Mystery Novel Blog

Title: No Such Creature
Author: Giles Blunt



In the novel, No Such Creature, by Giles Blunt, there are two groups of thieves. One group is named the Subtractors, a vicious assembly of thieves who only take from other thieves; they kidnap fellow bandits and “subtract” their limbs until they confess to telling them the location of their hidden loot (thus the name “The Subtractors”). The second, and more important group of thieves in the novel is made up mainly of two people. The first is Max Maxwell, a retired actor, and the second is Owen Maxwell, Max’s adopted son. However, there is more to this father and son duo than meets the eye. Max and Owen travel across America every summer performing elaborate heists along the way. The story begins with their first job in the summer, robbing from a group of wealthy, upper class, citizens of Belvedere, California, gathered at the household of Margaret Peabody. This is when the idea of a protagonist is developed. This protagonist is Owen.

At the time of the heist Owen is only eighteen years of age, but is somewhat of a genius. Owen uses his good looks and charm to successfully pull off sophisticated thefts. Although Owen is intelligent and handsome, his overconfidence is often his downfall. For example, during the heist at the Peabody mansion, Owen is nearly caught by Melinda Peabody herself when he is sneaking about upstairs searching for jewelry (Pg.10). During Owen’s voyage through the United States he thinks of himself as a modern day Robin Hood because he and his father only steal from rich Republicans. Throughout the book the reader sees Owen maturing into an even more intelligent and aware adult who finally realizes what is really important to him.
After their first heist in California, Owen and Max continue their trip across the country completing similar jobs while being followed closely by the Subtractors. One of these jobs takes place when they are in Los Vegas, Nevada. During this heist they find themselves saving a waitress who ends up being the daughter of an old friend of Max.
Eventually, the reader forgets what Owen and Max are doing and sees the morality in their actions; they do what they do out of love for each other, not out of greed.
The plot’s climax is reached near the end of the book during a final heist at a bank where Max is mortally wounded by a bullet wound to the chest. The chapter ends with Max’s final words. The next, and final chapter is written completely differently. During this chapter Owen is walking through New York City recalling all of the memories he has of Max. He remembers Max’s favorite pub on 47th street. At the end of the book Owen quotes Max by saying, “It’s all just a fantasy.”
There were three passages that stood out to me when reading the novel. In all three, imagery contributes to the writing.


The first passage occurs when Owen is describing his tenth birthday. (pg. 35):

Owen’s tenth birthday is the best birthday ever. He is only an only child… his parents tend to go overboard on birthdays. In addition to his presents, which include a telescope, several books and five complete seasons of Doctor Who on DVD, they’re driving down to New York City in the Volvo to see the Lion King on Broadway. It’s a perfect day… before he is wakened by the sirens. He’s too sleepy to sit up, or even open his eyes, but he can hear them getting closer, and his parents’ disembodied voices.
“Police”, his mother says. “My God, there’s someone moving awfully fast back there.”
The sirens get louder. A sudden roar and then the car swerves. Owen sits up, gripping the back of the driver’s seat.
“God, that was a near thing,” his father says, real agitation in his voice. “Idiot barreling along on the inside lane.”
Horns honk up ahead. The sirens gain on them from behind.
“It’s a police chase,” his mother says. “Can we get in the other lane?”
“Unfortunately, everybody else has the same idea.”
“Owen, sit back sweetie. Is your seat belt on?”
Owen sits back and adjusts the shoulder strap across his chest. A police car goes blaring by on the left, red lights flashing.
“Good Lord,” he hears his father say.
Then an oncoming car veers into their lane. His mother’s scream is the last thing Owen hears.

I found this powerful passage to be an example of very effective writing due to its profoundness. During this flashback of Owen experiencing the death of his parents the reader is made to feel that he or she is there, watching the entire event unfold. When reading the passage one notices the subtle details in the beginning that make the sudden tragedy that much more shocking.


The second passage :
(Pg. 152)

“Sabrina touched his lips with a finger. He took hold of her hand and they lay side by side for a long time, talking quietly, sharing the memories of growing up in households where the money came from crime.
“The thing is, Sabrina said, “living with a criminal – or being one – is like living on the Titanic. You just know it isn’t going to end well.”

This passage especially appealed to me because it stays true to this character- based novel and it contrasts the harsh theme of crime at the same time. In the passage the imagery used to describe the actions of Sabrina and Owen effectively contributes to Owen’s character development by showing his softer side. The reason I chose this passage was mainly because of the interesting thing that Sabrina says at the end, which foreshadows events to come.


The third passage:
(Pg. 270)

“That’s Max. Slow but steady.” Owen put a dollar into the bagpiper’s open jar, then jerked his thumb at the door. “I’m going back in.”
“Okay. But I was thinking -- a young couple, maybe scouting out wedding rings, could really get a good look at places like that. They could walk right in and who would suspect them?”
Owen shook his head. “Not interested.”
“I know. It was just a fantasy.”
“Then again,” Owen said, sweeping his arm to include the street, the oblivious bagpiper, the entire vast immensity of New York City, “the whole damn thing is a fantasy.”


I chose this passage partially because it is the emotional ending to the book, but also because the notable use of imagery. When the narrator describes New York City, its’ size is described as “the entire vast immensity.” This puts the image of a colossal city into the mind of the reader. Overall, I believe the story was very well written, and the development of Owen as the protagonist was done expertly.