locks and how they work, and the skills needed to deal with them. I didn’t quite understand some of the math that plays into cracking combination locks, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying entering this new and different world.
I really enjoyed this book. I can always tell when I’m sorry to finish a read.
my favorite book by that Hamilton fellow
I loved it – it made me want to be a safe cracker! Wouldn’t it be fascinating to be able to open mysterious vaults? This is the best of Steve Hamilton’s writings.
A narrator who does not speak is unusual, to say the least. I was unsure how he would develop relationships/communicate but it is handled beautifully. The tension becomes palpable and truly the book is a page-turner. I confess to skimming the details of the finessing of the locks, I can see that it would delight some readers, however. It’s a great read!
Very unusual and original