Bright Hair About the Bone

August 4, 2008
Dagger Award–winner Cleverly’s third Laetitia Talbot mystery falls short of the high standard set by the first in this historical series, The Tomb of Zeus
(2007). Talbot, a fiercely independent amateur sleuth in the spirit of Kerry Greenwood’s Phryne Fisher, is plunged into international intrigue after her godfather, Daniel Thorndon, is stabbed to death in Burgundy in 1926. Before dying, Thorndon managed to mail a coded postcard to Talbot, using a cipher the two had shared when she was much younger. Aided by an improbable bodyguard, a military chaplain who served in WWI, Talbot journeys to France, where she uses her archeological skills to link up with a dig that may enable her to solve the mystery of Thorndon’s death. Stock characters abound, like an enigmatic but handsome French nobleman, rather than the original creations who populate Cleverly’s Joe Sandilands historical series (Ragtime in Simla
, etc.). 

September 15, 2008
Cleverly brings readers an engrossing new historical mystery. British archaeologist Laetitia Letty Talbot secures a place working on the excavation of an ancient church in Burgundy, France, in 1926. Her happiness is tempered by the fact that her godfather, Daniel Thorndon, died violently while working there. As she works, she realizes that Daniels death was not an accident and begins investigating the circumstances. As she delves into the case, she uncovers some of the regions ancient history and its links to a powerful French family with a shocking secret. She also learns about Celtic mysteries and uncovers a revelation that could have major implications for the future of Christianity. Cleverlys complex plot anddoom-laden atmosphere will appeal to a diverse group of readers, from Da Vinci Code devotees to those who relish the archaeological mysteries of Elizabeth Peters.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)