|
Movies •Books •Music •Food •Tv Shows •Technology •Politics •Video Games •Parenting •Fashion •Green Living •more >

Lunch » Tags » Book » Reviews » The Winter Thief

The Winter Thief

1 rating: 4.0
A book by Jenny White

In the bitter winter of 1888, police in Istanbul confiscate a shipload of illegal firearms, and the Imperial Ottoman Bank is blown up, killing many bystanders. Suspicion falls on a socialist commune being organized in the eastern mountains. Investigating, … see full wiki

Author: Jenny White
Genre: Historical Fiction, mystery/suspense
Publisher: W. W. Norton
Date Published: February 21, 2011
ISBN: 9780393338843
1 review about The Winter Thief
Showing 1-1 of 1
Sort by:

Dark but well-written historical mystery set in 1888 in Istanbul

  • Mar 25, 2011
Rating:
+4

"The Winter Thief" is a historical mystery set in 1888 in Istanbul and in some rural villages along the border with Russia. This book was the third in the series and may spoil events in the previous novels, however, you don't need to read them to understand this one. It wasn't until I was about to write this review that I even realized this book was a part of a series.

The vivid setting details and historical political and everyday details were expertly woven into the story, bringing it alive in my imagination without slowing the pace or falling into a history lesson. The suspense was created by mystery, physical danger, and relationship tensions. Curiosity about what happened to or would happen to the characters kept me turning the pages. However, it's a rather dark novel and included torture and a lot of people dying needlessly for Vahid's ambition.

The characters were interesting, complex, and realistic. The author did an excellent job of letting the reader know why people were acting the way they were and it was consistent with their background. She even worked some subtle symbolism into various scenes.

There was a minor amount of cussing and swearing. There was one page containing a graphic sex scene and several very brief but sometimes graphic scenes of torture and rape. Overall, I found the novel very well written even though I didn't really enjoy the story. While realistic, the story was too depressing for me to enjoy. However, if you're in the mood for a dark story and like historicals, I'd recommend this one.

I received a review copy of this novel from the publisher.

What did you think of this review?

Helpful
3
Thought-Provoking
3
Fun to Read
3
Well-Organized
3
Post a Comment
May 02, 2011
Had you read the other books in the series before reading this one? Sounds like an interesting historical mystery.
May 03, 2011
No, I haven't read any of the other novels in this series. This review copy showed up unexpectedly at my doorstep and it looked interesting, so I read it. :) I've actually heard that the previous novels are a little less depressing, so I might look them up someday.
May 04, 2011
Well, nice to know that you were able to jump into the series and not miss too much or enjoy this read less. I love when books show up unexpectedly on my doorstep too! Email me the other reviews once/if you read the rest of the books in the series. :)
 
1
What's your opinion on The Winter Thief?
rate
1 rating: +4.0
You have exceeded the maximum length.
Photos
The Winter Thief
Related Topics
The Reader

A novel by Bernhard Schlink

Mistress of the Art of Death, Ariana Franklin

historical fiction by Ariana Franklin

The Last Kingdom, Book Cover

A Novel by Bernard Cornwell

The Beekeeper's Apprentice

novel by Laurie R. King

rate more like 'The Winter Thief'
First to Review

"Dark but well-written historical mystery set in 1888 in Istanbul"
© 2013 Lunch.com, LLC All Rights Reserved
Lunch.com - Relevant reviews by real people.
()
This is you!
Ranked #
Last login
Member since
reviews
comments
ratings
questions
compliments
lists