The Good Thief's Guide to Amsterdam

By: Chris Ewan

Narrated by: Simon Vance

Length: 7 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's summary

Charlie Howard travels the globe writing suspense novels for a living. To supplement his income - and keep his hand in - Charlie has a small side business: stealing for a very discreet clientele on commission. When a mysterious American offers Charlie 20,000 euros to steal two small monkey figurines to match the one he already has, Charlie is suspicious; the job seems too good to be true, and of course, it is. He soon finds the American beaten nearly to death, while the third figurine has disappeared. Back in London, his literary agent, Victoria (who is naive enough to believe he actually looks like his jacket photo), tries to talk him through the plot problems in both his latest manuscript and in his real life - but Charlie soon finds himself caught up in a caper reminiscent of a Cary Grant movie, involving safe-deposit boxes, menacing characters, and a beautiful damsel in distress.

©2007 Chris Ewan (P)2011 AudioGo

Good just not great

This was good but didn't have as many twists as I would've liked. I haven't read any of the others so maybe it's just a knee jerk reaction.

Great story, exceptional narrator!

What made the experience of listening to The Good Thief's Guide to Amsterdam the most enjoyable?

First, as always, is the story. In this case, the author wrote one of the most creative mysteries I've ever read, with an engaging "detective" character unlike no other. In addition to the very creative premise are great characters and a wonderful sense of humor. And then, there is the narrator. Simon Vance was amazing: funny, erudite, and utterly charming. Every character was unique and believable, almost as if the book were voiced by a complete cast. Vance has won many awards for his voice work, and if this is any indication, they were very well deserved.

What did you like best about this story?

Completely unique and completely charming. Plus, the international setting gave it great interest.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Absolutely.

Any additional comments?

I'm now planning to read everything by this author and well as look into other recordings by exceptional Simon Vance.

Loved it but think I'd get tired of a whole series

The reader is perfect: understated, deadpan voIce which suits the character perfectly. There is no hard-boiled detective here. Very civilized.

The main character is a writer of mystery books, a Brit, currently stuck on a significant detail of his latest MS . And he's also a thief. He meets an American in Amsterdam who asks him to steal two statues (2 of the 3 monkey see no evil trio) from the homes of two men he's just been talking to. He gives our hero the addresses and exact locations in the domicile. Has to be done immediately. Our guy hesitates but does it, chatting comfortably with the reader as he does so.

But of course things go wrong. The man who hired him turns up dead and our hero is arrested for his murder. He gets a very helpful lawyer from the Embassy, who eventually turns out not to be as he seems. Other characters are not who they seem either. The plot twists and turns agreeably.

Very Enjoyable

Interesting characters and a good plot twist. My only complaint was that too many things had to be explained at the end.

Really good

I really enjoy this book the plot was good the characters exciting the story flows and holds my attention the narrator was very good I will be reading from this author again

For serious whodunit lovers only

Confession: I love detective fiction, murder mysteries, suspense plots of all kinds, but what I mostly appreciate about them are the characters, the location, occasionally an interesting plot or subplot that deals with something that interests me. In spite of it all, I don't particularly care who "done" it. Occasionally, I will skip the last 20-30 pages of a book entirely -- I'd like to know who actually DID it, but when the explanation of how they did it, or why, gets too long and tiresome, I tune out. I really don't care.

This is one such book. I thoroughly enjoyed the first 5.5 hours of this book -- I like the main anti-hero character -- okay, he's no George Ripley, but still, as a witty, sophisticated and delightfully droll thief, he was just fine. I liked the Amsterdam location. I thought I was enjoying the plot.

But then the denouement started, waaaaaaay too early -- and it went on, and on and on and on. Explanation after explanation.... good grief. For a book that's slightly over 7 hours long, if it takes 1.5 hours to explain how it all happened, that's too much. Too complex. I no longer cared -- I wanted to move along to something else.

I quit listening with 48 minutes left.... way too much explanation for me. Good book, though, up to that point.

No cliche left unused

I approached with anticipation--wonderful title--quickly grew bored, but slogged on for a while. The rakish, ne'er-do-well protagonist takes on a job against his better judgment. All goes wrong, of course. People lie, he gets arrested, he gets kidnapped and beaten, he makes a clever escape, he discovers more layers of lies, etc. This is a time-honored formula that requires interesting, well-drawn characters, a clever stylist, and/or some kind of emotional grabber early in the story to make the formula fresh. This novel has none of those characteristics. And the protagonist is puzzling about the significance of plaster monkeys when there's a prized first edition of Dashiel Hammett framed on his wall? Duh! It's not badly done; it's merely so boring that I don't care "who dunnit."

a light and entertaining read

Any additional comments?

I got this book because the publishers summary was interesting and I like Simon Vance. Also, it was in one of audible's sales, so it was worth it. I was relatively happy with this book. It is a light mystery novel, where the hero Charley is a thief, but isn't a merciless killer like many people in mystery novels are these days. The writing was a sort of bantering tone, whitch kept me interested and entertained threwout. Now this novel didn't do anything special or different, except combine a crime novelist with a thief, whitch was amusing. However, the writing was good and not too repetitive, the plot was fairly solid, and the characters kept one focused on the story. The only problem with the book was I thought the ending was rather long winded and pompous for my taste. It took Charley forever to explain who the killer was, even though I was pretty sure I already knew who it was. I admit I was only partially right, but I still think it took longer than it should have to conclude the story. However, I will say that the author did a good job of putting together all of the loose ends. To finish things off the narrator did a fantastic job as always. He got all of the accents perfectly and kept all the characters straight effortlessly. I will say that at some point I may buy the next book, when I get a chance and I definitely recommend it to mystery readers and book lovers in general alike.

So-so & denouement strained credulity

Would you try another book from Chris Ewan and/or Simon Vance?

No, not another book in this series by this author.

What was most disappointing about Chris Ewan’s story?

This thief was ridiculously cool under pressure. Totally unruffled when arrested by police for murder & grilled. Totally unruffled when hit w/baseball bat & kidnapped & wakes up tied to chair. Not only not afraid but emotional vacuum. The denouement was unbelievable to me because POLICE allowed themselves to be summoned by a (former) murder suspect and KIDNAPPERS came to such a meeting with police present (and their illicit deeds were discussed). I also doubt some others there would attend. And everybody sits around in a circle while the Thief of Amsterdam holds forth on his theory of the murder?! I don't think even the prestigious Sherlock Holmes could have managed to round up this diverse crew for such a denouement.

What three words best describe Simon Vance’s voice?

Smooth. Polished. Calm.

Was The Good Thief's Guide to Amsterdam worth the listening time?

Can't say I think it was.

Any additional comments?

Sigh.

Entertaining!

What made the experience of listening to The Good Thief's Guide to Amsterdam the most enjoyable?

It kept moving, and never stayed in one place too long

What did you like best about this story?

That I felt surprised each time they discovered something, I coudln't easily predict where the book was going

Which scene was your favorite?

the reveal!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Laugh, no tears though

Any additional comments?

A good way to spend your time