Thieves Till We Die

by Stephen Cole

Overview

Nathaniel Coldhardt, criminal mastermind and leader of an elite group of teen thieves, desperately wants to get his hands on the lost sword of Cortes - which was used by the Spaniards to conquer and destroy the Aztec people. But not long after Coldhardt's motley crew returns from this new challenge empty-handed, one of them, Tye, is kidnapped from under their very noses. Jonah, Motti, Con, and Patch are desperate to find her, and they soon discover clues about a shadowy organization called the Sixth Sun that could hold the key to both Tye's whereabouts and the location of the sword.
From secret headquarters in Europe to ancient jungles of Central America, Coldhardt's gang must make the most of their remarkable talents to decipher the connection between their friend and the Sixth Sun, before it's too late.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781619630826
Publisher:	Bloomsbury USA
Publication date:	08/02/2012
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	320
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

After achieving a first-class degree in English Literature and Film Studies, Stephen Cole has worked extensively as a book editor and scriptwriter, in addition to writing many novels, including novelisations of the Dr Who series, and the Astrosaurs and Cows in Action series for younger readers. He lives in Buckinghamshire with his family.

Editorial Reviews

The ragtag band of thieves that readers know and love steal their way back onto the pages of another adventure-filled book. Jonah and the gang find themselves thrown into mystery, danger, and a cult of Aztec worshippers who wish to awaken a deadly goddess. This action-packed book is great for teens looking for a good read and an enthralling story line with a memorable cast of characters they won't soon forget.

VOYA - Katherine Wise

Jonah and the gang are back, still doing the bidding of their eccentric and aptly named boss, Nathaniel Coldheart, whom they first met in Thieves Like Us (Bloomsbury, 2006/VOYA June 2006). This time, as they pursue the sword of Cortez for Coldheart, they are brought into conflict with a group calling themselves the Sixth Sun, whose members need Cortez's sword to perform a ritual sacrifice to a bloodthirsty Aztec goddess in exchange for long life and knowledge. When Tye is kidnapped by the Sixth Sun, Jonah worries that Coldheart is more interested in finding the sword than in rescuing Tye. Jonah's decoding and computer skills become crucial in the quest to rescue Tye. The talents of Motti, Con, Patch, Tye, and Jonah all must be at their peak to pull off the defeat of the Sixth Sun in the wild and ancient jungles of Central America. Those teens who enjoyed Cole's first tale involving the teen thieves will be pleased to see a continuation of their Indiana Jones-like adventures. Again Cole relies more on nifty gadgets and puzzle unraveling rather than on depth or clarity in characterization. The dialogue among the teens sounds like a grade-B teen movie and the adult bad guys lack believability, but the suspenseful pace of the story and action are undeniably appealing. Older junior high and younger high school students who are fans of Eoin Colfer or Garth Nix should find the book a fun read.

VOYA - Mary Ann Darby

Gr 9 & Up - This sequel to Thieves Like Us(Bloomsbury, 2006) brings back Nathaniel Colhardt and his motley band of thieves-Jonah, Tye, Motti, Con, and Patch-in another Indiana Jones-type adventure. This time, the group is chasing after a long-lost relic-Cortes's sword, which was used to conquer and destroy the Aztec people. Then Tye is kidnapped by the mysterious Sixth Sun, a group that is also after the sword. Jonah must gather all his skills as a code breaker to beat the Sixth Sun to the weapon, rescue Tye, and, with the rest of the band, fight a battle of good and evil. Lots of action and suspense grab teens' attention from the start; chapters are short and paced to keep even the most reluctant readers on the edge of their seats.-Lori E. Donovan, Thomas Dale High School, Chester, VA

Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information

School Library Journal

The young-adult crooks and whiz kids of Thieves Like Us (2006) are once again set to steal ancient artifacts for their mysterious employer, Coldhardt. This time, Tye, Jonah, Motti, Con and Patch need to steal the lost sword of Cortes. A straightforward-seeming theft goes awry when Tye is kidnapped by worshippers of the goddess Coatlicue, who plan to orchestrate mass murder in order to raise the goddess. Though Tye could escape, she wants to rescue her ex-boyfriend, the planned human sacrifice of Coatlicue's worshippers, from the villains-despite the fact that he's a selfish prat. Tye's seemingly turncoat behavior infuriates her friends, but they still work together to defeat the madmen and steal the sword. This classic Indiana Jones-style grave-robbing adventure places more emphasis on action than on character, and the over-the-top evil of the flatly painted villains fits well in this mixture of Aztec temples and high-tech thievery. Snarky, fun, action-packed adventure. (Fiction. 13-15)

Kirkus Reviews