Clare L. Deming

The Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch is book #3 in the Gentleman Bastard series. I reviewed the earlier books, The Lies of Locke Lamora (#1 – review here), and Red Seas Under Red Skies (#2 – review here). I also listened to this as an audiobook, narrated by Michael Page.

Here is the blurb:

With what should have been the greatest heist of their career gone spectacularly sour, Locke and his trusted partner, Jean, have barely escaped with their lives. Or at least Jean has. But Locke is slowly succumbing to a deadly poison that no alchemist or physiker can cure. Yet just as the end is near, a mysterious Bondsmage offers Locke an opportunity that will either save him or finish him off once and for all.

Magi political elections are imminent, and the factions are in need of a pawn. If Locke agrees to play the role, sorcery will be used to purge the venom from his body – though the process will be so excruciating he may well wish for death. Locke is opposed, but two factors cause his will to crumble: Jean’s imploring – and the Bondsmage’s mention of a woman from Locke’s past: Sabetha. She is the love of his life, his equal in skill and wit, and now, his greatest rival.

Locke was smitten with Sabetha from his first glimpse of her as a young fellow orphan and thief-in-training. But after a tumultuous courtship, Sabetha broke away. Now they will reunite in yet another clash of wills. For faced with his one and only match in both love and trickery, Locke must choose whether to fight Sabetha – or to woo her. It is a decision on which both their lives may depend.

These books are a lot of fun but also take some dark turns. This one in particular will open up wounds from reading the first in the series (The Lies of Locke Lamora) because much of the book follows Locke’s backstory in happier days before all the tragic stuff happened in the first book.

However, we do finally meet Sabetha who is alluded to in the earlier books, but has never made an appearance. She is a worthy rival/love interest for Locke, and their banter keeps this book going through a less deadly plot than the earlier installments. The poison lurking in Locke’s system also provides a countdown type of urgency to the story.

I really enjoyed this book and am eagerly awaiting the next one in the series. There is no release date yet for The Thorn of Emberlain (#4).

Have you read any of The Gentleman Bastards series? Let me know what you thought in the comments above.

Find more of my reviews here.