Summary
Mike, now in prison, suffered a mysterious and horrible family tragedy and near-death experience at a mere eight years old, earning him the name of Miracle Boy, taking away his voice, and setting him on a path he never could have imagined, a path full of more near-death experiences. When Mike goes to live with his Uncle Lito, he discovers that he has two rare talents, both artistic: drawing and picking locks. When "the House," the star football players on the high school football team discovers Mike's talent, he enlists Mike's help in pulling off a seemingly harmless prank on a rival football players. When Mike has the bad luck to be the only one of the boys caught breaking into the Marshes' house, he ends up on probation, digging a swimming pool in the Marshes back yard. Mike won't give up the names of the boys involved in the break in, and Mr. Marsh seems ready to kill him until he discovers Mike's talent and realizes it could be the answer to his prayers. Mike has also found the answer to his prayers: Amelia, Mr. Marsh's daughter. When Mike learns that Mr. Marsh's shady business dealings have put him and his family in grave danger, he agrees to help by being apprenticed to the Ghost, an expert boxman on his way out of the business. Mike learns the trade and begins his life of crime, all to protect Amelia. Mike is fully aware that the man in Detroit, the mobster who now owns him, will not hesitate to have him killed if he ever fails in his duties. All Mike wants is to be with Amelia, but to protect her, he must leave her behind. So what happened to eight-year-old Mike that set him on this path to a criminal life? Will he ever escape the man in Detroit and return to Amelia before she moves on? Will Mike, the Miracle Boy, continue to survive in life and death situations or is his luck all used up? How did he wind up in prison? Mike tells his story in The Lock Artist: A Novel by Steve Hamilton. Check it out.
Review
As the first reading for my mystery genre class, The Lock Artist, got me off to a great start. The mystery of what happened to Mike as a child and the reason for his silence pulled me in right away. By keeping these secrets until late in the novel, author Steve Hamilton kept me hooked until the last page. Mike tells his story in a series of non-linear flashbacks that some might find confusing or annoying, but that I found intriguing and effective. Hamilton is able to make connections between the more recent and the more distant flashbacks in such a way the organization makes sense and furthers the story while still keeping the reader wanting more, wanting to solve the mystery that is Mike. Though he is a criminal, Mike is an endearing character, and I found myself pulling for him right away. The reasons behind his choices, even those he doesn't reveal until late in the novel, nearly, if not completely, clear him of all guilt in the mind of the reader, especially his love for and devotion to Amelia. The horrors that Mike endures to protect his love make it hard for the reader to remember that this narrator is only seventeen years old. When FBI agent Banks begins contacting Mike and trying to convince Mike to accept his help, the reader is hoping Mike will agree, knowing that he won't, and curious what will happen next if he doesn't, what horror will have to occur to finally convince him that Banks is his only hope. With Mike, Hamilton achieves a powerful depth of character and a mystery that hooks his readers from the start. Through Mike's narrative, Hamilton maintains the suspense, slowing offering small pieces of the puzzle until he brings Mike story to a somewhat incomplete, but completely satisfying conclusion. I would highly recommend The Lock Artist. I loved it!
References
Hamilton, S. (2009). The lock artist: A novel. New York: Minotaur
Books.
[Photograph of The Lock Artist cover]. Retrieved September 17, 2011
from: http://prettysinister.blogspot.com/2011/06/new-stuff-
lock-artist-steve-hamilton.html
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