The
Forth Contention
The
Newest Darmon Mystery
By
Thomas Thorpe
Elizabeth
and William Darmon are in danger of having their estate Mayfair
confiscated by the government. To prevent this, they need to prove
ownership, which means tracking down a missing deed. Sounds simple
enough, but time is short and the deed has been very well hidden
in the face of efforts going back hundreds of years by a family
named Forth to try to seize a property they believe should have
been theirs in the first place.
The
search for the missing deed takes the Darmons and their friends
far from the English countryside into a series of adventures involving
the Egyptian Sphinx, Greek freedom fighters, Turkish prisons, and
Mediterranean pirates. All the while stumbling across a succession
of people with Forth in their name, until it becomes clear they
are battling some sort of incredibly wide ranging family based conspiracy
that involves much more than just an attempt to take away Mayfair.
The
Forth Contention is second in a series (the Darmons are series
heroes) described by the author as tales of adventure and mystery
involving international crime during the early 1800's. That emphasis
on adventure is a good guide to the story. This is not the book
for someone looking for a meticulously crafted historical mystery.
The prose has some rough edges and the historical accuracy is mixed,
pairing accuracy about some quite esoteric details with a less than
sure grasp of others - e.g. there was no Scotland Yard in 1825,
Lady Carlisle and Lady Catherine are not interchangeable titles.
However, if you're looking for a roller coaster action-adventure
ride with an historical background, full to bursting with travel
to exotic places, mysterious conspiracies, unlikely coincidences,
hidden rooms, and cryptic messages, then this could be just the
story for you.
|
The
Book |
Port
Town Publishing |
December
2004 |
e-Book |
1594660425 |
Historical
Crime [1825-1826 England, Egypt, Greece, Turkey
& France] |
More
at Amazon.com |
Excerpt
|
NOTE:
|
The
Reviewer |
Kim Malo |
Reviewed
2005 |
NOTE:
|
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