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Title/Author

A Thief in the House of Memory

Tim Wynne-Jones

Average Review Rating Average Rating 8/10 (1 Review)
Book Details

Publisher : Usborne Publishing Ltd

Published : 2007

Copyright : Tim Wynne-Jones 2004

ISBN-10 : PB 0-7460-7878-1
ISBN-13 : PB 978-0-7460-7878-5

Publisher's Write-Up

Dec hasn't seen his mother for six years. Having moved into a new home with his father, Dec rarely visits the old family home, until one day he makes a horrific discovery there - a man crushed to death in the hall. Was it an accident or is it more than a coincidence that Dec recognizes the would-be thief? Suddenly the house is alive with memories, prompting Dec to investigate the past and piece together the puzzle which will reveal the elusive truth about his mother's disappearance.

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Reader Reviews

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Review by Jessica (300907) Rating (8/10)

Review by Jessica
Rating 8/10
Tim Wynne-Jones first began writing in his twenties but he never dreamed about becoming a published author. He loved to read countless books and was so certain about aspiring to be a world famous architect that he never took his writing seriously.

At the university where Tim was training to be an architect, they suggested it might be an idea for Wynne to go into designing buildings. Tim took their advice and turned his hand to doing this, only later on he finally realized that writing a book might not be such a bad idea. Thus arrived the triumphant author of many children’s stories, three adult novels and a dozen picture books. This man is unstoppable. His new novel, A Thief in the House of Memory, is quite short although unusual and very much a mystery genre aimed at the teenage audience.

Declan Steeple, a sixteen year old boy, hasn’t seen his mother Lindy in almost six years. His memory of happy times together as mother and son have faded with time and a mixture of emotions. The once-family-home is now empty of Declan’s childhood days, his parents and happier times. His father has moved on too from those nostalgic days and found himself a new partner, Birdie. Declan knows there is something amiss with his father. He feels his Dad is protecting him, perhaps from some dark secret. When he and his sister, Sunny, find a body in Steeple Hall, his father’s family house, sinister events begin to take place and a mystery begins to unfold. Declan must piece together the jigsaw along with the visions of his mother that he has been experiencing to uncover the truth.

This is a mystery that also explores difficult times between family and friends. Not the best novel of its kind but it should hold the readers imagination long enough to get to the interesting parts where things really start to happen.

Eerie with an unusual angle, it’s certainly worth a try.
Jessica (30th September 2007)

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