The Thief's Heart is the long awaited sequel to Kathleen Shoop's The Last Letter. It was absolutely worth the wait, revisiting the Arthur's and seeing how they are getting along. Tommy still has issues and feels immense guilt about his parents divorce. But the family dynamic is still pretty strong even though to me Tommy seems to have alienated himself and believes he's doomed to be like Frank Arthur.

Kathleen Shoop has once again woven a Historical Fiction novel that will remain on your mind long after you've finished reading it. Let's just hope we don't have to wait very long to revisit the Arthur family. ( )

Fifteen year old Tommy Arthur has had an interesting few years. After his grandfather lost their family inheritance, the Arthur family was left destitute and Tommy fled to the prairie to survive. Now, he is back in Des Moines with his mother and sisters, having found housing with the independent business woman Violet Pendergrass, an anomaly in 1892. Tommy tries his best to earn money for the family, working odd jobs selling prayers for the Reverend, being a bell boy at a hotel and doing some things for Miss Pendergrass. As much as Tommy wants to be a good person, help his family and save money for their future, but it seems everybody else would like to see him fail. The Reverend asks him to steal trinkets from the houses that he delivers prayers to, Miss Pendergrass isn't forthcoming with what exactly the women in her house are up to and Tommy easily falls into the comforts of drink and gambling. When Tommy's little sister, Yale is taken to a house for imbeciles he knows that it is time to be a man and help his family. Luckily, Tommy has family and friends who still believe in him and know that he is a good person.

The Thief's Heart is a story of struggle and survival in the late 19th century. This is the 4th book in The Letter series and while I could tell that a lot had happened before this book began, I did not feel lost at all. I did find myself wrapped up in Tommy's strife and constant attempts to make his and his family's life better. I had a lot of sympathy for Tommy as his successes were cut down and attempts to right wrongs were squashed by miscommunication or circumstance and found myself frustrated for him. The love of family and friends stood out for me. Tommy is willing to sacrifice, steal and work unsavory jobs in order to help, but he is slow to see how other's are trying to help him. One of the friendships and characters that I absolutely adored was Frank the crow, a perfect companion as well as an addition of humor. Along with Frank, Pearl Riverside's character adds a lightness to balance Tommy's edge with her honest and strong personality as well as her ability to rebound from many situations. As a lover of historical fiction, The Thief's Heart is a perfect read for me, bringing me back to the late nineteenth century in the midwest. I enjoy Kathleen Shoop's seamless addition of touches of magic throughout the story to create hope, wonder and whimsy.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. ( )

Being one of my favorite series, I could hardly contain my excitement to get my hands on another installment of the Arthur family and travel back in time with them again. I've loved these stories since the very first book when the family first captured my attention as they found themselves penniless and homeless in the middle of a prairie. The author's outstanding writing brings these touching stories so much to life and make the characters feel like long lost friends.

We travel back in time again to Des Moines, 1892, to be reunited with the Arthur family. Lies, resentment, and corruption are just a few things the Arthur's are faced with when all they want is a family home to feel safe in together but find they are surrounded by deceit and poverty of the times. This is Tommy's story who I really warmed to, my favorite characters running through the series has always been Jeanie and Katherine, but I found myself understanding Tommy's haphazard ways as he jumps from one desperate plight to another to survive. He has a heart of gold, and always strives to support his family from the severe hardships they find themselves in, yet sometimes finds himself conflicted between right and wrong, and pull of temptation. As Tommy and Pearl get closer she seems to have brought some steadiness to his life and I'm looking forward to see how things work out between them.

For readers who have not read the previous books I feel you would be able to follow this quite easily as the Arthur's history is referred to now and then by the author so you are not missing out on the important facts.

It will come as no surprise that I rate this emotive read 5 stars and find myself, yet again, desperate to read the next! ( )

Tommy’s family has had the worst time possible just trying to stay together and survive. No matter how hard he tries doing the right thing, Tommy somehow ends up doing wrong. Not only does his family depend on him, his friend Pearl needs him just as much. But Tommy finally realizes that he needs Pearl too. His past of running with the wrong crowd and being on the wrong side of the law soon catches up with him threatening to break up Tommy’s family, giving him no way out but to tell the truth and face the consequences of his actions.

I felt every heartache, every letdown, every disappointment that this family felt. I wanted so badly to help them. This is the fourth book of this series and each one had me so emotional throughout each story. Ms. Shoop can transport you directly into her stories and make you never want to leave. ( )

The Thief's Heart is a brilliant and heart-wrenching tale. Thrown into poverty, family torn apart but trying to mend, Tommy is doing his best to be the man of the family while keeping his nose clean. Surrounded by corruption and temptation at every turn, the reader can feel the war within Tommy. An absolutely captivating read that can be read as a stand-alone. ( )