I have no idea if Turner planned the whole series before starting the first book, but whatever she did, the development of characters, politics, and world feels seamless. What struck me especially when listening to The Thief after several others was how perfect it was as the first in a series. She told me she did the latter and I can’t imagine her pulling these books off any other way.

I once asked Turner if she was someone who wrote without knowing where the story was going or someone who planned. I suspect after reading the final book I will go back and listen to them all again. Seeing how cleverly Turner seeds her stories, throwing a teeny moment in here or a small clue in there (if you know what you are looking at) is an incredible pleasure. These are mysteries, thrillers, and smart novels with sneaky twists and turns. By doing this, knowing the storylines, I was able to appreciate even more Turner’s assured and shrewd managing of each book’s individual plot along with the overall arc of the series. I did not listen to these in order, but started with The Queen of Attolia, went on to The King of Attolia and A Conspiracy of Kings before going back to the beginning with The Thief and then finishing up with Thick as Thieves. Listening to the books made me regularly sigh in contentment for, among other things, Turner’s plotting is remarkable.

Narrator Steve West was outstanding, managing to inhabit the different characters beautifully. While I have reread the books numerous times I had never listened to them and I must say doing so was a treat. Now, in preparation for the May 2019 publication of The Return of the Thief, the final of the series, I have just finished listening to the first five. I was hooked and, since then, have read and reread this title and the following four in The Queen’s Thief series: The Queen of Attolia, The King of Attolia, A Conspiracy of Kings, and Thick as Thieves. I first encountered Megan Whalen Turner‘s remarkable Eugenides in her 1997 Newbery Honor The Thief.

The queen thief