The Tavernier Stones: A Novel
Author
Stephen Parrish
Publisher
MIDNIGHT INK
3 Review Copies Left
When the body of seventeenth-century mapmaker Johannes Cellarius floats to the surface of a bog in northern Germany with a 57-carat ruby clutched in his fist, the grisly discovery ignites a deadly twenty-first-century international treasure hunt to unearth the fabled Tavernier stones. The hoard reputedly contains some of the world's most notorious missing jewels, including the 280-carat Great Mogul diamond and the 242-carat Great Table diamond.
Scrupulously honest Amish-born cartographer John Graf teams up with outlaw prospector and gemologist David Freeman in a ferocious race to find the treasure and break a secret code that will unravel the centuries-old Tavernier stones mystery. But other fortune hunters, opportunists and criminals alike, are in hot pursuit of the mismatched partners--and they'll stop at nothing to possess the legendary jewels.
"Relentlessly fascinating, Stephen Parrish's Tavernier Stones is reminiscent of Dan Brown's Lost Symbol . . . It's one hell of a good time."--Mark Terry, author of The Fallen
Reviews
Former Amish young man John Graf is a cartographer and fascinated when he hears that the body of the famous 17th century fellow mapmaker, Johannes Cellarius has been found in a bog in Germany. Cellarius was clenching a 57-carat ruby. This sends John along with others all around the world on a modern day treasure hunt.
Though John has left the Amish, he still maintains a simple life that soon overtaken by his obsession to solve the riddles that Cellarius left on the last map he created. As he tries to solve this he encounters David and Sarah a couple who pull jewelry hoists. David is a magician who uses his sleight of hand along with Sarah’s sexy clothing to distract the sales clerks. They are an unlikely threesome but they realize they need each other to find the Tavernier Stones.
Tension builds for John as he is not doing his job and starts to skip work. He is also attracted to Sarah though she and David are a couple. John is given a leave of absence from work that looks like the first step to his being dismissed. He also misses his family and visits them to talk with his sister. He is being shunned and he wonders if he did the right thing in leaving to go to high school and college. However, for now the most important thing to him is solving the mystery of the Tavernier Stones.
Along with John, David and Sarah, there are others across the world who are also trying to figure out the clues that Cellarius has left on his map. Once one of the puzzles is solved, the answer hits the newspapers, which adds more to the excitement. The threesome decides to go to Germany with the clues they have already solved. Can they get there first and once there can they figure out the remaining clues before anyone else?
Parrish does move from one treasure hunter to another and you see how each is solving bits of the puzzle. The characters he has created are interesting and you are definitely pulling for John. The Tavernier Stones is a page-turning thriller full of adventure, history and even some humor that you are sure to enjoy.
Reviewed on 08/09/2010 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Janice Hidey
Reviewed on 06/29/2010 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Jud Hanson
