The Lock Artist: A Novel

Steve Hamilton

Jan 2010 · Sold by Minotaur Books

About this ebook

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.

"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.

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

Ratings and reviews

I am by no means a person who likes to read for pleasure. I decided to choose this book over a few others for a class assignment. Our final is based off of our book, so I HAD to read it. I never thought I could be so excited to read. That's just not me at all. While reading The Lock Artist I just couldn't stop. I had to know what happened next and how everything would tie together. I can only write so much, but coming from someone who doesn't read much at all, I definitely recommended this book.

This is an excellent book. From the imaginative, novel perspective of the protagonist who is unable to utter a word yet communicates so deeply to the glimpses of the motivations and attractions that lead -or push- some into crime, this story is compelling on many levels. The pacing and detailing of the various episodes just made me want to keep reading. I thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend it.

Hamilton's Alex McKnight novels have always been on my must read list, but this novel was jaw-droppingly good. And even that would be an understatement. One of my favorite novels of all time.

About the author

STEVE HAMILTON attended the University of Michigan and won the prestigious Hopwood Award for writing. His first novel, A Cold Day in Paradise, won the PWA/SMP Best First Private Eye Novel Competition. It went on to win the Edgar and Shamus Awards for Best First Novel. In 2006, Steve won the Michigan Author Award for his outstanding body of work, including his Alex McKnight series and the stand-alone novel Night Work. His book The Lock Artist is the winner of the 2011 Edgar Award for Best First Novel. He lives in Cottekill, New York, with his wife and their two children.