The Legend of the Slain Soldiers

This is the second book of Marcia Muller's Elena Oliverez trilogy, continuing the exploits of her Hispanic art museum curator. The first was: "The Tree of Death" and the third and final is "Beyond the Grave" (co-authored with Bill Pronzini who is now Muller's husband). Actually, I think this trilogy gets better book by book, so I actually liked this one better than the first, but not as much as the third of the 3. But, it's interesting to see Muller write of protagonists other than Sharon McCone--demonstrates her breadth of talent. She also authored the Joanna Stark trilogy about an art security expert. The Elena Oliverez series is heavily into the world of Hispanic art but is highly dosed with the personalities of its highly divergent characters--highlighting human foibles. It is not a continuing saga like the Stark trilogy, but is connected in time and in the characters involved. Interestingly, Muller gives Elena a cameo appearance in her latest Sharon McCone adventure: "The Dangerous Hour." I find Elena to be a very appealing character and admire Muller for delving into a somewhat different world for this trilogy. I liked this book very much, and it's worth reading the entire trilogy. Enjoy!