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(More customer reviews)Propelled by a spectacular opening, in which the corpse of seventeenth-century mapmaker Johannes Cellarius is discovered in a bog with a 57-carat ruby clutched in his fist, THE TAVERNIER STONES quickly unfolds into a treasure hunt adventure even more riveting than the real-life story of the jewels which spawned it. With its effortless weaving of memorable characters--each harboring his or her motive for coveting the stones--and intricate subplots, I found this novel to be an immensely satisfying and enjoyable read. While the ingenuous ending left me hungry for more from this gifted debut author whose writing is as accomplished as his storytelling.
Parrish incorporates an impressive depth of knowledge about cartography, cryptology, gemstones, and history, and his technical command of these details lends a precious believability to the hunt that is foundational to the book's success. While tension-filled and plenty thrilling, the action never veers off into the realm of the cartoonish, as Parrish grounds us so believably in his world of maps, codes, Amish culture, German lore, and, of course, precious jewels. I love a book where I learn as much as I'm entertained. Especially when the subject matter is as rich as this.
But none of that stuff would mean much without characters that live and breathe on the page. And live they do. Amish-born cartographer John Graf's struggle between the religious and familial roots he's severed and the worldly quest which becomes his obsession serves as the heart of this novel, and is deftly handled by the author. I was really invested in this character, and was pleasantly and poignantly surprised by where Parrish takes him. While his relationship of necessity with jewel thief David Freeman and his girlfriend, Sarah Sainte-James, crackles with a wit and spark that keeps the pages turning.
To sum up, I tore through THE TAVERNIER STONES in a couple days. And I guess that's the best recommendation of all. Parrish is the real deal.
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