James Buchanan’s The Good Thief is a work of fiction that combines several genres. Nate and Caesar meet by chance and kindle a spark that wouldn’t have ignited had they known anything about each other beforehand: Nate is a cop with the LAPD and Caesar makes a living by breaking into houses.
As in much romantic fiction, opposites attract, but fight the attraction. As in erotic romance, they fall into bed pretty quickly. There is sexually explicit lovemaking by page ten, and the reader is treated to equally graphic encounters with regularity.
Another genre element added to the mix is that of the crime novel. In what starts out as a routine robbery, Caesar discovers evidence of a crime far more monstrous than his own. He finds himself with no other choice but to reluctantly turn to Nate, resulting in a case that pits the both of them against the power structure of the LAPD (and throws them together for a lot more erotic action).
Due to Buchanan’s devoted following, The Good Thief is recommended for larger fiction collections that don’t shy away from erotica.
Reviewed by
Michael Colby
Shields Library,
University of California-Davis
