The Ravenhoe Cauldron – A Mick Chandra Mystery by Rebecca Yount is a 2013 Independently published novel. I was provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Mick is supposed to be on parental leave when he gets called back in to work the case of an infamous antiquities thief and forger. This leads Mick and his team on a wild chase and puts him in contact with various museums and collectors as well as others who had dealings with the dead man. As the story winds it's way through the murky life of Stanislaw Janus, we find that he has quite a few competitors and enemies and lovers all with an eye on the famous Ravenhoe Cauldron.
On a personal note Jess is ready to try out New York again after the tragedy of losing her first child and all nightmare of all that happened there. Elizabeth has a new look and maybe a new boyfriend.
This case has Mick in an exceeding amount of danger as the body count begins to rise. The diverse and shady characters all seem so willing to help, but could one of them be killing off anyone with knowledge of the Ravenhoe Cauldron? Schemes and red herrings abound as Mick suffers through seduction attempts to being shot at. As the investigation deepens, Mick begins to think the Janus is still alive and an imposter was killed in order for Janus to fake his own death. True? False? Only time will tell.
I confess that this is my first Mick Chandra mystery. It is a British mystery and will put you in mind of say, Elizabeth George of Debra Crombie.
This is a very interesting mystery and I was engaged through out. All the characters were fleshed out and the mystery was light without graphic violence or a great deal of foul language. There are some sexual references but nothing explicit.
My one complaint is that the author became repetitive at times and seemed to want to hammer home to the reader that Mick was no longer a ladies man. He's found his one true love in Jess and is happy as a man could ever hope to be with his wife and baby daughter and his pets. This statement is made on numerous occasions. It's almost like Mick is trying to convince himself he doesn't miss his days as a single man. It was like “He doth protest too much”. I don't think that was the message the author was trying to convey, it just got a little heavy handed and perhaps a little editing would have helped out here and there.
Overall, this was a wonderful effort and I do recommend this book to all mystery lovers but especially to those that enjoy a good British Mystery.