The Etruscan Chimera

Lyn Hamilton has another winnner with this complex tale of greed and betrayal set in Italy. Few writers can compare with her in presenting layer upon layer of deceit together with intricacies of plot and character.This mystery novel, set in Tuscany and Rome, illuminates the dramatic scenery of the region and shows the reader the world of antique hunting and the people within it. These are not your gentle Sunday afternoon antique shop browsers but sharks in Lamborghinis, some motivated by financial greed, others by the need to possess the finest Etruscan artifacts. They have the money and the motivation to establish expensive smokescreens, sending antique dealer Lara McClintoch to Paris and back through Tuscany in an attempt to retrieve the Etruscan Chimera.But the chimera is just that. The characters are never so simple, and just as one could not trust a chimera, one cannot trust anyone but Lara McClintoch in this book. Their deceits are so manifold and intricate that it's almost hard to keep track. Chimera indeed.This is a vivid and and well-told tale. It is carefully researched, even scholarly, but never loses its drama and immediacy.

I loved this book, it is exciting, well-plotted and very well written. I was surprised that this book didn't get more attention because it is as rivetting as The DaVinci Code, maybe even more. Lyn Hamilton is quite skilled at developing a sense of place, I have wanted to visit every locale she writes about. You won't be disappointed with this mystery either, it is as good as any Hitchcock had in his best days.

I had never read a mystry before and I must say I was quite surprised, I liked it! It was quite fun to read! I very much enjoyed the author's style. I suppose now, I will have to read her other books. If I found one fault, and it may be just me, I felt the author was rather abrupt in her introduction of new characters - I had trouble tracking them. Other than that, all was well and I would highly recommend this book. I do hope we get more from Ms Hamilton (after, of course, I read her first ones. Thank you for writing this story.

Its been a long time since I read a book I couldn't put down. The Etruscan Chimera is an intricate, well woven tapestry, whose beauty isn't revealed until the very end. A true delight for the mystery lover.

McClintoch & Swain is an antiques store in Toronto, Canada run by two ex spouses, Lara McClintoch and Clive McSwain. Since Clive spends more than he should on items for the store, Lara is the one who goes on the buying trips locally and abroad. In Rome, Lara is brought to meet Crawford Lake, a reclusive mega-billionaire who hasn't been seen in public for over fifteen years. Crawford is an art collector and whenever he is interested in purchasing an item, the owner marks up the price. To prevent this, he uses intermediaries and Lara is the one chosen to purchase a piece of Etruscan art from a Mr. Goddard in Vichy, France. A flattered Lara agrees to take on the job for a generous fee but before her quest is concluded, three men are murdered. Lara inadvertently becomes a smuggler and an innocent bystander winds up in jail for its theft. Lyn Hamilton is a very creative and colorful writer who always manages to bring the past to life in her archeological mysteries. Her latest work, THE ETRUSCAN CHIMERA is a conspiracy buff's delight. The supporting cast have schemes within plots that Lara innocently and unwilling participates in them. This is one mystery that will take a genius to solve.Harriet Klausner