Douglas Hulick
Among Thieves
Tale of The Kin, Book #1

Review Brought to you by OBS Staff member Heidi

Among Thieves is Douglas Hulick’s debut novel and the first in the Tale of the Kin series.  This story is centered around the loveable scoundrel, Drothe, who does whatever it takes to survive on the dangerous streets of Ildrecca.  He tries to keep his crime lord boss happy, and keep all the lower kin in line, while smuggling ancient relics on the side.

When Drothe tries to get answers from a kin that crossed him, he finds some papers with unreadable symbols on it that sends him and his best friend, Degan, on the journey of their lives.  Everywhere they turn for answers, leaves more questions in their wake.

Meanwhile, it seems that everyone is taking a shot at snuffing out Drothe’s life and it’s up to Drothe and Degan to find out who wants Drothe dead and more importantly—why.

And if that wasn’t enough to deal with, someone is organizing all the gangs in the hell hole area  that Drothe grew up in and is trying to start a war so a new leadership can take hold of Ildrecca.

Then there is always Drothe’s sister, Christina, the Baroness, to contend with.  But if you ask the people on the street, they won’t know what you’re talking about, as his relationship with his sister is a secret.  It wouldn’t look to good if people knew the Baroness had a criminal for a brother.  Can they work together to solve this mystery before their biggest secret is revealed?

Eventually, Drothe finds out about an ancient book that everyone is after and he tracks it down for himself.  Now he has to decide what to do with it.  Should he give it to the many people who want it or keep it all to himself?

This story captivated me from the very first page.  You couldn’t avoid loving Drothe, in a Pirates of the Caribbean, Jack Sparrow kind of way.  There really is no comparison of the two characters, as Drothe is much smarter and more cunning than Captain Jack.  But they’re alike in one way, you know they’re both bad, but you can’t help, but want to be bad right along with them, just grab on and enjoy the ride!  I thought Degan was a great secondary character, he was likeable and you couldn’t keep yourself from hurting with him when he got betrayed.

As for the plot itself, you think you know what’s going to happen and then it turns you for a loop that you never saw coming, like the roller-coaster ride this story is.  I think anybody that likes mystery, intrigue, and action will love this book.   As I was reading this, I could already see the movie playing out before my eyes, I think Hollywood would love to get a hold of a screenplay like this, and us fans would love to watch it!  I found this tale to be fresh and new, not the same story that’s been rewritten over and over again with slight changes.  This is a new animal all of its own and I haven’t seen anything remotely like it before, and I doubt I will see anything like it again.

This story was much better than I expected for a first novel and I personally can’t wait to see what else Douglas Hulick has in store for us in the remainder of the series.