The Lock Artist by Steve Hamilton is a gripping novel that follows the life of Mike, a young man who is unable to speak due to a traumatic event in his childhood. Despite his silence, Mike discovers a talent for picking locks, which leads him into a life of crime. The narrative alternates between different timelines, gradually revealing the events that shaped Mike's life and his journey into the criminal world, all while exploring themes of trauma, love, and redemption.

Hamilton's writing style in The Lock Artist is described as engaging and suspenseful, with a unique structure that keeps readers hooked. The story unfolds through a first-person narrative by Mike, providing insight into his inner thoughts and struggles as he navigates his way through a dangerous world of safecracking and criminal activities.

Characters:

Michael is a deeply complex character shaped by tragedy, and his relationship with Amelia adds emotional depth, while other characters vary in their development.

Writing/Prose:

The writing features a first-person narrative with an engaging tone that vividly captures characters' emotions and actions, though some details may feel repetitive.

Plot/Storyline:

The narrative presents a complex non-linear journey, detailing Michael's trauma and its impacts through three distinct storytelling threads that gradually reveal his past and present.

Setting:

The story is set primarily in Michigan, spanning various environments from juvenile settings to the criminal underworld, and unfolds across significant periods of Michael's life.

Pacing:

The pacing is intentionally slow, focusing on suspenseful buildup and character development, but may feel drawn out and disrupt narrative flow for some readers.

You may remember me. Think back. The summer of 1990. I know that’s a while ago, but the wire services picked up the story and I was in every newspaper in the country. Even if you didn’t read the story...

Notes:

Michael, the narrator, is mute due to a traumatic incident at age eight.

He is known as the 'Miracle Boy' in Michigan after the incident.

The novel's structure is non-linear, jumping between timelines in Michael's life.

Michael discovers his talent for opening locks as a way to cope with his trauma.

He works as a safecracker for criminal networks due to his unique skills.

His love interest, Amelia, communicates with him through comic drawings, highlighting their bond despite his muteness.

The story explores themes of trauma, crime, and the struggle for redemption.

Michael's childhood trauma not only silences him but also shapes his life path into crime.

The character's passive nature raises questions about agency and control in his life.

The book won the Edgar Award for Best Novel in 2011.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

The Lock Artist includes medium content warnings due to themes of trauma, violence, crime, and emotional distress stemming from the protagonist's past.

Has Romance?

The romance between Michael and Amelia is significant in The Lock Artist, marking a pivotal emotional connection in the narrative.

From The Publisher:

"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."

Marked by tragedy, traumatized at the age of eight, Michael, now eighteen, is no ordinary young man. Besides not uttering a single word in ten years, he discovers the one thing he can somehow do better than anyone else. Whether it's a locked door without a key, a padlock with no combination, or even an eight-hundred pound safe ... he can open them all.

It's an unforgivable talent. A talent that will make young Michael a hot commodity with the wrong people and, whether he likes it or not, push him ever close to a life of crime. Until he finally sees his chance to escape, and with one desperate gamble risks everything to come back home to the only person he ever loved, and to unlock the secret that has kept him silent for so long.

Steve Hamilton steps away from his Edgar Award-winning Alex McKnight series to introduce a unique new character, unlike anyone you've ever seen in the world of crime fiction.

The Lock Artist is the winner of the 2011 Edgar Award for Best Novel.

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About the Author:

STEVE HAMILTON's first novel, A Cold Day in Paradise, won the Private Eye Writers of America/St. Martin's Press Best First Private Eye Novel Contest before becoming a USA Today Bestseller and winning both an Edgar and a Shamus Award for Best First Novel. His standalone novel The Lock Artist was named a New York Times Notable Book, was given an Alex Award by the American Library Association, and then went on to win the Edgar Award for Best Novel, making Steve Hamilton only the second author (after Ross Thomas) to win Edgars for both Best First Novel and Best Novel. He attended the University of Michigan, where he won the prestigious Hopwood Award for writing, and now he lives in Cottekill, New York with his wife and their two children.

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The Lock Artist

Steve Hamilton