Received from Goodreads giveaway. 

Reading this book over a second time, it's just as good as when I first read it. However, now, I see some issues that weren't as apparent the first time I read this. Also, I don't know what I thought I was reading, because this book became something entirely different the second time around. 

First of all, I still love the pacing - it's a real page turner, with the story jumping from narrative to narrative.

We switch between three viewpoints (aside from the prologue): Charlie comprises the main chunk of the book, then Mayor Lawrence (and the king to a certain extent), and finally Thomas Malvern, who makes up the second biggest chunk of the story. Each narrative is distinct from the other, although mentioned characters that you feel would have more depth to them end up being throwaways. These include Mayor Lawrence, Jack Turner, that determined, brutal tracker who doesn't even show his determined, brutal way in catching Charlie, the monkey (I forgot who owned it, to be honest), and Louise's brother, although I suspect that he might pop up in the sequels. 

The main character is still enjoyable. Charlie Oakley is our Sherlockian thief taker, tricked into visiting a murder scene by Maria. The romance, however, feels a bit forced, perhaps due to the lack of chemistry I found between the two. After all, Maria lured Charlie in with the intent of arresting him and later shows little remorse over that. In fact, she seems to switch sides a little too quickly. 

Speaking of Charlie, how could he possibly not contract the plague? The man runs around barefoot, possibly cutting up his skin with how rough those streets are, and he jumped into a cart full of plague-ridden bodies. 

Now, Thomas Malvern is a villain I would have loved to know more about. He seems to be more nuanced than Charlie and Maria. The revelation that he's actually Thomas Blackstone was a bit jarring - for me, the idea that an old soldier could become a mayor's overworked assistant is comparable to a demotion of sorts. However, as Malvern is an alias, it could be that Blackstone merely stole the man's identity. 

Onto the plot. The Thief Taker houses two mysteries: what does Charlie's special key mean, and who is killing all those young women? We get a taste of the first answer: the key opens a special chest owned by Blackstone, but what Charlie finds inside is frustrating. A marriage certificate hardly seems worth hiding and locking away, so there must be something else of more importance hidden in the chest. 

For the second question, we are treated to a cat-and-mouse scenario, with Charlie eager to find the real murderer to clear his name. Through this mystery, we uncover a more devastating plot, one that attempts to undermine the economy and in turn spark a new revolution. However, I would have found it more interesting to pursue the witchcraft side of this mystery. The book could have delved more deeply into their motivation, because I felt that those ritualistic murders served no clear purpose. Also, Teresa and Thomas have different body types, so how could she physically pass off as him when she went to commit her rituals? 

Finally, three more points. I realize where the idea of the zombies came from, but they're not truthfully zombies. They're only people riddled with pain and hoping (groaning/moaning) for someone to end their suffering. And second, despite having never used a gun before, Charlie miraculously delivers an accurate shot that knocked the bird out of the sky. How slow was that bird flying for him to shoot it down? And third, with Charlie being wanted for murder, why would they just let Malvern go? 

However, I still enjoyed the story. The loose ends will hopefully be tied up throughout the series (I collected all of them so I could read them consecutively). If you're looking for something fun to read, I would pick this up.