"I was the Miracle Boy, once upon a time. Later on, the Milford Mute. The Golden Boy. The Young Ghost. The Kid. The Boxman. The Lock Artist. Th...
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Sep 22, 2011
Stephen
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18 year old Michael is an unusual young man for two very different reasons. First, he is a “natural” when it comes to the ART of lock-picking/safe cracking and this talent has made him an extremely valuable commodity to some rather dangerous folks. Second, Michael hasn’t uttered a single word for over ten years since he was traumatized by a singularly horrific event that occurred to him when he was only 8 years of age.
Michael’s journey in The Lock Artist is told in the first person More...
Michael’s journey in The Lock Artist is told in the first person More...
Jul 24, 2011
Kemper
rated it: 
How many times have I seen or read about a character picking a lock? I’m a crime/mystery fan so it’s gotta be in the hundreds. Maybe even over a thousand. It’s such a common cliché we don’t even think about anymore. A door is locked, and a character pulls out their little case with their tools and picks it . Yet this is the first story I’ve ever read that actually explains what it takes to pick a lock or open a safe. Surprise! It’s not as easy as it is in the movies, but it makes for a h
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Jul 18, 2011
Jeanette
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"Mute artistic safecracker" hardly sounds like a promising profile for the main character in a thriller, but it works. There's a lot of originality here that makes this fun to read.
Michael was rendered mute by a traumatic experience at age eight. Now he's in prison for a robbery gone very wrong, and he tells the story of how he ended up in his current situation. He alternates between two story lines that eventually converge (sort of). One is the story of his young li More...
Michael was rendered mute by a traumatic experience at age eight. Now he's in prison for a robbery gone very wrong, and he tells the story of how he ended up in his current situation. He alternates between two story lines that eventually converge (sort of). One is the story of his young li More...
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Apr 07, 2011
Mickie
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Dec 26, 2011
Scot
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This book won the 2011 Edgar Award for Best Novel of 2011 (Edgar Awards are given annually by the Mystery Writers of America). That means those in the business of writing mystery novels recognize the superior quality in this well crafted tale. I heartily concur.
It jumps back and forth in time, and teaches us how to become an expert safecracker along the way. The narrator is a distinctive young man, Michael--something terrible happened to him when he was a child, before he came to More...
It jumps back and forth in time, and teaches us how to become an expert safecracker along the way. The narrator is a distinctive young man, Michael--something terrible happened to him when he was a child, before he came to More...
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Mar 20, 2011
KarenC
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Received an advance reader's edition from a friend and was anxious to get started on it. Been looking forward to Steve Hamilton's newest effort and wasn't let down. While not part of the Alex McKnight series, this was a great standalone novel. It is much better written than Night Work.
Hamilton's approach to telling Michael's story is very different from anything he has done previously. Even though the time frame of the story is short, the central portion took place over a little more than a yea
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Oct 11, 2011
Robin
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I have read all of Steve Hamilton's books and maybe I am rating this one a little lower than it deserves because I was so disappointed that it was not a new Alex McKnight mystery. This is labeled a suspense/thriller but it appears to be more like a coming-of-age story. It reminded me of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. I thought that the main character being mute was a different twist. I like books with inside information and going inside the world of safe cracking was the only
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Feb 17, 2011
Jonathan
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The Lock Artist was a very intriguing novel about a mute safecracker. After a traumatic childhood experience, Michael never talks again. Through a series of incidents, he uncovers a real talent, even a gift, for cracking safes. Told in an interesting first person fashion, written as an autobiography, with alternating childhood and later chapters, I enjoyed it very much. Not a whole bunch really happened, but the story was told with real style. Micheal's experiences became yours and you really pu
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(2 people liked it)
Aug 02, 2011
RIP Robert Parker, and thank heavens for Steve Hamilton to write this methadone-like book for my Spenser addiction. If you like a good mystery, and by that I mean an actually mystery--not just a crime novel--complete with well-told story, you will enjoy this book. michael is the miracle boy--and the lock artist. something happened to him as a child, and although there's no physiological reason, he's left mute. this makes him the ultimate confidence man, by which i mean that if he's invited to pi
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Feb 08, 2012
apple
rated it: 
For a character who barely utters a single word throughout the entire novel, Michael the Miracle Boy manages to completely stun me with his storytelling. I really haven’t come across a book this riveting in quite some time. Something bad, really bad happened to Michael when he was eight years old and makes him lost the ability to speak. Michael however learns to cultivate other abilities like drawing, which he is exceptionally good at … and later on, he masters the refined art of safe cracking.
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Jan 29, 2012
Robert
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This is an outstanding book, both for its unlikely subject -- safecracking -- as well as its fast-paced plot and perfectly drawn characters, not a one of whom is a cliche (high praise in this era of derivative fiction and film). I could have read it all in one sitting, but chose to take my time . . . and get some sleep.
The main character and narrator, Michael, is unable to speak due to a trauma suffered in childhood, which he does not reveal to us until almost the end of the novel. Let's More...
The main character and narrator, Michael, is unable to speak due to a trauma suffered in childhood, which he does not reveal to us until almost the end of the novel. Let's More...
Jan 14, 2012
Maggie
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Wow, am I ever on a reading roll. Considering I normally adore fewer than ten novels in a year (about one in six or seven of the books that I read), it seems impossible that I should find another novel I adore so soon after reading Where Things Come Back. But I adored The Lock Artist. Those of you who read my review of Where Things Come Back will remember that I was longing for a book about guns and helicopters and magic, but found Things instead. Turns out that The Lock Artist was the book I wa
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(16 people liked it)
Sep 18, 2011
Ann
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At this point in time, who the hell needs me to tell him or her that this is an absolutely fabulous book? All the praise and awards it's already accumulated testify to that. The prose is simple and straightforward, almost deceptively so. A young man tells his story from a prison cell, pretending he's speaking directly to the reader. His earnest voice is stripped of artiface, distilled to exactly the words he needs to tell the short history of his life so far in. His succinctness makes sense
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Sep 01, 2011
Sarah-Greenbeanteenqueen
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About the Book: Michael is what's known as "boxman"-he has a talent for cracking safes. He was trained by The Ghost and works for a man in Detroit taking boxman jobs for hire. When he gets a call, he goes. As a kid, Michael survived a family tragedy during his childhood but hasn't uttered a word since, which makes him perfect as his job because he will never tell on anyone. Michael is passing his time by writing his story and recounting the journey that landed him in prison nine More...
Jul 08, 2011
Will
rated it:
I really enjoyed The Lock Artist for many reasons. Firstly it is quite an unusual angle into the criminal underworld, focusing on enough detail to keep you interested in what would otherwise be a fairly narrow topic but not giving enough away to be a training manual as the author states.
The story is told as exactly that, a story from the perspective of the main character which, whilst providing an interesting point of view perspective, somewhat detracts from the suspense – if he is telling More...
The story is told as exactly that, a story from the perspective of the main character which, whilst providing an interesting point of view perspective, somewhat detracts from the suspense – if he is telling More...
Jun 03, 2011
Barbara
rated it:
I didn't get much sleep last night, because The Lock Artist was compulsively fascinating. The premise of a mute teenager who is a genius at cracking locks and safes was too good a story gimmick. Hamilton has a wicked sense of timing and knows how to draw the reader forward, slowly and torturously, towards the solutions to the mysteries he has created.
Mike was traumatized as a young boy, but what happened isn't revealed until towards the end of the book. In the meantime, we learn that h More...
Mike was traumatized as a young boy, but what happened isn't revealed until towards the end of the book. In the meantime, we learn that h More...
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May 27, 2011
Jo
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I had never heard of Steve Hamilton before this book, but after reading this, he is an author I am deffinatly going to be reading again. The main character Micheal is a young man who cannot speak after witnessing some awful tragedy when he was small. A tragedy that we dont get to discover until quite a way into the book but by the time we do find out what happened, you have imagined all sorts of things but never exactly what did happen.
Micheal discovers when a kid that he has a way More...
Micheal discovers when a kid that he has a way More...
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May 03, 2011
Valerie
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An exciting and interesting book, fast-paced with good characterisation and a believable plot. A book you will want to keep on reading till the very end. A main character you will care about !
The story is told as a first person narration. It is the written thoughts of Michael and the pictures he draws to help him communicate . This is a voice you ‘hear’ loud and clearly.
Michael is mute
His story is told over four distinct time periods. The present, when he is ‘locked up t More...
The story is told as a first person narration. It is the written thoughts of Michael and the pictures he draws to help him communicate . This is a voice you ‘hear’ loud and clearly.
Michael is mute
His story is told over four distinct time periods. The present, when he is ‘locked up t More...
Apr 29, 2011
Adam
rated it:
This a great book originally written to my mind from the perspective of someone suffering the phycological after effects of an extremely traumatic childhood experience. Its great in many ways. The author sets up questions from the beginning by writing the main characters perspective at the present moment and reflecting on the way that the character got here today. Several of the main questions and ideas are left to the latter parts of the book to be revealed which kept me as a reader enthralled
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Apr 09, 2011
Barry
rated it: 
The problem of expectations – expect too much and disappointment ruins the tale. The Lock Artist appears on number of recommended or “Best” Lists and the premise, a teen-aged elective mute safecracker, sounds intriguing. It promised to be as original as Jonathan Lethem’s tour-de-force Motherless Brooklyn. Alas, this is not Motherless Brooklyn.
After a promising start, by cranking up the suspense by telling that our protagonist, Mike, suffered a traumatic event as a young child and wa More...
After a promising start, by cranking up the suspense by telling that our protagonist, Mike, suffered a traumatic event as a young child and wa More...
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Feb 24, 2011
Paul
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"The Lock Artist" is a very unusual book, first it is told in the first person singular and secondly it is about a trade (Locksmith) that we often think about (especially when we lock our keys in our car) but seldom equate with crime.
Michale has suffered a very traumatic experience at the age of eight. An experience the reader will not be aware of until the final chapters of the book. This experience has left him without a mother or a father. He has also become a select More...
Michale has suffered a very traumatic experience at the age of eight. An experience the reader will not be aware of until the final chapters of the book. This experience has left him without a mother or a father. He has also become a select More...
Feb 14, 2011
Sue
rated it:
This is the first book that I have read by Steve Hamilton, but it won't be the last. The narrator grabbed my attention from the start and held it until the end. Somehow, the author has managed to give an extraordinarily clear and likeable voice to a boy who can't talk.
The protagonist is vulnerable but flawed, but we are kept waiting to find out about the trauma that caused his vulnerability. We know early on in the book roughly how the adventure ends, but there is tension in the unfolding More...
The protagonist is vulnerable but flawed, but we are kept waiting to find out about the trauma that caused his vulnerability. We know early on in the book roughly how the adventure ends, but there is tension in the unfolding More...
Jan 06, 2011
Tony
rated it:
Hamilton, Steve. THE LOCK ARTIST. (2010). ***. In this novel, Hamilton abandons his series character Alex McKnight and introduces Michael. Michael is in prison, serving a ten-to-twenty-five-year sentence for safe cracking – at least I think that’s what the charge is. Michael suffered a truly traumatic experience as an eight-year-old boy that left him mute. He communicates through signing and writing things down on a pad. At about nine years of age, he became fascinated with locks, locks
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Nov 30, 2010
The Lock Artist, by Steve Hamilton, A-minus, Narrated by MacLeod Andrews, Produced by Brilliance Audio, downloaded from Audible.com.
This is a departure, maybe a stand-alone, from the Alex McKnight series Hamilton is known for. In this book we meet Michael, who at age eight was traumatized by events which ended the lives of his mother and father and almost his own. He was so traumatized that he never spoke again. In highschool, the football jocks found out that he was a genius at o More...
This is a departure, maybe a stand-alone, from the Alex McKnight series Hamilton is known for. In this book we meet Michael, who at age eight was traumatized by events which ended the lives of his mother and father and almost his own. He was so traumatized that he never spoke again. In highschool, the football jocks found out that he was a genius at o More...
Sep 25, 2011
Elizabeth
rated it:
The Lock Artist by Steve Hamilton (pp. 301)
A young boy is traumatized and left orphaned to be taken in by his uncle. Choosing not to speak since 8 years of age, he lives a lonely, depressed life until he discovers a talent for lock picking and safe cracking. His new abilities, young age, and unique quietness put him into some interesting and criminal situations.
The book is written from the boy’s perspective. A mute main character seems like a recipe for disaster, but More...
A young boy is traumatized and left orphaned to be taken in by his uncle. Choosing not to speak since 8 years of age, he lives a lonely, depressed life until he discovers a talent for lock picking and safe cracking. His new abilities, young age, and unique quietness put him into some interesting and criminal situations.
The book is written from the boy’s perspective. A mute main character seems like a recipe for disaster, but More...
Dec 29, 2011
Johnp
rated it:
Technically, an adult book, but our main character is a teen who was traumatized so that he has not spoken for 10 years. Add an additional twist (he can open almost any lock or safe) and you have a very tense, well-done mystery that has a very good human side to it.
Michael has said nothing for 10 years, but he narrates the story, so you always know what he’s thinking. There are references to ‘some trauma’ when he was younger, and you *do* find out what it is, but when you do, yo More...
Michael has said nothing for 10 years, but he narrates the story, so you always know what he’s thinking. There are references to ‘some trauma’ when he was younger, and you *do* find out what it is, but when you do, yo More...
Nov 03, 2011
Scott
rated it:
The Lock Artist pleasantly surprised me. While I realized it was a crime/mystery novel, I never expected it to have so much heart, such great characterization, nor did I imagine the plot would be so tightly woven.
The protagonist of the novel, Michael, is a young man who refuses to speak due to a past tragedy and has a preternatural talent at picking locks and opening safes. His history is complex and rich, and Hamilton makes a point to slowly reveal those things we most want to know, a More...
The protagonist of the novel, Michael, is a young man who refuses to speak due to a past tragedy and has a preternatural talent at picking locks and opening safes. His history is complex and rich, and Hamilton makes a point to slowly reveal those things we most want to know, a More...
Jun 06, 2011
Marleen
rated it:
I received this book from, and reviewed it for BookDagger / Real Readers.
The Lock Artist tells the story Michael. When Michael was eight something terrible happened to him and his family. Michael is the only survivor of the event that has left him unable to speak and living with his well meaning but not quite up to the task uncle.
When Michael discovers a talent for opening locks it gives him an escape from the trauma as well as a way of avoiding bullying in school. But when a h More...
The Lock Artist tells the story Michael. When Michael was eight something terrible happened to him and his family. Michael is the only survivor of the event that has left him unable to speak and living with his well meaning but not quite up to the task uncle.
When Michael discovers a talent for opening locks it gives him an escape from the trauma as well as a way of avoiding bullying in school. But when a h More...
Sep 18, 2011
Brendan
rated it:
The Lock Artist follows the adventures of a 'boxman' named Mike, a seventeen-year-old whose innate skill with locks and inability to speak get him tangled up with the criminal element and lead him into life as a safe-cracker. It's a fast-paced read, with strong character development and a plot both gripping and intricate. The ending feels a bit light for the intense quality of the rest of the book, but otherwise, it's great.
A few more thoughts:
I read this book for m More...
A few more thoughts:
I read this book for m More...
Nov 28, 2011
Ed
rated it:
I liked this book well enough I suppose. I thought the protagonist, Michael, a teenage boy with a gift for unlocking nearly everything, was a well fleshed out character though I found him to be a little too much the "reluctant safecracker" for my tastes. Michael is unable to speak since a traumatic event which is not immediately explained. This made for some realistically uncomfortable situations in the story. The author obviously thought quite a bit about the problems that would arise
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