Asti and Verci Rynax have kicked their life of thievery to the curb and gone straight. They have their own business to run and Verci has a wife and child to support. Unfortunately, all that changes when Holver Alley burns, destroying almost every business in the area and leaving them penniless and homeless. Can they recover what they’ve lost with just one more heist? And what will they do when the realize the fire wasn’t an accident but was purposely set?

THE HOLVER ALLEY CREW is the first book in the <i>Streets of Maradaine</i> series but fans of Marshall Ryan Maresca’s works will already be familiar with the overall world of Maradaine. THE HOLVER ALLEY CREW adds a new dimension to Maradaine as it focuses on some very likeable thieves and the world they have to navigate. I love that Marshall Ryan Maresca keeps exposing us to different facets of Maradaine as he expands the world building for us with each new novel he writes.

Asti and Verci are the main characters, but Marshall Ryan Maresca introduces us to a whole host of other characters as well. I have to admit Asti and his struggle with his anger captivated my attention the most, but I’m also curious to learn more about Helene Kesser as well. Her devotion to her cousin, Julien, is admirable but she has a wary edge that makes me want to know more about her past and how she earned that edge. Perhaps the most charming character, however, is Mila Kendish. I suspect there are depths to her that we’ve yet to explore and I can’t wait to see more of her in future books!

THE HOLVER ALLEY CREW is a phenomenal start to the <i>Streets of Maradaine</i> series and another spectacular tale from the gifted Marshall Ryan Maresca. Solid world building and phenomenal character development are trademarks of Marshall Ryan Maresca’s fantasy novels and THE HOLVER ALLEY CREW showcases these talents well. Marshall Ryan Maresca is quickly becoming one of my favorite fantasy authors and I can’t wait to see where this series heads next!

*review is in the editing queue at Fresh Fiction*

Possibly my favorite Maradaine novel yet! I love a good heist story.

This one works well in the world that Maresca has already established, while also standing up on its own with a great cast of characters and a lot of action. Some of them will seem familiar even though they're all ostensibly new, as they tend to rely heavily on genre tropes, but they're nonetheless endearing. It's a good crew; each and every member has a place, variable amounts of backstory, and a solid motivation besides money.

I enjoyed the plot, though a few whiffs of Deus Ex Machina arguably came in towards the end. That's not to say everything doesn't tie together, only that a few elements felt just slightly more loosely tied, so to speak. The writing in general is workmanlike, but in a good way; Maresca more than gets the job done. Though with a larger cast of characters than in previous books, the "head-hopping" line does get crossed on occasion. Also, while Maresca does an admirable job with diversity here, I do still wish that the Maradaine world had less built-in, unexamined sexism. It's the same with plenty of other series in the genre (Michael Sullivan, Brandon Sanderson, Patrick Rothfuss, and GRRM on and on). Maresca's Maradaine women are awesome, and treated fairly by the narrative here, but do still exist in a storyworld in which systemic, rigid gender roles are the norm. The male characters get more depth, while the women get more archetyping.

I'm looking forward to the next book in this series, and any book in Maradaine. These books make me miss my subway stops, seriously!

Our review can be found here http://kingsriverlife.com/04/22/the-holver-alley-crew-by-marshall-ryan-maresca/

We love all of Maresca's books

I really like the world Maresca created and have enjoyed the other books set in this world. For some reason this one just did not catch me and I finally stopped reading about half way through.

The Holver Alley Crew, by Marshall Maresca, is a fantasy heist novel, winning it a boatload of points right off the bat. I am a huge fan of heist novels, and they definitely fall under the umbrella of my guilty pleasures. This first book in a trilogy takes place in the same universe as both of Maresca’s earlier work, following a vigilante and a detective in the same city of Maradaine. For those wondering if you need to have read all his previous work, I have not read either of his previous stories and I had no problem jumping straight into this novel. The title of the book is fairly self explanatory, and follows a group of shopkeepers on Holver Alley as they team up and try to pull off a heist, and more, in order to recover from a tragedy.

The aforementioned tragedy is that Holver Alley burns down, putting many poorer shopkeepers out of work and home, and that is where we start the novel. As in most heist novels, the team is made up of an eclectic group of people with a variety of skills and backgrounds. We have the mechanical expert, the retired spy, the sharpshooter, the muscle, the wheelman, the makeup artist, the locksmith, the chemist, and the understudy. Of the group about half have experience in the crime underworld, and half are taking their first step into the shadier side of life. It makes for a good dynamic and I enjoyed the overall synergy of the crew. What starts as a simple story about planning the heist of a statue to pay the bills morphs into a more complex plotline as the crew finds hints that their alley didn’t burn down by accident. It is fun to watch the crew plan out all of the steps of their various heists and I was fairly invested in most of the story from start to finish.

The world building felt a little sparse for me, but I suspect that is likely due to being heavily developed in earlier novels (and even without that context, the world building wasn’t bad). My one request is that I would have liked to know a little more about the aristocracy that we are intended to hate throughout the novel. The characters varied in terms of how I felt about them. Some felt really fleshed out and interesting, while others felt a little flat and two dimensional. However, I will say that the ratio of interesting to bland was in favor of the interesting. My real major complaint for the books was that it never really got me excited enough. I was invested the entire time, and enjoyed the story plenty, but I never quite felt on the edge of my seat. There was a really detailed planning sequence to the heists (which of course never go according to plan) and I think it stripped away a little bit of that feeling of “how are they going to do this” that is ever present in most heist stories, and is what keeps me coming back. However, The Holver Alley Crew has a lot of charm and spunk that made up for the missing heist elements.

I enjoyed The Holver Alley Crew, but I was a little disappointed that I didn’t enjoy it more as I tend to love books of this genre. I definitely recommend it, especially if you also love heist stories or are a fan of Maresca’s earlier work. However, I will also say I would have enjoyed it a lot more if it had a little more worldbuilding, some characters were a little more fleshed out, and the heists a little more exciting. All in all, still a fun read and I will have to check out some of Maresca’s other work.

Rating: The Holver Alley Crew – 7.0/10

Holver Alley Crew is the first book in a new series by Marshall Ryan Maresca. I have to say, I find this publishing schedule a bit fascinating. Keep in mind, all of his series are executed in a way that (at least so far), they can be read in any order and can be read independently of each other. This is the third series Maresca is publishing, and the other two trilogies are not yet complete. But, that’s not because he writes slow, on the contrary! These books are being released at a pretty good pace. I love the idea that this third one will keep the story going after the other two finish. It’s just interesting, and I’m not sure I’ve seen concurrent series quite like this before.

Now, for those unfamiliar with Maresca’s other two series, Maradaine and Maradaine Constabulary, despite being concurrent and in the same city, they can easily be read independently of one another. The first starts with The Thorn of Dentonhill which is set in a magic school, but also gives a view of the city’s crime through the eyes of a vigilante (who happens to also be a student at the magic school). I find this series incredibly fun. The second series starts with A Murder of Mages and is the perspective from detectives working in the city. This is one is also really good, I love the lead female character, who manages to juggle a demanding career and also be the sole provider for her family, but personal reading preferences that bias me a bit against detective stories means it is not my favorite.

This new series, The Streets of Maradaine, gives eyes inside the criminal element in Maradaine. Can I just say, it’s about time! I mean, not that I really noticed we didn’t have it before, but now that I do have it, I love it. Who doesn’t love rooting for the bad guys, right? Sometimes its fun to break rules, and since I am not much of a rule breaker, I love living vicariously through my books. And these “criminals” are the best kind as they are just likable. The Rynax brothers are really good guys that just happened to be born into a life of crime, compliments of their father. He taught his sons all the tricks of his trade, from how to spot a con to using and concealing weapons. They really didn’t see many other options growing up in this gang infested, harsh city.

However, despite all this, Asti and Verci Rynax both found ways to clean up their act and rise above their life of crime and establish legal professions. But when someone burns their entire block and they lose everything, opportunity means they may just have to use what they know from their former lives to get back on their feet and regain what they lost. And they are motivated not just for themselves, but also for their community and all their neighbors that have also lost everything. There is a great sense of standing by one another in this. I think Maresca’s execution of this was very important. He chose the right type of character to really let us still root for this crew, but not be turned against them from the other series that are more focused on fighting crime. The criminals in this crew are more victims of circumstance than really bad guys. I am very curious if in the future, Maresca will have the characters of one series pitted against characters of another. It could actually make an extremely interesting scenario if you have background and connections with both sides of the story, it will make everything much more complex than a simple black and white, good versus evil.

The story covers the brothers as they formulate a plan to pull off what begins as a challenging mission to steal a well guarded statue as it is being transported through the city. But instead of being a one and done job as they expected, Asti gets information that turns their job into a mission of vengeance and what could very well turn out to be the biggest heist the city has ever seen. Provided they can pull it off.

What can I say, heists are fun and exciting! And Maresca crafted a fresh and thrilling heist story that moves at a great pace. This is the type of book you just fell the need to read cover to cover, looking/wishing for the pause button on real life until you finish. And this story earns added bonus points as when the job gets more complicated after Asti’s discovery, it also requires growing the team. In response, Maresca includes a great mix of varied characters, each bringing their own strengths and skills to the job. They also each have their own story that helps flesh out what it is like to live in Maradaine. Every character adds something. There was one young female character, Mila, who I particularly enjoyed. She is fierce and independent and very bright. Everything I love.

Overall, this may be my favorite of his series so far. It’s a tough call, as I loved The Thorn of Dentonhill as well, but this one may squeak just past that one. If you have not read Maresca’s work yet, I definitely encourage you to give one of his series a try, and personally, this one if my favorite yet.

Yes, Marshall Ryan Maresca is back with a third series set in Maradaine, the great city that features at the center of his fantasy universe. But even with all these novels under his belt, Maresca is keeping things interesting; each one of his series brings something different, retaining their own individual flavor. They’re also headed up by their respective casts of unique and diverse characters. Already, we’ve embarked on several adventures through the eyes of a vigilante magic student in Maradaine and patrolled the crime-ridden streets with a pair of resolute detectives in The Maradaine Constabulary.

And now, we get our chance to see yet another side of the city with The Holver Alley Crew, the fantastic opener to The Streets of Maradaine starring a group of plucky thieves who are just burning to exact their own brand of justice. Oh, and did I mention that this is a heist book?

The Rynax brothers were raised by their conman father, who taught his sons the tricks of the trade. But now the boys are all grown up and are ready to go legit. Recently returned from his service in Druth Intelligence with his mind broken and fragile, Asti is ready to settle down, and getting married and becoming a new father has convinced Verci that he needs to set aside a life of thievery and do the same. After taking out loans and using up all their savings, the brothers were able to buy a shop in their old neighborhood of Holver Alley where they have plans to set up a business selling gadgets and trinkets.

But then, the great fire happened. It spared nothing on Holver Alley, incinerating everything in its path including the Rynaxes’ shop and home. That night, Asti and Verci saw their entire future go up in flames, and with nothing left to their name, the brothers are forced back into their old life of crime. Along with a crew made up of other victims of the fire, they agree to take on a job involving a carriage robbery—a situation that quickly blows up when Asti stumbles upon information proving that the inferno that gutted all their lives was in fact no accident. Soon, what began as a simple smash-and-grab escalates to become a full-blown heist planned on a gambling house owned by the powerful man behind the conspiracy. It’s a dangerous job which, if skunked, could cost them all their lives. But the risks are worth it, in Asti and Verci’s mind. For the Holver Alley crew, it’s not even about the money. It’s personal.

Reading The Holver Alley Crew made me realize it’s been a while since I read a heist novel, which happens to be one of my favorite sub-genres. It was also the perfect book to get me back into the action. Every page was packed with fast-moving plot developments with plenty of twists and turns, made even more exciting by the presence of a large and interesting cast. At the heart of the story is of course Asti and Verci Rynax, our masterminds. Next we have Helene and her cousin Julien, the crew’s sharpshooter and muscle, respectively. Then we have Kennith, the driver and designer of specialized carriages; Mila, the scrappy young urchin who knows the streets inside and out, making her the perfect scout; Almer Cort, the chemist who cooks up helpful (albeit sometimes unstable) creations for the Rynax brothers to use; Gin, an actor and make-up artist who joins the crew later in the novel; and finally, we have Win the locksmith, so naturally he is also our resident safe-cracker.

It’s true that we have a big crew here—ten members in all, if you include the Old Lady, their shadowy benefactor who funds their activities from behind the scenes. Books with a large number of characters are often problematic, but to my surprise, I didn’t run into any issues here. In part, this has to do with the story’s flawless pacing. Maresca didn’t introduce the whole gang all at once, but instead broke his novel up into several stages. First we had the Holver Alley fire, then we had the carriage job, and ultimately the events that led up to the big heist. Each section flowed into the next, and as the plot grew in scope and complexity, so too did our cast of characters.

I also thought the author did a great job jazzing up the traditional heist story elements to fit his fantasy world. Think Ocean’s 11 set in Maradaine, complete with magic, violence, and plenty of double dealing. Of our diverse group of characters, many of them have roles that will probably be familiar to fans of heist fiction, but others will also have more innovative, specialized skills to get them past certain obstacles. Levels of intensity are through the roof because the stakes are so high and failure is not an option. Along with great banter and humor to break up the tense scenes of planning and carrying out the job, the overall result is a novel that’s lots of fun to boot.

Certainly, fans of caper stories should be making The Holver Alley Crew their number one priority. A strong start right out of the gate, this series opener is a well-written and brilliantly executed example of the fantasy heist genre, and of all the novels written by Marshall Ryan Maresca so far, this might be my favorite one yet! The Rynax brothers and their crew are so good at their jobs that they will steal your heart from the very first page, and I simply can’t wait to see what the gang will be up to next.

3.5 Stars
Overall I enjoyed this book. I'm not sure if this was part of a series, or if there are,previous books, but the end was left open for a continuation. While I understand that world building is essential, I didn't like how we were,given history and geography lessons through out the book. I didn't feel like I needed the information, and it detracted from the story. And,while I got that this was the long game, sometimes it just felt too long. I maybe didn't need so much detail of f,everyone's activities. But overall a good read, and I will keep an eye out for the next one.

The Holver Alley Crew is set in a world the author has written about before, but this is supposed to be a standalone. I haven't read any of Maresca's other work, but thought this sounded interesting. The description sounded a bit like Leigh Bardugo's Six of Crows,but maybe just because I read that recently. I honestly had trouble getting into it. We dove right into the action and I felt like I was missing part of the story or had jumped into the middle of a story. Maybe getting a feel for the world from some of the authors other books would help. I might try that and then revisit this one.

My reading list for 2017 is awash in glorious, top-notch fantasy and The Holver Alley Crew is one of them. I’ve loved each and every one of MRM’s books and I was pleased to find that this might be my favorite yet! In addition to stories about police and a vigilante crimefighter, we now have a story about a group of dispossessed individuals that have turned back to crime in order to make a living.
The Rynax brothers were going clean, preparing to open a legitimate business in Holver Alley. Asti got kicked out of Druth Intelligence and Verci had a new family, so time to kick crime to the curb and leave the associated dangers behind. Easier said than done. Someone set Holver Alley ablaze, killing innocents and destroying Asti and Verci’s plans of becoming upstanding citizens. Now they, along with their crew of wayward neighbors, are seeking revenge on the man behind the blaze that turned their lives upside down.

Every second of this book was a gripping thrill ride that kept me up late into the night. I only sacrifice precious sleep for the best adventures and The Holver Alley Crew was well worth a day of dark circles and yawns for the entertainment it provided. The story is a fantastic heist story (of which I’m terribly fond) and rather than focusing on a single big job, there’s actually two heists in a single book! Every character on the crew is a bundle of issues and they’re as vibrant as the city of Maradaine itself. Asti has a traumatic past that shows up to haunt him at the most inopportune moments. Verci has to worry about providing for his wife and daughter (and deal with his in-laws). Helene and Julien Kessler used to get all the good work, but things have gone downhill after a failed job, plus Julien can’t take much more damage to his brain. Kennith is out for revenge for stolen carriage plans. Almer Cort- well he’s a bit difficult to figure out, but he was impacted by the Holver Alley fire as well.

The neighborhood of North Seleth and Holver Alley are well-written and thoroughly described environments that I could visualize being in any city. The alley is a close-knit community where the neighbors help each other out and everybody knows everybody else. The Rynax brothers demonstrate this closeness when they risk their lives to pull other from their burning homes and Almer Cort demonstrates this when he conveniently disposes of some bodies for the brothers. The reader gets to be immersed in this little segment of Maradaine- bars, churches, sewers, the chemist shop, a bakery… you name it. This whole world has depth equivalent to the most well-known and loved fantasy works on offer.

The final verdict: You’ve GOT to read this book! You can jump into the world of Maradaine starting with this book or with A Murder of Mages or The Thorn of Dentonhill without feeling lost or that you’re missing out on anything. This book is my favorite to date, though not by much, as everything by MRM is of the highest caliber and I would recommend them without reservation. Again, I still wish that these were available in a larger paperback or hardcover format for optimum display on my shelves, but maybe one day! Fans of Scott Lynch or Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows will be head over heels for The Holver Alley Crew, so be sure to check it out once it’s released on March 7, 2017!

The Holver Alley Crew is the first in a new fantasy series from Marshall Ryan Maresca. It’s set in his ‘Maradaine’ world, which already has a few other series running inside it. Rather than detectives or vigilantes, however, this book is focused on, well, thieves, and a fantasy-style heist.
Maradaine is a large, multi-districted city, and it has the energy and diversity on the page to back that up. There’s chemists shops, bars, restaurants, and all of the apparatus of civic life. Up to a point, anyway. We’re not in Maradaine to see the civic buildings or scenic police headquarters this time though – here, we’re in Holver Alley. It is, to be kind about it, not the nicest place in the city.

The law doesn’t show up much in Holver, perhaps because it’s been paid not to, and perhaps because it’s indifferent. Instead, there’s a combination of people organising for themselves, and a more criminal element sitting over the top, skimming whatever cream is available. Maresca makes it at once fantastic and familiar – the urban issues faced in the Alley are those common to large conurbations everywhere, but in this case the gangs have crossbows and mages. The alley succeeds in feeling like a neighbourhood – one where everyone knows everyone else. They may not like everyone else, but that’s hardly the point. This is a relatively small, close-knit community, used to being ignored or acted upon by those above it in the social food chain – and that closeness and strength give the book its heart – personified by the links between the characters.

Before talking about the characters though, I wanted to mention something else done well in the background – the stratification of society, even in Holver Alley. There’s a sense of the regular people, and those just getting by, dipping in and out of the fringes of the extra-legal. Then there’s the wealthy, whose immense influence allows them to break into communities, to buy influence and wellbeing, to set their own needs above the community – their own goals over the whole. It’s a quiet thread this, running beneath angry dialogue and the occasional brawl within the text, but it’s an important and powerful one.

Our protagonists are the Rynax brothers – once professional thieves. Now, after the war that has shaped Maradaine has come to a close, one of them is a settled family man – and the other is suffering from combat strain. Their relationship is close, and friendly, and the effort they put into sustaining the link between them, even when they appear to be poles apart, is obvious. Watching the one interact with his family, his love for his life and his baby is clearly balanced closely with concern for his brother, a man who believes he might lash out with lethal force at any moment. Here is a Rynax everyman, a voice for the reader.

The other Rynax, damaged by the war, is something else entirely. He’s tortured by his concern for his brother and their family, and the feeling that he’s only one poorly placed word away from catastrophic levels of violence. There’s the sense of a man on the boil, struggling to drag himself back from the brink. But he’s also quick on his feet, mentally and physically – watching him throw a plan together is breathtaking, and often highly entertaining. Watching him take on groups of antagonists singlehanded is similar – but emotionally leavened by the possibility that this wrath could be turned on his friends. Still, combat shock is being looked at here in the raw, treated sensitively, with a string feeling of the impact it has on both the individuals suffering from it, and those close to them. There’s emotional heft here, rawness and a sense of understanding, which makes, at times, for a heartbreaking read – but at the same time, one which feels genuine. I’d recommend the book for this portrayal alone.

The Rynax boys are backed up by a cast of misfits – from street urchins with a bad attitude, to crossbow-snipers with a bad attitude, to carriage drivers and strongmen. As each has a role in the crimes shown off here, each gets their time on the page, and a little more room to shine – but together, in gestalt, they’re a charming, entertaining and prickly mob, whom you’d be happy to buy a round for – with an eye on your wallet.

The same can’t really be said for the antagonists. Much of the text, their composition and goals seem mysterious. I’d like to have seen a little more from them, to give them a modicum of the depth and emotional connection that we have with the Rynax boys and their team. On the other hand, the more the enemy present themselves, the more unpleasant they obviously are – and so on that basis, they serve their purpose perfectly well. There’s a few moments where villainy is laid bare – it would be nice to have seen it seeping off the pages.

The plot – well, no spoilers, but this is basically a heist novel. The Rynaxes get a team together to investigate why their lives are suddenly in turmoil, and this calls for a certain amount of breaking, entering, and indeed looting. There’s some fantastic planning scenes, as the team pieces together exactly what they’re going to do and when. Then there’s the tension of the job, and this is something which is brought out to perfection – each action is watchmaker-precise, and each failure can lead to a cascade of other failures – watching the team anticipate and deal with these (or not) is agonising and wonderful. The whole narrative is tightly plotted, and each page makes you want to turn to the next – it’s got fires, knife fights, brawls, daring escapes, explosions, and a lot of heart – and as such, I’m looking forward to seeing what adventures the Holver Alley Crew go onto from here.