This must be the season for wonderful thrillers. I had admired Steve Hamilton’s private eye series, featuring Alex McKnight, during its early years, but stopped following him some time ago. Glowing reviews of his new standalone The Lock Artist: A Novel drew me back and thank goodness for that, for this is one of the cleverest, most engaging books I’ve read this year. The complex plot follows Michael, a youthful ‘boxman,’ what we know here in Australia as a safe cracker, through the early years of his dangerous career. Hamilton alternates two separate storylines, constructed highly intriguingly to slowly reveal Michael’s tragic childhood. The author uses an intimate, chatty first-person style that enfolds the reader, and his descriptions of safe cracking techniques are fascinating. Not a word is wasted, and the mystery and tension make for a breathless read.
The Lock Artist is an original and compelling pleasure. 4 stars.