Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, is publishing a new review of The Map Thief by Heather Terrell. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.
The Map Thief by Heather Terrell
A Mara Coyne Mystery
Ballantine (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 0-345-49468-7 (0345494687)
ISBN-13: 978-0-345-49468-9 (9780345494689)
Publication Date: $25.00
List Price: July 2008
Synopsis (from the publisher): Beijing, China, 1421: It is a momentous time for the Ming Dynasty. Honoring the completion of the Forbidden City, a fleet of unprecedented size sets sail under Admiral Zheng He. Zheng’s mission is to chart the globe, trading for riches and bringing glory to China’s emperor. Among the crew is the talented cartographer and navigator Ma Zhi, whose work will lead to the first true map of the world–but whose accomplishment will vanish when the fleet returns to a very different China than the one it left.
Lisbon, Portugal, 1496: At the height of Portugal’s maritime domination during the Age of Discovery, the legendary explorer Vasco da Gama embarks on a quest to find a sea route to India. On board is navigator Antonio Coehlo, who guards Portugal’s most secret treasure: a map that already shows the way.
New York, present day: Mara Coyne’s new client has left her uneasy. Republican kingmaker Richard Tobias has hired her, he says, because of her skill in recovering stolen art and advocating for the rightful owners, but Mara senses that he is not telling her everything. Tobias reveals that a centuries-old map was stolen from an archaeological dig he is sponsoring in China, and he wants her to get it back. But as Mara begins her investigation, she uncovers the shocking truth: The map is more valuable than anyone has ever imagined, and her client’s motives are more sinister than she suspected.
Review: Heather Terrell crafts an intriguing tale of the fascinating journey of a historic map in her second suspense thriller featuring fine art negotiator Mara Coyne in The Map Thief.
Richard Tobias, a wealthy political insider, is funding an archaeological dig in China which discovers a map of the world that pre-dates the voyages of European explorers. The map promptly disappears, presumably stolen. Tobias hires Mara to find it and return it to him. She agrees but stipulates that she'll only return it to its rightful owner. Meeting up with the archaeologist who found the map in China, Ben Coleman, together they embark on a quest that ultimately leads them to Portugal where they locate a secret society whose leaders may know more about the map than they are willing to admit.
There are three narratives presented in The Map Thief: one from the early 15th century featuring Chinese cartographer Ma Zhi, one from the late 15th century featuring Portuguese navigator Antonio Coehlo, and one from the present day with Mara and Ben. The first two narratives, somewhat unexpectedly written in the present tense but to great effect, are elegantly symmetrical in telling the tales of their respective characters. Their stories are compelling, at times riveting, richly detailed, and fill the reader with the same sense of wonder and awe the characters must have felt during their journeys. They come to life in a way fictional characters rarely do. When both narratives end, there is a real sense of sorrow and loss.
The final narrative, the present day one, isn't nearly as exciting though there are several inventive scenes and suspenseful passages. And the brilliant conception of The Map Thief is marred only by the seriously flawed foundation upon which Mara is asked to do her search. The disappointment comes towards the end. Without giving away too much, there's a "But if ... then why ..." situation that seems to make Mara and Ben's entire adventure rather pointless. Or maybe the point was to make a politician appear evil and manipulative. If so, that's hardly innovative and ultimately doesn't serve the story very well. After creating such an astonishingly original story, it's incredibly disappointing the author didn't develop a more adroit manner of wrapping it up, instead relying on tired clichés. Still, The Map Thief is a remarkable story and, despite its poorly conceived conclusion, is highly recommended.
Special thanks to Random House for providing a copy of The Map Thief for this review.
Review Copyright © 2008 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved.
For more mystery book reviews visit Mysterious Reviews, a partner with the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books which is committed to providing readers and collectors of mystery books with the best and most current information about their favorite authors, titles, and series.
Return to Mystery Books News ...
0 comments:
Post a Comment