The Lock Artist: A Novel

by Steve Hamilton

Hardcover, 2010

Status

Available

Call number

813.54

Genres

Collection

Your library

Publication

Minotaur Books (2010), Edition: First Edition, Hardcover, 304 pages

Description

Traumatized at the age of eight and pushed into a life of crime by reason of his unforgiveable talent--lock picking--Michael 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.

User reviews

LibraryThing member ellahill

It's sort of like a detective novel in reverse: you know who did it, but you keep reading to figure out what it was he did. In this case, there are two mysteries: what Michael did to land in jail and what traumatized him when he was a boy?
5 stars:
-Michael is the type of character who draws you in

and makes you want to keep reading. Even though he's mute, his narrative voice is compelling with just the right amount of sarcasm to keep you engaged. The supporting characters and Amelia, Michael's love interest, are interesting and well-developed, too.
-Intriguing subject matter. A prodigy safecracker/artist who's mute and has a mysterious past...who could ask for more?
-The writing is top-notch. I really enjoyed the author's writing style (strong narrator, tight phrasing, great dialogue, quickly moving plot). I also appreciated the fact that he explained the technical aspects of safecracking clearly. He didn't resort to diagrams but I was still able to visualize what he was talking about. However, while these passages were well-written, there were a few too many of them/they got a bit redundant.
-Hamilton executes the multiple timeline thing well. It works with the story instead of coming across as an annoying literary device of an author who is trying too hard.

This book reminded me of the parts I liked about Beat the Reaper without all the extraneous violence. Overall, I'm really glad I happened to stumble across this book. I finished it in a weekend and was sad to do so.

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24 more

LibraryThing member blockbuster1994

More by fate then by design, Mike Smith falls into a life of big-money crime as a master safecracker. After surviving a horrendous crime at age 8, Mike has not spoken a word. He learns about spinning locks at an antique shop in his Uncle's neighborhood. His talent is noticed by the local thugs, who

will gladly exploit his talent for their criminal gains. Occasionally, a job goes as planned, but more often, its' literally life and death. What keeps Mike moving forward is the idea of this love he shares with Amelia. Communication is possible through comic panels they each draw for each other, and she remains Mike's hope and inspiration.

The Lock Artist is an incredibly good read, very much deserving an Edgar nomination. Steve Hamilton has created one of the more interesting characters I have ever read, a young man surviving in the underbelly of crime, deeply affected by a violent childhood, yet with the courage to overcome these formidable obstacles. But that does not even adequately describe how drawn I am to the story. Everything from the spinning of the locks to the poverty of his Uncle's neighborhood to the love he felt for Amelia seemed honest and real. Particularly effective is Hamilton's shifting the events of the novel with each chapter chronicling a different part of Mike's life. It is such a dynamic story I could not put it down.

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LibraryThing member Maydacat

If this had been an audio book, I would have looked to see if I had accidently set the CD player to “shuffle.” Bouncing back and forth from the present to the past, characters are alive and then dead, and then alive again. But maybe they weren’t really dead, after all. After a traumatic

incident that leaves Michael mute at the age of eight, he becomes “The Miracle Boy.” We finally do find out what happened to him, what destroyed his life and would shape his future, but by that time, it almost becomes secondary in importance. The author’s style of writing, in the first person of Michael, is quite staccato in nature, which may fit the juvenile Mike but is just annoying in his 10-year-older self. Perhaps if the characters had been more likable, or if the novel had had a definite conclusion, it would have been a more enjoyable read. It had potential to be gripping, but somehow never achieved that status.

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LibraryThing member nbmars

This is an interesting combination of a crime/suspense book and coming-of-age novel.

The story begins at the end, when Michael, our narrator, is 27 and is in prison. From there, we gradually go back in time to when he was eight. All we know about that early time for most of the book is that Michael

lived through some traumatic event in which his father and mother were killed, and that Michael hasn’t spoken a word since then.

Michael’s bachelor uncle Lito took him in, and sent him to all manner of therapists and specialists, but no one could unlock his psyche and help him to speak again. Michael, on the other hand, can unlock just about anything. He has an amazing aptitude for opening locks and safes, and soon comes to the attention of a variety of criminal characters who value his skills as well as his inability - because of muteness - to rat out other participants in robberies.

When Michael is in high school, he also develops another talent – the ability to express himself through drawing – and this attracts a beautiful girl, Amelia, with whom Michael begins to correspond by the exchange of graphic cartoon sequences.

The story alternates back and forth in time as you learn what happen to Michael after his childhood trauma and how he came to end up in prison. Each unfolding adds a little more illumination to the puzzle of who Michael is and what he has done. The last two pages are outstanding. But you won’t know how or why until you make your way through the rest of the book.

Evaluation: This is a very creative story. I was a little disconcerted by the chronological hopping (and still don’t understand why it was chosen as a narrative device by the author) but it’s a good story, and Michael is a very sympathetic character. This is definitely a book I’d recommend.

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LibraryThing member bookmagic

This book was very poignant and moving. I found Mike to be a complex and sympathetic character. I was so into the story that when I would set it aside, I felt as if I could not talk because I had been so inside of Mike's head.

I loved learning Mike's story in bits and pieces as he would flashback.

Then it would make his current story that much more clear.

Mike is a good guy, a kid really, doing the wrong things for the right reasons. His relationship with Amelia is very touching and the way he uses art to communicate with her was sweet.

Hamilton is an amazing writer and really captured not only the character of Mike but the descriptions of Mike with the locks were just perfect.

Would I ever have found that moment? Those metal pieces, which are so hard and unforgiving, so carefully designed not to move...Yet somehow with just the right touch it all lines up and God, that one second when it opens. That smooth, sudden, metallic release. The sound of it turning and the way it feels in your hands. They way it feels when something is locked up so tight in a metal box, with no way to get out. When you finally open it... When you finally learn how to unlock that lock... Can you even imagine how that feels?

I could not read this book fast enough though I really wanted to savor it. This is definitely a book I would highly recommend. I really loved it. I think it is already one of my favorite books of 2011.

my rating 5/5

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LibraryThing member Carol420

Hamilton structures a quirky and innovative thriller around a young safecracker- or boxman- who has not spoken a word since a traumatic incident in his childhood. Raised in a rundown part of Michigan, Michael, named by the press "The Miracle Boy", finds amusement in opening locks he buys in a

neighborhood antique shop. Indulging his love of drawing or spinning the chambers of the locks, Michael develops a unique skill that will prove invaluable to men who seek to exploit his talent. As Michael tells his story in chapters that alternate between the conflicts of the present and his past, from the days with comic books, drawing pads and Uncle Lido to a stint on probation, circumstances conspire to send the youth on a troubled road. Michael doesn't confide the exact nature of the tragedy that caused him to stop speaking, a fact that contributes to the mystery of his character, a young man who walks a solitary path, making the few choices available to him. And when fate delivers Amelia into his life, Michael senses his one chance at intimacy with another, a vague but promising future.

Shifting between the traumatic events of the past and the challenges of the present, Hamilton reveals the effects of trauma and poverty on an innocent child, a child who is not only a survivor but a young man of exceptional courage. There are no happy endings in this tale, but an example of the human spirit in the face of adversity and the healing power of love, even in the most extreme circumstances. Shocking, poignant and provocative, this unusual story is a blend of reality and hope in an indifferent world

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LibraryThing member Grabbag

I absolutely loved this novel! A young man's life of cracking safes, falling love, and how he ended up doing both...it definitely deserved to be an Alex Award Winner (Adult book that appeals to teens). I'll be recommending this to many teens and adults.

LibraryThing member alexann

What a surprise this was! The other titles by Hamilton I've read have been entertaining but pretty straight-forward detective novels. This was completely different!

Michael hasn't spoken since he was nine years old. His parents both died then, and he was sent to live with his uncle who owns a

liquor store in Milford. While he is living there, he discovers his two talents--picking locks and drawing. How this works out in his life is the crux of his story.

The odd time-line was a little tricky, but the best part was the way the tension builds in both the summer of '99 when Michael is working at the Marsh's house, and 2000 when he is in California with his crew there. It's like you can't wait to see what's going to happen in Milford--and then all of a sudden you are in a completely different setting that is just as nerve-wracking!

A quick read sure to keep you turning the pages!

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LibraryThing member mkbetcher

Picked this one up due to Alex Award status. Enjoyable, not sure I would want to include for middle school. Good HS pick though. Engaging and well written. Will definitely try another Hamilton book!

LibraryThing member RapidCityPubLib

Hamilton’s “Edgar” award nominee for Best Book is a stand-alone drama featuring Mike, a trauma-ridden convict that begins to write in prison. The often disjointed and erratic first person narrative leads the reader through the puzzle of Mike’s youth, life of crime and eventual

incarceration. Not as proficient with his sub-conscious as he was with his tools, safe-cracker Mike fumbles with his own recollections to realize and accept the traumas that led him to the path he is currently travels.

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LibraryThing member ccayne

Fascinating - a boy, Mike, who can't speak due to a childhood trauma becomes adept at safecracking. How do author's come up with these stories? I picked this because it had been nominated for an Edgar award and I was in the mood for a good mystery; it didn't disappoint. It's told in chapters which

jump back and forth in time through Mike's life. Mike is drawn to safecracking not for the loot but for the artistry; he is also a very talented visual artist. It's a fascinating tightly drawn look at an unusual, to say the least, slice of life.

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LibraryThing member johnbsheridan

Book that draws you in from the first pages, you know central character is in jail and that he doesn't speak due to a traumatic incident in the past but nothing about how either of these things arose. Presented thereafter in chapters which alternate between how he came across his illicit skills and

how he ended up in jail, Michael comes across as a character that you want everything to work out for even though you know from the beginning that it can't have happened that way. Recommended.

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LibraryThing member marcejewels

From my blog

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

I was completely intrigued with this story and looked forward to reading it, but it didn't quite meet my expectations. Two styles were used, the 1st was the character talks directly to us, his adventure was told in 1st

person, this is a style I do enjoy, and the 2nd was we had glimpses of his lock artist experiences which flipped back and forth. This was executed extremely well but for me it messes with the flow and I just don't enjoy this style but I have to say it is one of the better executed novels I have read that have used this style.

When I watch the news sometimes I think, why are they telling us that, we are 'teaching' or giving more information to criminals we don't want to have it. This is what I thought throughout the book, anyone that has the talent to open locks etc would surely learn a thing or two on how to improve and develop their skill. There was continuous mention on what Michael was doing with his craft and in detail, I felt it was too much, a little repetitive.

Michael was a very interesting character and what drew me in was that he was mute. I enjoy reading books about characters that are mute and finding out why. One of the main twists and mystery was why he was mute in my mind. Well we got the answer towards the end and in 3 pages, really, sigh.

My favourite part of the book was Michael finding love and using his artistic side of drawing and writing to her in comic book form. The back and forth love notes were a charming touch and her goal was to get him to speak to her.

Overall, it was a good book, well written and the style executed well, it just didn't absorb me as I expected and the long awaited mystery let me down.

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LibraryThing member Schatje

The narrator of this Edgar Award winner (2011) is Michael, a prodigy safecracker who's mute and has a mysterious past. In prison, he writes down the story of his life, explaining how a traumatic childhood event left him unable to speak and how he became a master boxman.

Michael is sent on a

troubled road among criminal elements and has limited choices. The one positive in his life is Amelia. Using comic book drawings, they communicate and a bond develops that has life-changing effects.

This book requires some patience. The plot moves between three timelines, and this can be somewhat confusing. The descriptions of lock opening/safe cracking are tedious and repetitive. Credibility is strained at the idea that a youth of 17 can be a master boxman. The relationship between Michael and Amelia has very much the feel of a Romeo and Juliet romance. In the end, the explanation of the childhood tragedy that left Michael mute seems too neat.

The author tries to examine the devastating effects of trauma on a child and to suggest the redemptive powers of art and love, but the book's effects on me were underwhelming.

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LibraryThing member dorisannn

When I first read about this book, didn't think I'd like it from a crook's POV, but Hamilton pulled it off
with great flair. I truly cared about Michael and was rooting for him.

LibraryThing member smik

The narrator of THE LOCK ARTIST is Michael, a boy without a voice. The "hook" in the opening lines is immediate.

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, you probably heard about me. From one of your neighbors, somebody you worked with, or if you’re younger, from somebody at school. They called me “the Miracle Boy.” A few other names, too, names thought up by copy editors or newscasters trying to outdo one another. I saw “Boy Wonder” in one of the old clippings. “Terror Tyke,” that was another one, even though I was eight years old at the time. But it was the Miracle Boy that stuck.

We immediately want to know how Michael earnt those titles. And he spends most of THE LOCK ARTIST filling us in.

In the years since then, what happened? I grew up. I came to believe in love at first sight. I tried my hand at a few things, and if I was any good at it, that meant it had to be either totally useless or else totally against the law. That goes a long way toward explaining why I’m wearing this stylish orange jumpsuit right now, and why I’ve been wearing it every single day for the past nine years. ... in all the things I’ve done in the past years, there’s one particular thing I haven’t done. I haven’t spoken one single word out loud.

In this very one-sided conversation Michael tells us the story of his life.

So I cannot speak. I cannot make a sound. Here, though, on the page . . . it can be like we’re sitting together at a bar somewhere, just you and me, having a long talk. Yeah, I like that. You and me sitting at a bar, just talking. Or rather me talking and you listening.

I read THE LOCK ARTIST for my face-to-face book group, and Bernadette, another member of the group, reviewed it here.

I did find the structure of the novel challenging. The chapter titles are presented as 27 chapters over a 19 year period. Because Michael is not ready to tell us what happened to him when he was eight years old, the narration moves from a later time frame to an earlier one and then back to a later one, and the impression is that we are constantly darting backwards and forwards. In fact the time frame is much broader than the 21 years. In the early part I found myself going back to check the chapter headings trying to get the chronology correct in my mind. The fact that the reader is being constantly challenged to make these adjustments is probably part of the reason it becomes a satisfying read. Presenting events in chronological order would not have had the same impact.

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LibraryThing member reannon

Excellent! Traumatized boy stops speaking. Becomes fascinated with locks and becomes a safecracker to protect the woman he loves.

LibraryThing member EBT1002

Winner of the Edgar Award for Best Novel, this is an excellent suck-you-in-and-take-you-for-an-unbelievable-ride novel. Mike, our 17-year-old hero is not really believable, but he tells a good story (1st person POV) and you root for him to succeed at both getting the money and the girl. I won't

give away which, if either, actually happens. Highly recommended.

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LibraryThing member abbylibrarian

I can see why this won an Alex Award - it's got a lot of teen appeal and I'd try it on teens who like crime fiction or mysteries like John Green's Paper Towns. Macleod Andrews does a fine job of narrating, but it just wasn't my cup of tea.

LibraryThing member maneekuhi

"The Lock Artist" is a stand-alone novel by Steve Hamilton. I like SH; I have read at least four of his Michigan PI novels. LA has been nominated for a number of awards, and I thought it was good, but I don't share the enthusiasm of the book nominators. Briefly, it's about a young boy, who loses

his parents in a tragic accident, although the details are not totally clear. The accident leaves him mute. He is raised by an uncle. Along the way, he learns to open locks and eventually goes from the challenge of opening gym locks to becoming a safe-cracker. And he meets some unsavory characters along the way, and one particularly savory one, Amelia. What happens to him becomes known to the reader in the very first few pages - a "big" decision by the author that didn't work for me. Halfway through, I felt the story was really lagging - the novelty of the kid's situation had worn off for me, and I was put off by all the time jumps in the story. Now most of these flashbacks in other novels leap about 30 years; in this book, the leap for the most part was six months or so on each side of Y2K. Remember that? It became unnecessarily confusing because time and place and people didn't change much in these jumps. And I didn't care that much for the characters, there were none I really cared about, nor became interested in. I found the protagonist a bit dull. There were some good action scenes but they were not good enough to warrant the attention this book has received. And SH, just as he has often done in his PI series, again concludes with a True Love conquers all wrap up.

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LibraryThing member ktp50

Fantastic book. About a boy who experiences extreme trauma as a child and as a result is mute. Finds he has a facility with picking locks and results in a path of crime. Great book.

LibraryThing member delphica

I think this is one of those things where an author who does a successful mystery series decides to tackle a stand-alone that is more, well, I don't want to say literary because I don't think series mysteries have to be un-literary by definition, but that's what I'm talking about.

The basic plot is

there's this teenage kid who has an amazing aptitude for picking locks and cracking safes, who finds himself quite the commodity in unsavory circles, and he has a Mysterious Past which is slowly revealed over the course of the book.

The plot didn't quite hang together for me. It seemed like there were some important loose ends, and the motivation was all over the place -- sometimes things happened for reasons and sometimes at random, which sounds like real life, only they weren't consistent within the internal world of the story, they often felt too forced and there for the purpose of moving the plot and that's intrusive if you notice it too much while you're in the middle of reading it.

But what I really liked was the voice, the main character was someone you enjoyed spending time with, and wanted to cheer for.

Grade: B, but a very enjoyable B
Recommended: This would be a good read for a time when you want something that will hook you while you're actually reading, if you're prepared not to mull too hard over it later.

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LibraryThing member DHealy

What makes this superior to other criminal point of view novels is how it draws the reader into becoming a lock artist, both in understanding the complexities of opening locks and in trying to understand the main character, locked in his own silent world.

LibraryThing member KittyCunningham

This was a really good book and not the kind of thing I usually listen to. Mostly because I haven't known how to find it, I think. This is a straight up, modern fiction.

I found this one because I like the narrator. He has read a series I liked and I was hoping that what he likes to read is stuff

that I like to listen to. I wasn't disappointed.

I became fond of the characters. I like Mike and would invite him to dinner. I'm still wondering what's going on with his uncle, Lido. By the time I found out what caused him to lose his voice, I was too wrapped up in the story to "look away" from the bad stuff. But there was another part where I had to pause and catch my breath before I could finish.

I will be looking for more by Steve Hamilton.

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LibraryThing member enemyanniemae

I. Loved. This. Book. It won the Edgar Award for best novel in 2011 and that was well deserved.

The title character is a young man who does not speak. Not a word. Not to anyone. But the one thing he does with ease is open any lock. Safe, padlock, deadbolt? He can open them all. And when word of his

talent gets to the wrong people, he becomes a hot commodity.

Tense, eerie and compelling. Very good book!

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