The Medusa Amulet: A Novel
Some mysterious people want to get their hands on an ancient mirror, La Medusa, that is rumored to have mystical powers. Some other people (equally mysterious but apparently quite evil, too) will do anything, up to and including murder, to keep the mirror�s whereabouts a secret. In the middle stands David Franco, a young art historian, who is going to risk his own life�although he doesn�t know that right away�to find the mirror. Blood and Ice (2009), the author�s previous novel, was a rousing action-horror adventure. This book is rather less rousing, due to its slower pace and more familiar ancient-conspiracy theme (and the frequent exposition-clogged narrative passages). It�s a good book, though, with a solid story and a likable protagonist, but it feels overlong. A little judicious pruning might have turned it from a good book to a great one, but devout fans of conspiracy-themed thrillers should find it to their liking. --David Pitt