The Magyar Venus: An Archaeological Mystery by Lyn Hamilton

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  • Pub. Date: April 2004
  • 272pp

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    Product Details

    • Pub. Date: April 2004
    • Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
    • Format: Hardcover, 272pp

    Synopsis

    After the unveiling of the Magyar Venus--a head and torso of a woman carved from mammoth ivory during the Upper Paleolithic period--one of Lara's friends commits suicide. Determinedly tracing the Venus's provenance to Budapest, Lara discovers a truth that arises from the secrets of the past.

    Publishers Weekly

    The ninth in Hamilton's appealing series (The Thai Amulet, etc.) takes chatty, always upbeat antiques dealer Lara McClintock to Hungary to research the provenance of the Venus, an ancient bust carved from mammoth ivory. Charlie Miller, aka Karoly Molnar, onetime lover of most of the "Dovercourt Divas" (six University of Toronto chums, including Lara, who lived in tiny apartments above a Chinese restaurant), unexpectedly turns up as curator of the Cottingham Museum and wastes no time in running up a huge expense account with the purchase of this mysterious objet d'art. This tale bristles with confusing coincidences, such as the simultaneous arrival of assorted members of Toronto's social set in Budapest on various missions. Yet Lara, unfazed by her friends' skepticism, is determined to prove this million-dollar artwork's authenticity-and also the honesty (or lack thereof) of her ex-boyfriend from those heady university days. Interspersed with excerpts from a 100-year-old diary by the Venus's original finder, Lara's tireless quest gives an absorbing view of post-Communist Budapest and its surrounding prehistoric caves full of archeological treasures, like an old skeleton that she inexplicably decides to conceal under her hotel-room bed while making a side trip to London and Edinburgh. A drawn-out resolution comes as a bit of a letdown in this lively blend of romance, humor and occasional tragedy. Agent, Bella Pomer. (Apr. 6) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

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    Biography

    Lyn Hamilton is the author of The Xibalba Murders, nominated by the Crime Writers of Canada Association for the Arthur Ellis Award for Best First Novel.

    Customer Reviews

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    Magyar Venus: An Archaeological Mysteryby Anonymous

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    February 07, 2004: It isn?t every person who could own and work with an ex-husband but Lara McClintoch manages quite nicely. In fact Clive Swain carries most of the business load because Lara is depressed because she broke up with her long time lover. In downtown Toronto Lara meets an old schoolmate who is on her way to meet some other college friends. Lara joins them because she shared an apartment with them and was one of the Dovercourt Divas as they were called. The six divas attend an exhibit at the Cottingham Museum hosted by new curator, Lara?s former lover Karoly Ndmar. He displays the Magyar Venus that he acquired for the museum. Some of the divas think he committed fraud so Lara goes to Hungary to trace the history of the three inch ivory statue. While there the man who sold the Venus to Karoly dies. The police believe he slipped but Lara thinks someone killed him; she also believes that one of the Divas didn?t commit suicide but was chased and fell off the bridge trying to get away from someone she knew. Determined to find out the truth, Lara goes to London where she finds the evidence she needs to confront the perpetrator and almost loses her life in the process.

    Lyn Hamilton?s archeological mysteries always make the reader want to travel to the setting of her latest book and THE MAGYAR VENUS is no exception. She makes Hungary come alive in the mind?s eye with her descriptions of the country and its people. The heroine is a fascinating and complex person who has the courage to do what is right even if it means putting herself in danger. The armchair travel crowd and fans of excellent amateur sleuth novels will want to read this book in one sitting.

    Harriet Klausner