Drothe knows the ins and outs of Ildrecca, a city treacherous for those who do not watch their step and know the territory. He is Kin, and as such he mingles with all kinds of riff-raff, each with their own set of rules and trades. The streets have been his home forever, and the innate knowledge he has gathered has served him well. He has risen in rank and holds a very important position in one of the local crime lord's organizations. It is his job to gather information, to filter through all the rumors, to find the grain of truth, to report what he may find, and to see if anything is a threat to his boss. However, it seems that his boss has been hearing some things, and he wants answers. Why has Drothe not heard these rumblings? How can there be something going down that he has no knowledge about?

Drothe dabbles in smuggling relics when he is not out collecting information, and someone has crossed him. A few inquiries have him tracking down not only his missing relic, but also those rumors that have his boss on edge. He learns that there is a relic that everyone is looking for, and unfortunately he seems to have it in his possession. Suddenly, Drothe becomes the center of attention and a target for a number of assassins. His number one objective is to stay alive. There has to be some way for him to gain an edge even though he is not aware of all of the players. Can he keep his wits about him and outsmart his unknown enemies? What is so important about the relic that people are willing to kill for it?

Douglas Hulick blasts off into the fantasy realm with a brilliant debut. He pieces together an action packed adventure laden with mystery and intrigue. He has crafted a marvelous world populated by a diverse group of characters. The main character, Drothe, is steeped in peril with seemingly nowhere to turn and very few whom he can trust. I could not turn the pages fast enough as the story was riveting, a bit twisty turvy, and highly innovative. AMONG THIEVES starts out slicing and dicing, and finishes with a bang. Mr. Hulick is an author to keep an eye out for.