The lies of Locke Lamora

"At the height of the long wet summer of the Seventy-seventh Year of Sendovani, the Thiefmaker of Camorr paid a sudden and unannounced visit to the Eyeless Priest at the Temple of Perelandro, desperately hoping to sell him the Lamora boy."The Thiefmaker and the Eyeless Priest live in the island city of Camorr, built on and around the seemingly magic ruins of aliens that left long before. Both are in the thief education and training business. The Eyeless Priest trains unusually able young people to play a variety of roles that allow them to steal relatively large amounts of money and other precious objects. The story focuses on the Priest's Gentlemen Bastards, a small group of boys that become men who have been educated so that they may act like a noble or a farmer or almost any type of person. It is a most unusual group. Gradually, Locke becomes the leader of the group, especially after the Priest passes away.While it may take some effort to favor the thief, there is a Robin Hood aspect since the Bastards only steal from the rich and they avoid violence as much as possible. Locke has planned a major confidence trick that should net a very large amount of money after he has sold the goods to a very rich family. Unhappily, at almost the same time an unknown called the Gray King has begun to kill, often in most unpleasant ways, the major gang leaders in Camorr. Capa Barsavi, the leader of these gangs is threatened. The violence will soon threaten the Bastards as well.Much of the story is fairly slow but succeeds in an unusually detailed and persuasive world building. Lynch's descriptive writing is unusually good so we have a nearly photographic image of characters, scenes, and events. In the final part of the story, there is more action and violence. While there is some magic in the final parts, this is mostly a story of mysteries being slowly solved plus fists, swords and knifes.World-building is excellent The plot is complex with some surprises near and at the end.Lynch alternates chapters with one on the current situation and the other on the history of the Gentlemen Bastards as a group and as as individuals. All of the major characters are nicely developed. Other characters receive less attention, but are persuasive in their roles. The pace is sometimes leisurely, but the gradual accumulation of details is persuasive and interesting.Recommendation:Lynch is a new author, but this volume has received considerable praise and a sequel, Red Seas Under Red Skies, will be issued soon. The physical book is of average quality. Cover art is mysterious and suggests a city scene, but is not especially appealing. The front matter map by Robert Bull is clear and useful. Recommended for nearly all heroic fantasy collections.