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"Engrossing.... Will appeal to a diverse group of readers, from Da Vinci Code devotees to those who relish the archeological mysteries of Elizabeth Peters."--"Booklist"
Book Description
Second novel in the Laetitia Talbot murder mysteries from the winner of the CWA Historical Dagger.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
First Sentence: The priest smoothed down his white robe and prepared to make his entrance into the Village Hall.
Laetitia Stella St. Clair Talbot receives a postcard from her beloved godfather after learning he has been murdered in a medieval town in France. Determined to discover what happened, she employs her archeological talents to gain a position on a dig going on in the town. As her father won't allow her to travel alone, he employs an injured veteran of WWI who is also a cleric. Once there, the encounters an imperious count and a town linked to Mary Magdalene and Celtic goddesses.
I love Barbara Cleverly's Joe Sandilands series but wonder what she was thinking to create a character as annoying as Laetitia. She leapt to conclusions about people, she was arrogant and, at times, too stupid to live. It's a shame because once you got past her, which is hard to do as these the protagonist; the story had some very good points.
The secondary character of Gunning was excellent. A former Army chaplain invalided out of WWI, he provided a means by which I learned more about that time; both the war and the aftermath. There is a tragic statement, which was believed at the time, that France would never again be so weak there would be blood shed on its soil.
Cleverly is skilled at educating the reader without it ever being preachy or out of context with the story. Her other great still is in description and creating an evocative sense of place. That adds such richness to the story.
NOTE: I have recently learned this was Cleverly's first book, which was not originally published. Only after the Sandilands series and "Tomb of Zeus" did her publisher decide to release this. I'm happy to say Ms. Cleverly's writing has improved greatly since this book.
Laetitia Stella St. Clair Talbot receives a postcard from her beloved godfather after learning he has been murdered in a medieval town in France. Determined to discover what happened, she employs her archeological talents to gain a position on a dig going on in the town. As her father won't allow her to travel alone, he employs an injured veteran of WWI who is also a cleric. Once there, the encounters an imperious count and a town linked to Mary Magdalene and Celtic goddesses.
I love Barbara Cleverly's Joe Sandilands series but wonder what she was thinking to create a character as annoying as Laetitia. She leapt to conclusions about people, she was arrogant and, at times, too stupid to live. It's a shame because once you got past her, which is hard to do as these the protagonist; the story had some very good points.
The secondary character of Gunning was excellent. A former Army chaplain invalided out of WWI, he provided a means by which I learned more about that time; both the war and the aftermath. There is a tragic statement, which was believed at the time, that France would never again be so weak there would be blood shed on its soil.
Cleverly is skilled at educating the reader without it ever being preachy or out of context with the story. Her other great still is in description and creating an evocative sense of place. That adds such richness to the story.
NOTE: I have recently learned this was Cleverly's first book, which was not originally published. Only after the Sandilands series and "Tomb of Zeus" did her publisher decide to release this. I'm happy to say Ms. Cleverly's writing has improved greatly since this book.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I have just finished 'Bright hair about the bone', I found it fairly enjoyable, beautifully written as are all Barbara Cleverly's books, but once again to my dismay I truly find Laetitia exasperating.Surely such a highly intelligent woman as she would be a little more farsighted. The story is plausible and in the light of today, eminently possible. Of course we know the history that is just around the corner, another war, the rise of Hitler and so on but I would still have expected more. I like the character of William Gunning, to me a much more rounded and appealing creation, a man coming out of the bleak and horrifying mud and death of the trenches to come back to life and hope.
I will probably read her next book, but at the moment I still prefer the Joe Sandilands series.
I will probably read her next book, but at the moment I still prefer the Joe Sandilands series.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is a whodunnit with a conspiracy theory thrown in, set in a 1920s Agatha Christie/Dorothy L Sayers-type world of well-bred young ladies who take it upon themselves to do a bit of sleuthing.
Our heroine is posh Laetitia, an amateur archaeologist, who goes to France to investigate her godfather's murder. Tracking down the killer involves not only solving the mystery of a hidden tomb, but also foiling a sinister plot by a local aristocrat to restore France to its former glory. It has a very old fashioned feel about it and could almost have been written in the twenties, which is presumably what the author was going for.
It's readable, it's an interesting setting, but these don't seem like real people and it's hard to believe a word of it. And there are some faults which really jarred throughout.
Firstly, the author's been too ambitious with the tiresome Mary Magdalene/ancient earth goddess conspiracy plot (yes, here we are in Dan Brown territory yet again). A nice, straightforward murder mystery with a bit of political shenanigans would have worked so much better: it's the twenties, after all, so there's plenty to draw from - people are still dealing with the fallout from the first world war, while events leading up to the next one are shaping up.
Secondly, the dialogue. Every single character speaks in long and very grammatically correct sentences and everyone sounds exactly the same.
And finally, it's very hard to care about a heroine like Laetitia - beautiful, clever and popular (is there any man under the age of 80 in this French village who doesn't instantly fall in love with her?) but also smug, superior, and very, very annoying. Making her a bit more human would have added a much needed dose of realism to this story. I'd actually have preferred it if her sidekick Gunning was the protagonist. He's a much more interesting and sympathetic character.
It's an OK read, just scraping three stars for me. I'll have to try her other books - this seems to be considered the worst of the bunch.
Our heroine is posh Laetitia, an amateur archaeologist, who goes to France to investigate her godfather's murder. Tracking down the killer involves not only solving the mystery of a hidden tomb, but also foiling a sinister plot by a local aristocrat to restore France to its former glory. It has a very old fashioned feel about it and could almost have been written in the twenties, which is presumably what the author was going for.
It's readable, it's an interesting setting, but these don't seem like real people and it's hard to believe a word of it. And there are some faults which really jarred throughout.
Firstly, the author's been too ambitious with the tiresome Mary Magdalene/ancient earth goddess conspiracy plot (yes, here we are in Dan Brown territory yet again). A nice, straightforward murder mystery with a bit of political shenanigans would have worked so much better: it's the twenties, after all, so there's plenty to draw from - people are still dealing with the fallout from the first world war, while events leading up to the next one are shaping up.
Secondly, the dialogue. Every single character speaks in long and very grammatically correct sentences and everyone sounds exactly the same.
And finally, it's very hard to care about a heroine like Laetitia - beautiful, clever and popular (is there any man under the age of 80 in this French village who doesn't instantly fall in love with her?) but also smug, superior, and very, very annoying. Making her a bit more human would have added a much needed dose of realism to this story. I'd actually have preferred it if her sidekick Gunning was the protagonist. He's a much more interesting and sympathetic character.
It's an OK read, just scraping three stars for me. I'll have to try her other books - this seems to be considered the worst of the bunch.
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