"Lock Artist" Steve Hamilton

“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.
That was all me.

But you can call me Mike.”

I recommend reading this excerpt, actually the beginning, from the book.  It hooked me and I think it will hook you.

I don't know why I got this book from audible.com.  I suspect it was on sale, or I saw it on some list somewhere (it won the 2011 Edgar award).  I don't remember looking for this book, but I'm glad it found me.  I enjoyed the story, the main character and the reader.  What more can you want?

Mike starts his story in the present, where we find that he is in jail, but much of the action happens when he is a child, and so this is in some ways a coming-of-age story.  On the other hand, it's like "To Catch a Thief" because we are sympathetic to Mike even though he is a thief.  We want things to go well for him. The cover calls it a thriller and there are some chilling moments, but mostly this is a story of survival under not so ordinary circumstances..

We start with the mystery of why Mike is called the Miracle Boy, why he is in prison and why he is mute.  Mike tells all, but he does it in his own way, taking us back and forth between recent and past history.  Being mute, but not deaf, makes school difficult for him.  Also relationships are difficult.  He often lives in his own world, and it is there that he started developing the craft that provides him a living later - as a lock pick.  Surprisingly, this talent causes him almost as much trouble as being mute.

I don't have as much to say about this book except that it was a pleasant surprise.  I bought it not knowing anything and happened to choose it as a listen as I drove home from Arkansas a few weeks ago.  Well written and fresh.