Stephen Parrish is an author I stumbled across in blogland last year. I know from his blog that he is a fantastic writer and a lot of people already know about him, but just in case you forgot or it slipped by you, his novel, The Tavernier Stones, just published this week. It looks like it is going to be rock solid. (Pun intended. It's about a gemologist. And a treasure hunt.)
He also has absolutely the coolest promotion going for his book. It is also a treasure hunt and the prize is a one carat diamond. Seriously. Get your copy and get cracking.
So hats off to Stephen and heads up to all of you!
Below is the book blurb from his website:
When the well-preserved body of 17th century mapmaker Johannes Cellarius floats to the surface of a bog in northern Germany, and a 57 carat ruby rolls out of his fist, treasure hunters from around the globe race to find the Lost Tavernier Stones of popular European folklore.
According to legend, Jean-Baptiste Tavernier was robbed of a priceless hoard while returning from his final voyage to the Orient in 1689. The hoard reputedly includes some of the world's most notorious missing jewels. Among them the 280 carat Great Mogul Diamond and the 242 carat Great Table Diamond, the largest diamonds ever unearthed whose whereabouts are unknown.
John Graf is an Amish-born cartographer who has never ventured out of Pennsylvania, let alone embarked on an international treasure hunt. David Freeman is a gemologist who has done his share of prospecting, but little of it within the boundaries of the law. Between them they have all the expertise necessary to solve the mystery. They also have enough differences to derail even the best of partnerships. And ahead are more obstacles: fortune seekers equally qualified and every bit as determined.
The race spans two continents. The finish line is in Idar-Oberstein, the gemstone capital of Germany. There, in chambers beneath an old church, where unspeakable events took place in centuries past, winners and losers alike find answers to age-old questions about the Lost Tavernier Stones.
I'm between books now, this sounds like a great read. Good timing!
ReplyDeleteSo cool! Very exciting!!
ReplyDelete@ Rick and Heather: I know, right? Plus, Stephen is the kind of guy that it's easy to pull for. Great writer, nice person.
ReplyDeleteYou know, not the sort who's books are so good that you buy them despite your personal feelings about the asshat who wrote them.
Yer a peach, thanks.
ReplyDeleteLaurel,
ReplyDeleteThe Tavernier Stones sounds like a great read. You might also be interested in The French Blue, it is a narrative of the six voyages of the historical Jean Baptiste Tavernier. Who, BTW was not robbed on his sixth voyage but did sell the Great Blue diamond to Louis XIV of France. Louis recut it into The French Blue. The stone was stolen and recut into the Hope Diamond some 110 years later.
@ Richard: Thanks! That sounds like a good read, too!
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite fiction tricks is taking a historical reality and tweaking it to tell a different story. I adore alternative history and I'm always impressed with writers who can pull it off. The combination of knowledge and creativity just bowls me over.
And then there are books like The Devil in the White City which are historical and read like fiction. In the immortal words of Ricky Bobby, it's "mind bottling."