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Prince of Thieves  By  cover art

Prince of Thieves

By: Chuck Hogan
Narrated by: Richard Ferrone
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Publisher's summary

In this gripping thriller, Claire Keesey, the branch manager for a Boston bank, is taken hostage during a robbery. She is released, but Doug MacRay, the brains behind the tough, tight-knit crew of thieves, can't get her out of his mind. Tracking her down without his mask and gun, Doug introduces himself, and their mutual attraction is undeniable - as are the risks of a relationship. Doug imagines a life away from bank robberies and Charlestown.

But before that can happen, the crew learns that there may be a way to rob Boston's venerable baseball stadium, Fenway Park. It's a magnificently dangerous and utterly irresistible opportunity - yet for Doug, pursuing his former hostage may be the most dangerous act of all....

©2004 Chuck Hogan (P)2011 Simon & Schuster Audio

Critic reviews

"A terrific read...A rich narrative of friendship, young love, and mounting suspense." (Stephen King)
"As knowledgeable as James Ellroy, as sharp as Elmore Leonard, and as profound as fellow Boston scribe Dennis Lehane." ( Fort Worth Star-Telegram)
"Stunningly crafted...The plot...is swift and expertly built, the prose muscular and clean." ( The Seattle Times)

What listeners say about Prince of Thieves

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Wonderful character development and dialogue.

Engrossing. Engaging. But this is a tragedy. I cried a lot and hard afterwards. I don’t know if I can recommend it unless you’re up for that - grieving for someone who is good, who wants to do better, who is trying, but he doesn’t know how. I fault his parents. They didn’t give him love, support, and guidance. He made bad choices. He grieves for his mother. He grew up with no one loving him. The only time he felt peace, love, and acceptance was while on a job with his bank robber friends. This book reminds me a little of Romeo and Juliet, but modern, better, different. The lovers are from different worlds and can never be together. Even if Doug gave up his life of crime, there is a chance he would go to jail for past crimes. He can never tell Claire about his criminal activities, because she could be charged as an accomplice. He wants a life with Claire, someone good, not the types of people he grew up with and is surrounded by. I don’t want to mislead by overstating the Romeo and Juliet comparison. Only a small amount of time is spent showing Doug and Claire together. Most of the time the story is about Doug, his thoughts, actions, and feelings. In his mind Claire is the focal point for change. Most of the story is enjoyable and engaging, with anticipation. It’s the last half hour that is unsettling and becomes tragic. Doug believes the coming job will go bad, yet he continues with it. He makes choices which he knows will not be a happy ending.

This story had wonderful character development. Wonderful dialogue. I was engrossed in the characters and the lives they lived. I felt part of it. I enjoyed this all the way through until the end. Excellent plotting and events. This author is a good storyteller. I was rooting for Doug. I wanted to see him change his life. The day after reading this, I’m still crying. I don’t like books that make me grieve and cry, so I’m hoping I can get this out of my mind. I want to forget about it. It hurts.

I suppose it makes one appreciate their own life more, not having problems from a criminal life.

This was made into a movie called The Town with Ben Affleck which I did not see. I hear the movie had a happier ending, a different ending.

The narrator Richard Ferrone was excellent. At times he had a touch of Christian Slater to his voice.

Ending: Grief and sadness.
Genre: relationships, crime, suspense, tragedy.

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

1 part gritty thriller 1 part Romeo & Juliet

While overall I did enjoy this book, I think it was a bit uneven. Parts of it read like a love story about Charlestown (called The Town which is also the name of the movie adaptation) which adds a lot of richness in terms of setting and atmosphere, but which also takes the pressure off and eases the tension. Not something you want to do with a heist thriller. Just when either the investigation of or the crimes themselves get going, we get an ode to The Town thrown in and so I couldn’t get worked up about the situation. Doug was written as such an extreme of a romantic lead that his ending wasn’t surprising. What was is how far into the heist Frawley let the caper go. I don’t think cops would do that no matter what, but it’s fiction so you have to let it go. Claire I found to be the most strange of the bunch. I didn’t quite buy her reaction to the knowledge that her new boyfriend was the same guy who bound and gagged her during the bank robbery. Then again, she was Doug’s opposite number so had to be equally romanticized and dramatic. That was another issue with the whole thing; the high-flown style was a bit much. One part gritty thriller one part Romeo & Juliet. Eh, it had commitment issues, but if you can allow for that it’s enjoyable. Oh and as much as I love Richard Ferrone, someone who could do a decent Boston accent should have been picked for this narration. He tried in spots, but it was pathetic. Sorry Richard.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Best Boston Irish mob book

I was born and raised in Charlestown. Out of all the Boston Irish mob books, this novel comes the closest to real life of any of them.
The characters, attitudes & ways of life hit close to home. You’d think Mr. Hogan was a Townie!
As a lifelong Townie, I can attest that the Charlestown underworld is almost perfectly captured here.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Bad Language

I didn't make it more than 1.5 hrs into this before I threw it out because the language is so offensive!

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Perfect.

Perfect mix of technical heist scenes, interpersonal drama, gunplay, and literary themes. No wonder they made a movie out of it.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

amazing

Great book narrator does an amazing job!! Watched the movie before the book so the ending was a surprise but realistic!

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Another great read by Chuck Hogan

Wonderful story. I saw the movie "The Town" first and realized that it was based on a novel. I loved the book even more. It got you attached to the characters in a perfect way. I can't express fully how much I loved this book and other books by Chuck Hogan.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

My fav Chuck Hogan novel

An outstanding story. All the best elements of a heist novel with realistic human personal relationship drama as well.

Narrator is excellent with a listenable voice and great inflection. Only issue was the part time Boston accent. Best choice for this book would’ve been one of the Wahlbergs, I think.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Chuck Hogan's best i

maybe because it takes place in Massachusetts is the reason I love this book so much or the speech given by the old Townie at the very beginning once it starts it takes you for a ride any fan of a great story will surely enjoy

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

long winded unsurprising story

thank God for 1.7 speed otherwise I would have never been able to get through this book. I did not enjoy the narrator. and the fact that the story was mediocre and long-winded only added to the pain. I've got to get better at selecting books, that's on me.

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