"No one can be lonely who has a book for company." ~ Nelle Reagan

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

A Cry in the Night by Carolyn Hart (book review)

A Cry in the Night
Author:  Carolyn Hart
Published:  December 2013 (in paperback)
Publisher:  The Berkley Publishing Group
Pages:  246
ISBN 9780425269909
Format:  Mass Market Paperback
Genre:  mystery/romantic mystery
Source:  I own it.


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.


My Thoughts

"The first time I saw him, he was furious." 

A group comprised of museum staff had gathered for a lecture Museum Responsibility in the Art Trade given by Jeremiah Elliot, a visiting curator from Mexico City.  His anger is evident as he lectures and admonishes about procuring artifacts with dubious backgrounds.  The tension was palpable in the room, to say the least.

Following the lecture, though, Sheila and Jeremiah seem to hit it off and decide to do some sightseeing on the spur of the moment. Sheila finds herself attracted to him and is taken in by his change in demeanour.  So when the opportunity to travel to Mexico to return an artifact to a family in Mexico City is posted at the museum, Sheila volunteers, hoping she will find Jeremiah again.

Upon arrival in Mexico City, Sheila's senses are heightened when she spots a man watching her.  A letter of warning to return home, a scream in the night, and shots aimed at her should have sent her home but she is apparently very stubborn and determined. That's the makings of a good sleuth, right?  Sheila sets out to discover why someone wants her dead and what secrets the Ortega family is hiding.

Carolyn Hart is one of my absolute favourite mystery writers and I adore her Death on Demand series.  Cry in the Night is one of Ms Hart's stand alone novels that could be classified as romantic suspense or romantic mystery considering the plot has a strong thread of romance strung throughout the mystery.  Well written and designed, Cry in the Night is a fast clean read with an ending that will appeal to the romantics out there. While I really enjoyed this foyer into Hart's works that lie beyond her addictive series of Death on Demand and Henrie O, I rather prefer them to this novel.  Perhaps because I know the characters, but I thinks it's more like Hart invested more of herself in the series.  Cry in the Night is a good read nonetheless, especially if you enjoy travelling, archeology, art, mystery and a love story to boot.



Meet the Author

An accomplished master of mystery, Carolyn Hart is the author of fifty novels of mystery and suspense.  Her books have won multiple Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity awards.  One of the founders of Sisters in Crime, Hart lives in Oklahoma City where she enjoys mysteries, walking in the park, and cats.  She and her husband Phil serve as staff - cat owners will understand - to an orange tabby and brother and sister tables.  Visit her website at carolynhart.com.


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