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ETRUSCAN CHIMERA, THE
by Lyn Hamilton
Berkley Prime Crime, March 2003
304 pages
$6.50
ISBN: 0425189082

So what was Lara McClintoch to do when reclusive billionaire Crawford Lake summons her to a clandestine meeting, dangling a hefty commission before her eyes if she can find and purchase a rare piece of Etruscan art, a sculpture of Bellerophon who reportedly killed a three-headed monster called the Chimera over 2,000 years ago?

With some misgivings, Lara - who's just wrapped up a buying trip for an antique shop she and her former husband own -- agrees to accept the commission from the reputedly heartless businessman, for the money and the prestige of being a part of the purchase of the art work, but of course the quest she is sent on is far from simple.

As usual in the author's Archaeological mysteries, a healthy dose of conspiracy, intrigue and background informationŠin this case about the mysterious nation called Etruria, a civilization which prospered in northern Italy 300 to 900 years BC but which left behind little literature about its history Š spices up the tale.

Before everything is said and done, Lara has to sort out a large and complex cast of characters, deciding who is whom they say they are, who isn't, and why everybody seems to want a piece of the sculpture of the Etruscan Chimera. The murder of the owner of the Bellerophon is just the first of many killings, and Lara soon finds many of the art treasures she comes across aren't what they seem to be. And, strangely enough, the Etruscan Chimera (which features the heads of lion, a goat and a snake), has an unsettling habit of trailing her as she travels across France, Italy and Tuscany.

For archaeology buffs, the tidbits about Etruscan art are worth the price of admission by themselves. This mass market paperback is a reprint of the original hardcover published in May of 2002. It's the sixth Archaeologial Mystery featuring the Toronto antiques dealer.

Reviewed by Gary Svoboda, March 2003

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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