An Honourable Thief
by Douglas Skelton
Company of Rogues book #1
My rating: ★★★★☆
GENRE : #HistoricalFiction #ActionMystery #HardBoiledVibes
Actually 3.7 stars rounded up to 4.
It really took me a long time to get into the book and to get fond of the characters but finally, almost halfway through the novel I felt involved in the plot.
The author divided the story into 3 MAIN PARTS.
-----> Part 1:
It starts with a lot of action and humorous lines by the main character, the villains, and the people around himI generally love action and humorous books. I dare say that action+humour+mystery-or-and-adventure is the perfect mix for me, but I had a great problem with this story.
The humorous lines felt so forced, and the dialogues with jokes so long that they sound ridiculous, It felt like reading an old hard-boiled detective novel starring Sam Spade ( do you know The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett ? ) combined with a femme fatale or some comic book starring Spider-Man or Batman... I expected to read "boom, splash, boing, gulp, crack and so on" at any moment !
I assume the author wrote PART 1 as a sort of introduction to the hero and his lifestyle... but there were too many chapters full of action and jokes with no real substance... it felt more like a competition between the hero and his adversaries to prove who was the coolest.
___ THE PLOT begins in earnest with Jonas Flint, the hero, who—despite having been a thief and a scoundrel—works as a sort of secret agent for an important figure who, in turn, works for the monarchy. The action I was talking about takes place during a mission where the character shows off all his James Bond skills, using guns, swords, and daggers, all while cracking jokes non-stop during the fighting. We are in 1715 London, and the main mission of the book is to recover a document written by the dying queen, which could compromise the future of the throne and the stability of England at a time when Jacobite uprisings are already causing unrest and death.
Part 1 also introduces the historical setting of the novel.
When a sovereign has no direct heirs there's always great tension and a high risk of riots, revolts, and wars to gain power...
-----> Part 2:
It was a little more serious and far better than the first.It takes the reader into the hero's past and deeper into the patriotic feelings of the people, especially the Scots towards the English monarchy, in the daily difficulties of common people and in the callousness that, at that time, saw slavery as normal.
The intelligence, sensitivity, and goodness of heart of a few people were unfortunately suppressed by the arrogance of the wealthy and those of aristocratic rank.
In this second part there is no shortage of moments of lightness or witty jokes, but here I was able to appreciate them because they were well-dosed (not too many or forced) and skillfully mixed with deep feelings and emotions.
In this second part I began to grow fond of the characters and suffered with them in their difficult moments.
Although Jonas' mission was always his primary goal, the second part explores the introspective side of the main character and his family/friends more thoroughly.
Talking about characters, the main ones are fictional, but they are well-blended with real historical figures, and you'll find many clarifications on the matter in the author's final notes.
-----> Part 3:
It is also interesting and engaging.Even if it's more focused on the main mission (to recover the important and dangerous document), all the events of the second part come to a head.
There are a couple of very important twists, and while one is a little bit predictable (I saw that one coming!), the other is truly surprising—and I have to warn you: it's a little sad and bitter.
👉Overall, I'm happy to say that I liked the book, and I'm thinking of reading the next one in the series too.
The series is named "Company of Rogues" and it consists of three books total.
Each book works as a standalone, but I think that reading all three in a row gives the reader a more complete understanding of Jonas Flint’s soul. This is very important because Jonas isn't a flawless hero; I must admit that at the beginning, I wasn't happy to have a protagonist who killed people left and right, even if they were villains. But his past helps the reader to accept him, and in this first book, we eventually see the good sides of his soul and the shame he feels for having led a certain kind of life.
WARNING : Some crude and bloody scenes are present in the book, and the language used by certain characters is quite vulgar.
I hope my opinion and impressions have been useful in helping you decide whether or not to read this historical fiction.
Thank you all for stopping by and reading my thoughts.
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