The Thief
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3.5 • 78 Ratings
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
A literary crime masterpiece that follows a Japanese pickpocket lost to the machinations of fate. Bleak and oozing existential dread, The Thief is simply unforgettable.
The Thief is a seasoned pickpocket. Anonymous in his tailored suit, he weaves in and out of Tokyo crowds, stealing wallets from strangers so smoothly sometimes he doesn’t even remember the snatch. Most people are just a blur to him, nameless faces from whom he chooses his victims. He has no family, no friends, no connections.... But he does have a past, which finally catches up with him when Ishikawa, his first partner, reappears in his life, and offers him a job he can’t refuse. It’s an easy job: tie up an old rich man, steal the contents of the safe. No one gets hurt. Only the day after the job does he learn that the old man was a prominent politician, and that he was brutally killed after the robbery. And now the Thief is caught in a tangle even he might not be able to escape.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Nakamura makes his English-language debut with this compelling look at a Tokyo pickpocket's life. The thief, eventually identified as Nishimura, leads an anonymous existence dependent on his ability to become as physically close as possible to others without drawing the slightest attention. Crime fans won't be surprised when outside entanglements compromise the peerlessly expert and solo Nishimura. While taking a protective interest in a prostitute's young son, a budding thief in his own right, Nishimura also becomes involved, at his former partner Ishiwaka's behest, with a home invasion. After the raid leaves an elderly politician dead, Nishimura finds himself under the thumb of its planner, the mysterious criminal mastermind Kizaki. Nakamura's memorable antihero, at once as believably efficient as Donald Westlake's Parker and as disaffected as a Camus protagonist, will impress genre and literary readers alike.
Customer Reviews
Enjoyable and Brief
Parts of the story were touching to me, and I was immersed by the way in which the thief had come to view life. Like other criticisms, I did find the ending abrupt, but it did provide a certain emotional impact.
Revised review
"Like others, I felt it ended abruptly after 128 pages. Did I not get the whole book? Enjoyed what I read, but..."
After thinking I did not get the whole book, I checked the print version and found that the version I received was complete. The abrupt ending was...well, an abrupt ending.
The best
I loved this book!! It is not the usual book you would see everyday and a nice twist.I read the psychical version of this book and it did end abruptly and I am eager to see if it's going to continue into a series.