Publication Date: 12/03/2013
Publisher: Penguin Group
Imprint: Berkley Prime Crime
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Pages: 256
ISBN-10: 0425269906
ISBN-13: 978-0425269909
(Received for an honest review from Berkley Prime Crime)
Purchase: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, IndieBound
Carolyn Hart on the WEB: Website, Facebook, Goodreads
Excerpt from Cry in the Night, courtesy of Amazon's Look Inside feature.
Synopsis:
From the national bestselling author of Dead, White, and Blue and Ghost Gone Wild comes a mystery of intrigue and danger in the world of international art theft.
Egyptologist Sheila Ramsay develops a newfound interest in MesoAmerican affairs after meeting an outspoken—and attractive—Mexico City curator, a harsh critic of museums that deal in stolen art. And her own museum gives her the perfect opportunity to see him again: a valuable Aztec manuscript needs to be returned to its rightful owners, the wealthy Ortega family.
But things don’t go as planned for Sheila south of the border. An anonymous note threatens her with death if she remains in Mexico City. The curator she longed to see treats her with contempt. And the Ortegas are as mysterious as they are charming. What Sheila has stumbled into is much bigger—and more deadly—than she ever dreamed. And amid the splendor of Mexico’s ancient ruins and treacherous hillsides, Sheila will realize that there’s no one she can trust…
Thoughts:
Carolyn Hart's latest book, Cry in the Night hearkens back to an earlier time in mystery writing. Her style and the atmosphere of her writing remind me of greats like Agatha Christie. This book has a young and vibrant protagonist who finds herself in the middle of sinister plot and readers will be delighted. Hart has a knack for making her readers feel like something is around every corner. Her books exude fear and mystery. Her style is somewhat Gothic but still appealing to a younger set of cozy mystery readers.
What I liked:
I liked lead character Shelia Ramsey a lot. She was young, but she had a good head on her shoulders. She is extremely intelligent and she knows her work. I thought it was interesting that Hart makes her an Egyptologist but gives her the role of solving a Meso-American mystery. Regardless she knew her stuff, but she was very impressionable and found herself enamored with a Mexican museum curator. I thought Hart developed Shelia's character well and readers get to see her change grow throughout the book. I liked that she figured out that Jerry was not the man for her and that someone else could possibly be.
The mystery itself was interesting and there were lots of things going on. At times it felt like there were more motives than people who could have pulled them off. I thought Hart did a great job of showing how more than one thing could have happened. It was reminiscent of a good game of clue. I kept waiting for Shelia to say something like, "it must have been Professor Plum in the library with the wrench." LOL!
I always have a heard time deciding if I think Carolyn Hart's books fit into the cozy genre. They are not overly graphic and there certainly isn't a lot of sex in them. The protagonist is usually a female and she usually has another career. So, Cry in the Night definitely meets the criteria, where some of Carolyn Hart's books do not.
What I didn't Like:
I felt like this one was kind of all over the place. One minute I was glued to the pages and waiting with baited breath to see what would happen next and other times it dragged and there were confusing and unnecessary details. I liked Shelia, didn't like Jerry and was on the fence about Tony. It was just a hard book to get a feel for. Overall I think I liked it, but it just wasn't as good as Hart's Death on Demand series or her other books of late.
Bottom Line:
I would recommend this one, to readers who like Christie. To those who like Carolyn Hart's writing in general and those who like a Gothic atmospheric mystery. But it may not be what everyone enjoys reading. Give it a try and see what you think!
Cry in the Night is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.
I'm giving this one 4 out of 5 apples from my book bag!
About the Author:
Giveaway Details:
The publisher is sponsoring a giveaway for one copy of Cry in the Night by Carolyn Brown.
~ You must be an email subscriber to participate.
~ US Addresses only.
~ The deadline to enter this giveaway is Midnight EST, January 10th.
1. Please leave a comment describing what you know about the pyramids in Egypt or Mexico.
2. Please fill out the FORM.
20 comments:
This book sounds great. thanks. The pyramids were built some believe by Aliens. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com
There are over 100 pyramids in Egypt. Most were built as tombs for the ruling families. They are architectural marvels!
kpbarnett1941[at]aol.com
I have been fascinated by the Pyramids in Egypt since I was very young. I wanted to see them, but have never had the chance.
I filled out the form twice because the first time it was not complete - no city, state, zip. Sorry. :(
I believe that much of the treasure of the pyramids of Egypt has been stolen over the years.
suefarrell.farrell@gmail.com
This sounds great. Have no idea as to who/how the pyramids were built.
This story sounds good. Pyramids had different shafts running through them used as air, water, or gas passages. It's also believed the great Pyramid had a moat
I know that to me pyramids sound like a scary place and that you could get lost in one!
The pyramids were built by slaves!
skkorman AT bellsouth DOT net
I know nothing about pyramids in Mexico. I have wratch several doctumentaries about them in Egypy.they are extrodinary.
Pyramids in Egypt were built by the rulers as crypts. Tut is one of the most famous ones found.
rblerner@ptd.net
I had the opportunity to visit the ruins of some of the Mexican pyramids a few years ago. Very fascinating!
tcuevas@iccable.com
I only know that the pyramids took a very long time to build.
lag110 at mchsi dot com
the only thing I know about the pyramids in Egypt are that they were built on the backs of slaves........
as for the Mexican pyramids, I don't know anything about them.....
thank you for the giveaway!!!
I know quite a bit about the mystery of the pyramids, as well as the societal construction at the time. Simultaneously, I know almost nothing. I feel that it's virtually impossible to really know about something from conjunctures made much later based on historical and subjective data. One must really be submerged in the time to fully be knowledgeable in the subject.
I have read and watched documentaries about the Egyptian Pyramids. They're so fascinating. This sounds like an awesome book! I haven't learned much about pyramids in Mexico.
I love Egyptology to the point that I bought a book on Egyptian writing on ebay. Can't wait to read a new mystery about it.
I don't know much about the prramids, except that my husband visted the ones in Egypt when he was in the military. He loved it and said it was so exciting. The only thing he didn't like was that it was a tight space and you had to stay bent over to get through most of it.
ayancey1974(at)gmail(dot)com
know how they were built
I have visited Chichen Itza in Mexico. They played that game where you had to throw a round stone through a small hole sort of like basketball. What I know about the pyramids at Giza and the Valley of the Kings, I learned from reading Elizabeth Peters' Amelia Peabody series.
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