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Review: When a new lady friend is imprisoned and sentenced to die for the theft of an ancient artifact, master thief Michael St. Pierre is determined to free her — by breaking into the prison himself — in The Thieves of Darkness, the third thriller in this series by Richard Doetsch.

Michael's close friend Father Simon Bellatori introduced him to Katherine Colleen "KC" Ryan, a brilliant, beautiful woman who shares Michael's love of sports. Not coincidentally, like Michael, she also happens to be a thief. Unknown to Michael, KC and Simon engineer the theft of an ancient letter, map, and other relics that contain information about a sacred holy place, which they fear may fall into the "wrong" hands. But Simon and KC are caught before they can accomplish their mission and are sent to a remote prison in the Middle East where they will be executed. Michael is determined to get them out, but breaking into a prison would be a first for him. Freeing them turns out to be the easy part, though; acquiring the artifacts while staying a step ahead of international financier Philippe Venue, desperate to obtain the items himself, and his leg man Christopher Miller, proves to be perilous indeed.

Replete with plenty of action scenes set in exotic locales in the Middle East, The Thieves of Darkness also takes time to develop its characters, both the "good guys" and the "bad guys". Michael was in prison when his wife died, and he was determined to turn around his life once he was freed. Returning to his old ways — even to save his friends — isn't easy for him. Equally complex is Venue, a man used to doing things himself but now, in his 60s, unable to physically keep up and forced to deal with a man almost as ruthless as himself, one who wants to be called Iblis, Arabic for The Devil. Then there are the historical details and colorful locations that the author uses to tie the characters and action together, all of which results in a most fascinating, page-turning thriller.

The Thieves of Darkness by Richard Doetsch — A Michael St. Pierre Mystery

Publisher: Atria Books
Format: Hardcover
ISBN-13: 978-1-4165-9895-4
Publication Date: August 2010
List Price: $25.00