The Coral Thief

Daniel Connor is a budding natural history scholar enroute from England to Paris on a stagecoach bound for the Jardin des Plantes, Paris' Natural History Museum. He's been awarded a prestigious position there where he will work illustrating & cataloging the world's known animals and plants. Also traveling on the same coach is an exotic raven haired gypsy-like woman named Lucienne Bernard and her beautiful daughter Delphine. The story opens in 1813, the French Revolution is over, Paris undergoes transformation and renewal. Upon his arrival to the city, Daniel soon realizes that important letters of recommendation, his journals, and rare specimens of coral and fossils have gone missing. Reporting this to the local police, he soon learns that the mysterious woman who so innocently sat beside him on the stagecoach was none other than a famous most wanted thief. Lucienne Bernard, seductive, cunning, collector and thief, is also a brilliant savant who has traveled the world with Napoleon to Egypt, crossed the sand dunes of the middle-east, journeyed far and wide from Russia to the Orient, to steal and collect the rarest of fossils, corals and gems. She belongs to a ring of thieves known throughout Europe as the Society of Ten Thousand, works with a team of gentlemen scoundrels and crooks as they pull off major heists of the most secret and valuable private collections of Paris. Lucienne is beautiful. She is smart, a scholar and philosopher, a lover and a mother. She is a criminal, a collaborator, and a chameleon as she often goes undercover in disguise canvassing the city, eyes always on the goods. Dangerous, deadly, scheming and seductive, a Medusa with far reaching tendrils that stretch and pull in Paris' precious and prized gems that will fund the world's renowned scientists in their quest to solve the mysteries of life. Daniel and Lucienne's lives soon intertwine as she pulls the wool over his eyes and draws him into a web of deceit using him in ways he is blind to, manipulating him into helping the Society as they plot to steal the famous Satar diamond being sequestered in the vaults beneath the museum floor. Seducing Daniel and tempting him with a life he's always dreamed of, Daniel learns quickly his life in Paris will not be as planned. The two unlikely cohorts lock minds in love, lust, and larceny, and will dance the dance of romance and intrigue as they match minds with a clever detective who is playing his own cat and mouse game to hunt Lucienne down, and bring her to justice for a past death of one of his men. Who is who and what is what is not always straightforward in this intriguing new novel. I found the author's ability to slowly build the tension and suspense while building wonderful characters that lift off the pages as if actors in a play around you, simply amazing. Hooked in from the start, I couldn't put this book down. Stott's talent for writing exceptional prose, and offering period detail to give the reader an evoca

I enjoyed this book even more that Ghost Walk. The mix of romance and science is great. The story also highlights the history of Paris as it moved from Napoleon and the revolution back to a kingdom. There is such an nice subtlety in this book. I especially liked how the main character falls in love with the Parisian savant, heretic, and thief.

On the surface, The Coral Thief is the story of a young and rather naive medical student who has fallen in love with a mysterious thief, and into her plans for an audacious jewel heist. The Coral Thief, however, is not merely about Daniel Connor's love affair. It is also the story of changing evolutionary theory set against the backdrop of post-Napoleonic Paris. Stott brings alive the city, the people (many of whom, like Georges Cuvier, are real historical figures), and the heady atmosphere of revolutionary ideas with vivid descriptions and meticulously researched scenes. Interspersed throughout, in short segments, is the story of Napoleon's journey to St Helena, providing a timeline for Daniel's adventures and a grounding for the reader. The Coral Thief is an interesting and educational novel that will leave you wanting to know more about the time and place in which it is set.

"We love Rebecca Stott! We did not think she could top Ghostwalk but Stott has written a wonderful story of historical fiction that takes place in Paris. The Coral Thief features Napoleon, mysterious deaths, science and even philosophy."

By the time I had read this novel, I'd already seen that it had hit the trifecta of book reviews--starred reviews in Publisher's Weekly, Booklist, and Kirkus. Further, the reviewers had all commented on the novel's mix of science, history, romance, and mystery. All I could think is, "I've got to read this book!" Ah, but raised expectations are a brutal thing. Rebecca Stott addresses the issue herself: "It depends," I said, "On your expectations. Whether they are low or high." "Oh, my expectation are, I believe, unusually high." "Well, then, many things will not be as good as they seem." And that was my experience exactly. I think that had I come to The Coral Thief with no expectations whatsoever, I would have enjoyed it more. The novel opens with 21-year-old protagonist Daniel Connor on his way to Paris from his home in Edinburgh. The year is 1815. Napoléon has just been defeated at Waterloo. And Daniel Connor is striking out on his own for the first time to continue his medical and scientific studies at the renowned Jardin des Plantes with the famed Dr. Cuvier. He comes bearing gifts of rare coral specimens, a translated manuscript, and letters of recommendation from his former professor. As he travels by mail coach, Daniel meets a most extraordinary woman. It takes him a while, in the dark, to realize that she is quite beautiful, though she's about twice his age. She speaks knowledgeably, if controversially, about science. She is like no one he has ever known. When he awakes in the morning, the woman is gone. So is the bag containing his specimens and the rest of the precious items in his charge. Oddly, she's gone out of her way to leave his money. Despondent, Daniel reports the theft to the French police, a more harrowing endeavor than one might expect. It is there he learns that his thief is Lucienne Bernard. In his desperation to retrieve the lost items, he becomes increasingly entangled with Lucienne and her colleagues. Ultimately, after a meandering start, The Coral Thief resolves itself into a May/December romance and a heist caper. There's a great deal to like about this novel. Foremost for me was the novel's setting. It was a fascinating time and place. In the wake of major political upheaval, the world was on the brink of a scientific revolution that would change the way we think forever. The characters in this novel are the players in this sea change in thinking. I was so interested in this pivotal time and place, I found myself somewhat frustrated--a rare incidence of me wanting more fact and less fiction. Though it must be said that Rebecca Stott did a really terrific job relaying the significance of the events unfolding. My biggest problem--and it's a biggie--was with the protagonist, Daniel. He was young, naïve, and frankly didn't have a whole lot to offer. I'm close to Lucienne's age, and all I could think is, What could she ever see in this kid? (Clearly I've failed my cougar test.)