Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

Preview
  • The Thief Taker

  • The Thief Taker, Book 1
  • By: C. S. Quinn
  • Narrated by: Napoleon Ryan
  • Length: 11 hrs and 28 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (648 ratings)

£0.00 for first 30 days

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

The Thief Taker

By: C. S. Quinn
Narrated by: Napoleon Ryan
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £22.99

Buy Now for £22.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Summary

The year is 1665. Black Death ravages London. A killer stalks the streets in a plague doctor’s hood and mask....

When a girl is gruesomely murdered, thief taker Charlie Tuesday reluctantly agrees to take on the case. But the horrific remains tell him this is no isolated death. The killer’s mad appetites are part of a master plan that could destroy London – and reveal the dark secrets of Charlie’s own past.

Now the thief taker must find this murderous mastermind before the plague obliterates the evidence street by street. This terrifying pursuit will take Charlie deep into the black underbelly of old London, where alchemy, witchcraft and blood-spells collide.

In a city drowned in darkness, death could be the most powerful magic of all.

©2014 C.S. Quinn (P)2014 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Listeners also enjoyed...

Apprentice - Scarlet City - Part I cover art
The Heiress of Linn Hagh cover art
The Waringham Chronicles, Volume 1: The Runaway cover art
The Censor's Hand cover art
The Seeker cover art
Cathedral of Bones cover art
Edinburgh Twilight cover art
The Ashes of London cover art
A Plague on Both Your Houses cover art
Speaks the Nightbird cover art
The Alchemist of Souls cover art
The Unquiet Bones cover art
An Honourable Thief cover art
Birthright cover art
Quicksilver cover art
Doomsday Book cover art

What listeners say about The Thief Taker

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    309
  • 4 Stars
    222
  • 3 Stars
    91
  • 2 Stars
    19
  • 1 Stars
    7
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    310
  • 4 Stars
    164
  • 3 Stars
    66
  • 2 Stars
    18
  • 1 Stars
    5
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    273
  • 4 Stars
    168
  • 3 Stars
    88
  • 2 Stars
    21
  • 1 Stars
    9

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

a good listen

I was recommended this as I enjoy the SJ Paris books and although not quite as good the story line was good and the descriptions of London in its darkest of times was good. worth while a listen

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

Marvellous

On first reading I had no expectations as such but as the story unfolded I found I could put it down. This, I must confess, was due to the brilliant narration of the narrator. His narrative skills are marvellous.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

Enjoyable

I liked hearing about how London was even if it may not be absolutely accurate it was interesting. I enjoyed the pace and the story.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Good but slow

A good story but a bit slow in parts. I missed bits out completely bur still followed the story.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Good historical crime story if a bit predictable.

Good historical crime story. Interesting characters, and nice historic details, story was OK but a little bit too predictable at times and just occasionally coincidences became borderline silly but I still think I'll read the next in series.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

A Great Opening Book.

What made the experience of listening to The Thief Taker the most enjoyable?

A great sense of place, the author really gets the population's panic of being caught in a pandemic plague. I've not listened to any books set in Restoration England before and this was interesting, it showed the uneasy truce between the factions of the Civil Wars.

What other book might you compare The Thief Taker to, and why?

CJ Sansom and SJ Parris. Both series set in historic England. They both feature reluctant detectives. This series is a little less cerebral than the Shardlake or Bruno books. It's more of a thriller and that's not a bad thing. Its a rollicking read!

Have you listened to any of Napoleon Ryan’s other performances? How does this one compare?

No, but it was a fine narration.

Any additional comments?

An enjoyable start to a set of mysteries. What seems like a relatively straightforward whodunnit soon becomes a conspiracy thriller with the state of the nation in danger.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Well spoken

I listened intently to this story over two days,very enjoyable,more to come already download ed

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

A Solid Read/Listen

Set in London in the times of plague, this was always going to be a good listen. The squalor and hardship of the inner city dwellers locked in by checkpoints and unable to escape juxtaposed with the wealthy nobles and their ability to pass freely through the city and escape to the less plague ridden suburbs.

Some gruesome detail and a nice twist on the plague story, this was a highly enjoyable book, narrated well with good pace and some really great characters

Well worth a credit. Would I listen to it again....not sure. Maybe I'd get more of the detail and the intrigue with the benefit of knowing the outcome

As per the title...A Solid Listen

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

superbly written full of excitement and suspense

Quin's story unfolds exceedingly enchanting. Very informative for me to learn ways of 16th century London and multiple odd occupations people uaed to take and the life and wonts women had. Rnjoyed thoroughly. Equal credit must go to Napolean Ryan's appealing and quite engaging voice over. This book wouldn't be as good an experience without Napolean Ryan. Quin & Napolean together take the cake.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

Brilliant

What a brilliant book. Have been glued to my earphones every waking minute. Thoroughly enjoyable.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!