Fingers by Lo Hartog van Banda

2003-08-01 17:00

Why read the book?

Fingers is a dapper conjurer with sleight of hand to spare and a hopeless habit of pocketing whatever he touches. His thieving fingers land him in jail, where he meets the Daltons and promptly escapes alongside them, leaving Luke to round the whole lot up again.

Moved by the magician's helpless kleptomania, Luke agrees to try and reform him. For much of the book you cannot quite tell whether Fingers is a harmless dandy or a mastermind playing everyone for sport, and that doubt keeps the story turning.

Favourite quote

I did not steal your watch. I merely borrowed it before you noticed it was gone.

—Fingers

What I Loved

Fingers is a fine guest star, quick, vain, and impossible to trust, and the conjuring tricks give the gags a different flavour.

The uncertainty about his real nature is the clever part, keeping both Luke and the reader guessing to the end. The Daltons' brief jailbreak is a welcome bonus.

Key Takeaway

A reformed thief is a hopeful idea, but old fingers are slow to forget their tricks.

Enjoyed this post?

Well, you could share the post with others, follow me with RSS Feeds and/or send me a comment via email.