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85th out of 88 books
—
147 voters
Thick as Thieves
Ex-CIA Carr is the reluctant leader of an elite crew planning a robbery of such extraordinary proportions that it will leave them set for life. Diamonds, money laundering, and extortion go into a timed-to-the-minute scheme that unfurls across South America, Miami, and Grand Cayman Island. Carr's cohorts are seasoned pros, but they're wound drum-tight - months before, the m...more
Audio CD
Published
July 26th 2011
by Dreamscape Media
(first published January 1st 2011)
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I love suspense and thrillers and Spiegelman's style of writing grabbed me right at the start. I wish I could say it held me throughout. The plot has a great premise and the characters came alive on the pages. But soon the flashbacks started and I was continually transported out of the immediacy of the story, as Carr lost himself in his past. A few of these flashbacks would have added substance. For me, the repetition far surpassed necessity and grew to be irritating.
The plot at times became a...more
The plot at times became a...more
One last job and Carr is done. Everyone says it at one time or another, even going as far as making a game of what they will do after. Carr does none of it. He has no illusions on the afterward. He just knows this is it.
As Mr. Boyce’s right hand, Tina keeps her finger on the pulse of everything concerning his interests. What is going down on the Prager job is of the utmost importance.
Ever since Deke’s death, this job has become an albatross around Carr’s neck. Something about Deke’s death has hi...more
As Mr. Boyce’s right hand, Tina keeps her finger on the pulse of everything concerning his interests. What is going down on the Prager job is of the utmost importance.
Ever since Deke’s death, this job has become an albatross around Carr’s neck. Something about Deke’s death has hi...more
As standalone novels recounting tales of thefts go, this story of a gang that shows little trust in each other, despite huge paydays, is so riveting and well-written that it deserves a sequel. It tells the story of Carr, drummed out of the CIA for a temperament not deemed suitable for supervising agents or informers, but has a talent for planning and watching the slightest details during an operation, is recruited to join a band of thieves who undertake grand monetary thefts.
The bulk of the nove...more
The bulk of the nove...more
I'm a sucker for heist movies and con artist movies, but don't tend to read their print brethren, there's something about the genre that just seems inherently visual. However, I was due for a little light reading and so I picked this heist novel up. It's about a gang of thieves whom we meet as they are starting on their grand finale -- the big job that will cap their careers, and see them all sail into the sunset, never to see each other again (hmm, never heard that one before!). Their MO is to...more
Spiegelman, Peter. THICK AS THIEVES. (2011). ****.
This is an excellent thriller based on a caper designed to rid a money launderer of his wealth by transferring it to the pockets of the thieves. The crew is headed up by Carr, an ex-CIA agent who has hand-picked his crew. He has attracted the right people with the promise that this job will set them up for life. The number he throws out is $3.5 million, but the depth of the laundering accounts is much, much deeper than that. There is also the ex...more
This is an excellent thriller based on a caper designed to rid a money launderer of his wealth by transferring it to the pockets of the thieves. The crew is headed up by Carr, an ex-CIA agent who has hand-picked his crew. He has attracted the right people with the promise that this job will set them up for life. The number he throws out is $3.5 million, but the depth of the laundering accounts is much, much deeper than that. There is also the ex...more
A little backstory on this one if you’ll bear with me…
Peter Spiegelman lives in Connecticut. A few of our patrons have told me they really enjoyed his fast paced heist thriller, Thick As Thieves.
My mind begins to work. I’m looking for an author for our 4th Annual Connecticut Author Trail. Spiegelman’s from Connecticut. This author, this book sounds like a marriage made in heaven. Not so fast, CarolK. You’ve got to convince Mr. Spiegelman to visit. Well, that’s another story. Keep your fingers c...more
Peter Spiegelman lives in Connecticut. A few of our patrons have told me they really enjoyed his fast paced heist thriller, Thick As Thieves.
My mind begins to work. I’m looking for an author for our 4th Annual Connecticut Author Trail. Spiegelman’s from Connecticut. This author, this book sounds like a marriage made in heaven. Not so fast, CarolK. You’ve got to convince Mr. Spiegelman to visit. Well, that’s another story. Keep your fingers c...more
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A good crime novel keeps you guessing, keeps you questioning everything you read and wondering when the twists are going to come. And even better, a good crime novel delivers on the guesswork, leaves you wondering how you didn't see some of the twists coming, even if you might not be exactly happy with the ultimate outcome of the book. Peter Spiegelman's Thick as Thieves is definitely a good crime novel.
Carr is the leader of a group of thieves planning a gigantic heist, involving money launderin...more
Carr is the leader of a group of thieves planning a gigantic heist, involving money launderin...more
Possible spoiler alert! I've enjoyed all Peter Spiegelman's books in the John March series which I would highly recommend by the way, this one took a bit longer for it to truly engage me. I think this was probably due to the first half of the book being a little slow moving and repetitive as Carr reminisces about his mother and Declan - the former leader of the criminal crew he now leads and probes the circumstances of his death while dealing with the deteriorating health of his father and how t...more
3.5 stars. You know, this was a little slow getting into it, and I was irritated because it got such a great glowing review on Entertainment Weekly that I couldn't originally understand, but I decided to stick with it (it took me about 100 pages) because I've been flaking on book club books this summer, and I just wanted to commit, dangit! And I'm glad I did. It really was a fun, twisty little romp. Carr is the ringleader of this gang of thieves, trying to rob some major broker who's a creep him...more
I was impressed by this caper-thriller by Peter Spiegleman. What could have easily devolved into an Ocean's 11 or Mission Impossible type gang caper played for laughs, was instead a tautly designed complex thriller with twists and turns to keep the reader turning the pages. There are no real hero good guys here - only bad guys and even badder guys. And instead of heisting a casino these guys are after the bank accounts of a big time money launderer.
Carr is a washed out CIA operative with a damag...more
Carr is a washed out CIA operative with a damag...more
As quickly as I finished my last book (quick because it was a simple YA novel), I finished this one just as quickly because it really gripped me. Sure, it's the sort of story you've heard a bit before, or seen in the movies (The Italian Job, Ocean's whatever, The Town), but Peter Spiegelman ups the ante by making his novel smarter than all those ones combined (I imagine it will be made into a movie soon too). Spiegelman's Wall Street background no doubt helps with this, but he really puts a lot...more
Hart heads a big-time theft team whose past is shadowed by a fatally unsuccessful job that he had recommended against. Now he leads a team that has some serious relational undercurrents, some of which raise fears of another betrayed job. Spiegelman ratchets up tension nicely, and is good at the details of getting around security systems, suborning insiders, and financing jobs. (The financer of this particular job, and his hit-woman, bring another dimension of dread to the proceedings.) Hart gnaw...more
A fun heist novel. The pace was great -- the pace never stopped zipping along, but not in a way that made it feel forced. There may have been some holes in the plot, but I missed most of them because I kept reading along so quickly, wanting to find out what happened next. Carr was an interesting character with a lot of depth, but the rest of the people in the novel were fairly flat. This would've been perfect vacation reading: not so complicated that you had to pay too much attention, but fast-p...more
Carr is ex the boss of a sting operation. He is mascarading as a diamond seller. As an ex CIA man, he has lots of experience in espionage and things not being what they seem. But he misses many of the clues about what is going on. That is the part that makes this a three star book for me instead of a four star book. The character is not quite believable enough. He should not have missed so much. But the characters in the book are generally engaging, travel all around the world and the action goe...more
This is the story of a gang of top notch criminals who are planning a major heist. They have worked together for a number of years. Their previous job went badly wrong and two of their members were killed, including their leader, Declan. Carr, a former CIA operative, has stepped into Declan's shoes and is co-ordinating the team for one final heist: a big job that will set them all up for retirement. However the team are restless, paranoid and don't necessarily like Carr. Carr himself is increasi...more
Pretty good heist caper. Not as good as his Spiegelman's regular series, though. The final reveal left me a little cold, for spoiler-ish reasons I won't discuss. As always, great characters, and I love the way that Spiegelman incorporates family history into the narrative here as well. The plot is very Elmore Leonard, but the prose is much more conventional. Definitely worth reading, but if you're only going to read one Spiegelman I'd start with Black Maps.
This book had been sitting on my "to read" shelf, both literally and figuratively, for months now. It surprised me for several reasons and yes, the comparisons to 'Ocean's Eleven' are somewhat deserved. 'Thick as Thieves' starts to distinguish itself very quickly as Carr, the lead character, tries to unravel why he's so nervous about an upcoming job. It will take you in many different directions and to many different destinations. Enjoy the ride.
Don't get it. This book was very well reviewed by a number of publications -- NYT, WSJ. So I ordered it from the library. It was so disappointing. There were a gazillion flash backs glued together by tedious descriptions and characters straight out of central casting. Think Ocean's Eleven. The heist scenes were fast paced, but otherwise the book was dreadfully boring.
Marilyn Stasio in her NYT column praised this book, and for good reason. It features strong characterizations and a compelling plot. Thick as Thieves is fundamentally about trust. Can Carr believe his colleagues? While working his current job, his aging father compels his attention. This is a classic "nothing is what is seems" trope and Piegelman succeeds very well in delivering an entertaining read.
Good heist story - Carr is an ex-CIA agent working with a gang of skilled thieves who only target extremely wealthy bad guys. The last big job they will pull starts with the theft of $3,000,000 worth of diamonds which will be the bait for the real heist. The details are interesting, there is, of course, multi-layered treachery. A good read.
Finished the book but not sure what to say. It had a final turn that I was expecting and so the story ends on a positive note. It is pretty easy to read but not my kind of action story. I was looking for something more from main character Carr. It is an intriguing storyline of stealing from other thieves. Probably won't read anything else from this author.
If you like a good caper, then this is a good choice. I could hardly put it down. I suspect this will be the first in a series. Intriguing characters, plot twists I did not see coming, fun locations, a spy angle: what's not to like? Would make a wonderful movie.
An interesting crime caper ( I guess some would call it). Nt so much caper for me, just a strong story, well told, with some strong characters (and some very unfleshed out ones) that I really enjoyed. It was not trying to be the next big thing. the action scenes were nicely handled and no overdone. All in all, a good tale and probably worth 3.75 stars
While Spiegelman's book gets off to a slow start, and initially it is hard to find any sympathy for its main characters, the book soon takes off, offering twists and turns that are both surprising and logical. An excellent thriller!
Nov 09, 2011
Jayw
added it
Program coordinator for high end criminal organization has to deal with backstabbing staff and meddlesome and violent sponsors as his team navigates a series of thefts leading to the $100 million pot at the end of the rainbow.
I liked this book, he kept you guessing who was friend or foe. I like his series better, but it seems each book he gains confidence, I haven't started a book of his and not finished and I'll be looking for his next...
I found this author's name in Reed Coleman's Moe Prager books. There's an obvious connection because one of Spiegelman's characters is named Prager (no relation - sorry). Complicated financial goings-on, lots of twists and who-can-you-trusts.
just about any mystery story tries to have a few twists to keep you reading. this one managed to actually surprise me. twice. :)
spiegelman writes well. his style doesn't get in the way of the story, it lets you jump into it.
spiegelman writes well. his style doesn't get in the way of the story, it lets you jump into it.
I've read Spiegelman's earlier works and so my expectations for this were high, because I really enjoyed each of those. This latest work was good, but I was somewhat disappointed and did not feel it lived up quality of the earlier stuff. Thieves had too many flashbacks, that after a while just didn't seem relevant. They left me with an unfocused feeling throughout the book. In the end a small twist to kind of explain them, but by that time it was too late for me, and not that big a surprise. I d...more
Really loved it. Twists and turns and dark alleys and false leads everywhere. Loved the characters and had no clue where the story was going but desperately wanted to know.
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Peter Spiegelman is a twenty-year veteran of the financial services and software industries. He retired in 2001 to devote himself to writing. He lives in Connecticut.
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