House of Thieves Excerpt and Sweepstakes
To pay off his son’s
gambling debts, a society architect in 1886 New York is forced to join a
criminal gang and plan robberies of the buildings he’s designed.
I’m thrilled to
announce Belfoure’s sophomore novel, HOUSE OF THIEVES (ON-SALE: September 15;
978192617891; $25.99; Hardcover), a major release coming from Sourcebooks
Landmark in September 2015.
John Cross needs
money, and he needs it fast—and New York City’s most dangerous kingpin insists
that robbing John’s rich circle of friends is the only way John can pay off his
substantial debt. John’s talent as an architect provides him with access and
opportunity—if he can just keep his secret life from his family, he can end
this very quickly. But John didn’t count on the thrill that came from
engineering the perfect steal… or that his wife and children would possess the
same talents.
The inspiration for
House of Thieves came from a historical figure in the 1870s named George Leslie
who came from a wealthy Midwest family to practice architecture in NYC but gave
it up because he preferred to be a criminal planning bank robberies.
Additionally, as a young architect Charles unwittingly took on a job designing
an addition to a house owned by a Mafia boss; he was murdered by his crew a
couple weeks after the project was finished.
House of Thieves is
a fascinating look at the two poles of New York society in the late 19th
century, from the extreme opulence of the Knickerbocker society to the opium
dens and whorehouses of the criminal underworld. It also presents an exciting
new twist on the intriguing architecture angle that drew readers to The Paris
Architect.
Excerpt from House
of Thieves by Charles Belfoure (on-sale September 15)
“Let me explain how
our business arrangement will work,” Kent said, setting down his teacup. “You
will choose buildings you’ve designed that contain articles of great
value—-cash, stock certificates, gold, merchandise such as expensive clothing,
fine linen, silverware, and jewelry. You will help me plan each robbery by
giving me drawings of these places and telling me where items worth stealing
can be found. And after each robbery, the value of the goods will be deducted
from George’s debt.”
“Promise me that,
once it’s paid back, I’m free of this.”
“Why of course. I
don’t think you’re cut out for a life of crime, Mr. Cross.” Kent gave him a
wink. “But you are a talented architect. That Chandler Building—-and those tall
arches! I envy your talent. I wish I could do something like that.”
Cross was silent.
Coming from this merciless bastard, it hardly felt like a compliment.
“The next step will
be for you to take some time—-one week, say—-to choose a building. Then we will
meet to discuss whether your plan is feasible. It takes a criminal eye to
evaluate these things,” Kent said. “You’ll want to pay off the debt
immediately, of course. But for our first effort, let’s choose something
modest. And bring copies of the drawings. I understand that with the new
blueprinting process, it will be easy for you.”
Kent was sharp. Only
a few years ago, copies of architectural drawings had to be traced over by
hand, a long and tedious process. But with the introduction of blueprinting,
all that had changed. Now, a photosensitive coating could be applied to a sheet
of paper, which would be placed behind the original linen drawing. The
contraption was put in a wood frame that sat out in the sun, developing a
perfect image on the paper like a photograph.
“Yes,” Cross said,
nodding. “I can bring you your own copies of
the drawings.”
“From now on, it’s
better to meet elsewhere. You’ll be told where to go and when.” Kent rose from
his chair. The meeting was over. “Please don’t think me rude, but I have a
Presbyterian Hospital board meeting in an hour over on East Seventy--Second,”
Kent said apologetically as he escorted Cross to the foyer. “But before you go,
you must see my latest treasure.”
He led Cross to a
large oak table with carved legs and removed a heavy sheet of paper, revealing
what looked like a very old, yellowed parchment.
“An early
eighth--century illuminated manuscript from France. Isn’t it magnificent?”
Though Cross didn’t
give a damn, he pretended to be impressed out of courtesy. After taking a
respectful amount of time to examine the gold--leaf--flecked pages, he nodded
and walked toward the library doors.
“Henceforth, Mr.
Cross, you must learn to think like a criminal. Coming from your background,
that may be difficult,” Kent said as he slid open the paneled doors.
“It didn’t seem to
be an obstacle for you.”
Kent gave a roar of
laughter. “I suppose Griffith told you all about me. True, Princeton didn’t
give me much training for my line of work. You’re a Harvard man?”
Cross nodded.
“A satisfactory
school, but they have no eating clubs, unlike Princeton. So uncivilized,” he
said. “Do take a look around the building before you go. You’ll find it most
interesting.”
“I walked through
right before it opened. The architect, Henry Hardenbergh, is a friend of mine.
It’s a remarkable building,” Cross said softly, looking up at the ceiling. “The
best apartment building in the city. I wish I had done it.”
“Belfoure’s sly,
roguish writing opens a window to those living both gilded and tarnished lives…
Best of all,
Belfoure holds together each and every thread of the novel, resulting in a most
memorable, evocative read.”—Publishers Weekly, STARRED review
“Belfoure displays a
brisk prose style, well-developed plot, and interesting architectural details…
a roisterous, supremely entertaining adventure.”—Booklist, STARRED review
“Charles Belfoure
sees New York's Gilded Age with an architect's eye and evokes the atmosphere
wonderfully… Belfoure leads us on a splendid page-turner as a respectable family
discovers its criminal side in old New York.”—Edward Rutherfurd, New York Times
bestselling author of Paris: The Novel and New York: The Novel
“Charles Belfoure
stocks House of Thieves with authentic architectural and historical grace
notes. Of course he does! But he never loses sight of the story, which 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
Charles Belfoure’s
debut novel, The Paris Architect (Sourcebooks Landmark, 2013), was a national
bestseller, an indie next pick, a national reading group month select, and
received stellar praise from booksellers, librarians, authors and critics.
Sourcebooks is
running a sweepstakes (ends September 30)! All of the details can be found
here: http://books.sourcebooks.com/house-of-thieves-sweepstakes/.
To pay off his son’s
gambling debts, a society architect in 1886 New York is forced to join a
criminal gang and plan robberies of the buildings he’s designed.
I’m thrilled to
announce Belfoure’s sophomore novel, HOUSE OF THIEVES (ON-SALE: September 15;
978192617891; $25.99; Hardcover), a major release coming from Sourcebooks
Landmark in September 2015.
John Cross needs
money, and he needs it fast—and New York City’s most dangerous kingpin insists
that robbing John’s rich circle of friends is the only way John can pay off his
substantial debt. John’s talent as an architect provides him with access and
opportunity—if he can just keep his secret life from his family, he can end
this very quickly. But John didn’t count on the thrill that came from
engineering the perfect steal… or that his wife and children would possess the
same talents.
The inspiration for
House of Thieves came from a historical figure in the 1870s named George Leslie
who came from a wealthy Midwest family to practice architecture in NYC but gave
it up because he preferred to be a criminal planning bank robberies.
Additionally, as a young architect Charles unwittingly took on a job designing
an addition to a house owned by a Mafia boss; he was murdered by his crew a
couple weeks after the project was finished.
House of Thieves is
a fascinating look at the two poles of New York society in the late 19th
century, from the extreme opulence of the Knickerbocker society to the opium
dens and whorehouses of the criminal underworld. It also presents an exciting
new twist on the intriguing architecture angle that drew readers to The Paris
Architect.
Excerpt from House of Thieves by Charles Belfoure (on-sale September 15)
“Let me explain how
our business arrangement will work,” Kent said, setting down his teacup. “You
will choose buildings you’ve designed that contain articles of great
value—-cash, stock certificates, gold, merchandise such as expensive clothing,
fine linen, silverware, and jewelry. You will help me plan each robbery by
giving me drawings of these places and telling me where items worth stealing
can be found. And after each robbery, the value of the goods will be deducted
from George’s debt.”
“Promise me that,
once it’s paid back, I’m free of this.”
“Why of course. I
don’t think you’re cut out for a life of crime, Mr. Cross.” Kent gave him a
wink. “But you are a talented architect. That Chandler Building—-and those tall
arches! I envy your talent. I wish I could do something like that.”
Cross was silent.
Coming from this merciless bastard, it hardly felt like a compliment.
“The next step will
be for you to take some time—-one week, say—-to choose a building. Then we will
meet to discuss whether your plan is feasible. It takes a criminal eye to
evaluate these things,” Kent said. “You’ll want to pay off the debt
immediately, of course. But for our first effort, let’s choose something
modest. And bring copies of the drawings. I understand that with the new
blueprinting process, it will be easy for you.”
Kent was sharp. Only
a few years ago, copies of architectural drawings had to be traced over by
hand, a long and tedious process. But with the introduction of blueprinting,
all that had changed. Now, a photosensitive coating could be applied to a sheet
of paper, which would be placed behind the original linen drawing. The
contraption was put in a wood frame that sat out in the sun, developing a
perfect image on the paper like a photograph.
“Yes,” Cross said,
nodding. “I can bring you your own copies of
the drawings.”
“From now on, it’s
better to meet elsewhere. You’ll be told where to go and when.” Kent rose from
his chair. The meeting was over. “Please don’t think me rude, but I have a
Presbyterian Hospital board meeting in an hour over on East Seventy--Second,”
Kent said apologetically as he escorted Cross to the foyer. “But before you go,
you must see my latest treasure.”
He led Cross to a
large oak table with carved legs and removed a heavy sheet of paper, revealing
what looked like a very old, yellowed parchment.
“An early
eighth--century illuminated manuscript from France. Isn’t it magnificent?”
Though Cross didn’t
give a damn, he pretended to be impressed out of courtesy. After taking a
respectful amount of time to examine the gold--leaf--flecked pages, he nodded
and walked toward the library doors.
“Henceforth, Mr.
Cross, you must learn to think like a criminal. Coming from your background,
that may be difficult,” Kent said as he slid open the paneled doors.
“It didn’t seem to
be an obstacle for you.”
Kent gave a roar of
laughter. “I suppose Griffith told you all about me. True, Princeton didn’t
give me much training for my line of work. You’re a Harvard man?”
Cross nodded.
“A satisfactory
school, but they have no eating clubs, unlike Princeton. So uncivilized,” he
said. “Do take a look around the building before you go. You’ll find it most
interesting.”
“I walked through
right before it opened. The architect, Henry Hardenbergh, is a friend of mine.
It’s a remarkable building,” Cross said softly, looking up at the ceiling. “The
best apartment building in the city. I wish I had done it.”
“Belfoure’s sly,
roguish writing opens a window to those living both gilded and tarnished lives…
Best of all,
Belfoure holds together each and every thread of the novel, resulting in a most
memorable, evocative read.”—Publishers Weekly, STARRED review
“Belfoure displays a
brisk prose style, well-developed plot, and interesting architectural details…
a roisterous, supremely entertaining adventure.”—Booklist, STARRED review
“Charles Belfoure
sees New York's Gilded Age with an architect's eye and evokes the atmosphere
wonderfully… Belfoure leads us on a splendid page-turner as a respectable family
discovers its criminal side in old New York.”—Edward Rutherfurd, New York Times
bestselling author of Paris: The Novel and New York: The Novel
“Charles Belfoure
stocks House of Thieves with authentic architectural and historical grace
notes. Of course he does! But he never loses sight of the story, which 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
Charles Belfoure’s
debut novel, The Paris Architect (Sourcebooks Landmark, 2013), was a national
bestseller, an indie next pick, a national reading group month select, and
received stellar praise from booksellers, librarians, authors and critics.
Sourcebooks is
running a sweepstakes (ends September 30)! All of the details can be found
here: http://books.sourcebooks.com/house-of-thieves-sweepstakes/.
I have this purple sparkly dress that makes me feel sexy. It has pink glitter in the dress. It's so pretty.
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