I have always been a fan of Alexandre Dumas and the Musketeer novels, so when I find a new series that espouses the same sort of derring-do adventures set in the romantic era of the 17th century, I’m all over it. Sometimes I’m disappointed. Other times, I strike gold. And gold is exactly what I found when I read J.M. Aucoin’s new historical adventure novel, Honor Among Thieves.
The story opens in 1609 with our hero, erstwhile French solider-turned-highwayman, Darion Delerue, sitting in a smoky tavern, stalking his next mark. But far from being the typical ne’er-do-well soldier of fortune, we find as the story unfolds that Darion has a past full of secrets and a heart filled with honor. As he heads into Paris to rescue a fellow highwayman who was captured by the King’s Guards during a robbery and now languishes in a dank prison cell, he encounters the ghosts of his past – friends and foe alike – who ensnare him in a dangerous web of political intrigue and personal vendettas.
Darion is a classic conflicted soul, a character Mssr. Dumas, the master of the genre, would have had no trouble warming to. In fact, all of the characters in Honor Among Thieves are well-drawn and three dimensional. And lest you think that means this is a book of talking heads, let me assure you – there are more than enough well-written, excellently choreographed sword and pistol fights and other miscellaneous acts of derring-do to keep the action fan happy. All in all, it is a fun mix of exciting and dramatic story-telling, with characters you can’t help caring about.
Aucoin also does a great job with the setting. You can feel the chill air of a Parisian winter, smell the rotting sewage in the streets and marvel at the excess of the Louvre Palace. But unlike many historicals, the prose isn’t overburdened with extraneous and overly-gilded descriptions. You get the feel of the world with well-placed details – enough to sink you into the times, but not so much it overwhelms you.
Bottom line – if you’re a fan of historical adventure (and perhaps wanted to be Captain Blood or Don Diego de la Vega as a child like this reviewer did), you’ll definitely enjoy Honor Among Thieves.
“if you wanted to be Don Diego de la Vega as a child” – dangit, how did you know? That, or of course, a member of the League of the Scarlet Pimpernel!
As a child. Yes. Cough.
Oh the League of the Scarlet Pimpernel! Yes! I actually broke my ankle in high school recreating the sword fight on the turret stairs between Robin Hood and Sir Guy of Gisborne (Errol Flynn and Basil Rathbone, of course). But I’d NEVER do anything like that now… 🙂
A wound nobly won 🙂 Speaking of Basil Rathbone, have you seen The Court Jester? If not, I highly recommend it.
Ooo! I don’t think I’ve seen that. I’ll have to look it up. Thanks, Deborah! Loved that man. Still think Jeremy Brett was a better Holmes, but Mr. Rathbone was a brilliant actor in his own right
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