HOUSE OF THIEVES
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Architect
Could you do the wrong things if you had the right reasons?
When architect John Cross’s son racks up a dangerous gambling debt to the wrong gang, Cross finds himself far away from gilded upper-crust parlors. Deep in the world of desperation and deception, Cross must use his inside knowledge of high-society mansions and museums to craft a robbery even the smartest detectives can’t solve.
With a newfound talent for sniffing out vulnerable—and lucrative—targets, Cross becomes invaluable to the gang.
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Architect
Could you do the wrong things if you had the right reasons?
When architect John Cross’s son racks up a dangerous gambling debt to the wrong gang, Cross finds himself far away from gilded upper-crust parlors. Deep in the world of desperation and deception, Cross must use his inside knowledge of high-society mansions and museums to craft a robbery even the smartest detectives can’t solve.
With a newfound talent for sniffing out vulnerable—and lucrative—targets, Cross becomes invaluable to the gang. But Cross’s entire life has become a balancing act, and it will take only one mistake for it all to come crashing down.
- Sourcebooks
- Paperback
- August 2016
- 432 Pages
- 9781492633082
Buy the Book
$15.99
- Sourcebooks
- Hardcover
- September 2015
- 432 Pages
- 9781492617891
Buy the Book
$25.99
About Charles Belfoure
Charles Belfoure is the international bestselling author of The Paris Architect and is an architect by profession, with a specialty in historical preservation. He graduated from the Pratt Institute and Columbia University, has been a freelance writer for the Baltimore Sun and the New York Times, and has written several architectural histories.
Praise
“Channeling Dickens, Belfoure designs a rollicking story…[and] a blueprint for great fun.” —USA Today
“Mix yourself an old-fashioned and settle in for a trip back in time.” —New York Post
“A splendid page-turner.” —Edward Rutherfurd, New York Times bestselling author of Paris: The Novel and New York: The Novel
“Rockets along at full-speed from one breathtaking scene to the next. I couldn’t put House of Thieves down.” — Alex Grecian, national bestselling author of The Yard and Harvest Man
Discussion Questions
1. In order to save his family, John Cross must do something he finds morally reprehensible. Would you resort to criminality to save your family from death?
2. This is a story about the double lives a family chooses to live. Which was your favorite?
3. Until 1914, Americans could ingest any drug they wanted, including dangerous drugs that are outlawed today. What did you think of Granny’s preference for opium?
4. James T. Kent, a well-bred gentleman from a wealthy family, is a cold-blooded killer and gets an almost sexual satisfaction from committing crimes. Was he a compelling villain?
5. New York high society had a very strict code of behavior that one had to obey or be banished. What did you think of that code? Why did that code devolve into the less-stringent rules of behavior we have today?
6. How does poverty in America today compare with that portrayed in the Gilded Age in New York City?
7. Homelessness is a great concern in our cities today. What did you think of the fact that about twenty thousand children roamed the streets of New York in the 1880s?
8. Cross’s children form friendships with people they normally would never come into contact with. What did you like about Julia and Nolan’s friendship? Charlie and Eddie’s? George and Kitty’s?
9. George’s gambling addiction was the source of all the troubles. How did you feel about George and his illness? Were you angry with him?
10. Cross was devastated when he learned of his son’s secret. What would you as a parent have been thinking and feeling?