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Reviewed by John Murphy

There are a lot of things I could say about City of Thieves. I might comment on its gritty evocation of a specific time and place (1942 Leningrad under Nazi siege), its likable characters, gallows humor, or its sturdy plot. The salient point is this: I stayed up half the night finishing it.  David Benioff, a young author whose previous novel, The 25th Hour, was turned into a Spike Lee joint in 2002, understands the fundamentals of effective storytelling: likable protagonists with a clear goal facing seemingly insurmountable obstacles. [Read more...]