Leonard Krishtalka

Pearl Rule #46

Pearl Ruled at 15%

Rating: 2* of five

The Publisher Says: Paleontologist turned private investigator, Harry Przewalski, excavates the dirty underbelly of people's lives, unearthing sexual betrayals, treachery, fraud and murder buried beneath the science of petrified shards, skin and bones. Ultimately, he must face a brutal killing in his own past, when he fled to a desert war and came back with a gun and a license to detect.

A famous, 140-year-old museum diorama is vandalized—it depicts the ferocious attack by two lions on a North African courier crossing the Sahara on a dromedary. The belly of the taxidermied camel has been sliced open and a bundle removed, shedding bits of flesh from a child. Harry is hired to investigate the macabre history of the exhibit. The taxidermist has a grisly past: a sexual affair, a lover's betrayal, a lurid trial, and graves in Botswana and Tunisia plundered for human dioramas. The camel driver's skull and skin are mounted under his clothing. In a Paris museum, a dead archaeologist, a bloodstained journal, and the theft of a Neanderthal child's skull and teeth lead Harry to the stolen bundle—a scientific bombshell worth killing for in a murderous race for fame.

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.

My Review: First, read this:

I knew the end had begun. I knew she had conceived in the night, that hours after our uncontrollable pleasure the milky seed would plow its inexorable route, intent of consummating the act.

I don't even care what comes after this. It can not justify my continued eyeblinks.… (más)

Pittsburg's Carnegie Museum is the latest museum to be hit by a series of robberies. A popular exhibit, Arab Courier Attacked by Lions, has been damaged and the belly of the camel ripped open. Strangely, it appears something has been stolen from inside the camel, leaving behind a small bit of cloth and a mummified hand. After investigation, it appears the cloth was wrapped around the body of a small child.

Given the nature of the crime, the police call in Harry Przewalski, once a Paleontologist, now a private investigator. When it becomes clear the body is very old, they suggest Harry investigate that mystery while the police continue investigating the break-in. This will take Harry to Africa and France and the journal of taxidermist Jules Verreaux who had built the original diorama 150 years ago and the more Harry learns about the man, the more intrigued he becomes. He learns that Verreaux had seduced a young woman in South Africa who became pregnant. The woman had sued him for refusing to marry her but, for some reason, Harry can find no record of the child. Was she the baby entombed in the camel's belly and, if so, was the theft the result of a descendant of the mother still seeking revenge after all these years? Or is the story much bigger than that?

The Camel Driver is the third addition to the Harry Przewalski series by Leonard Krishtalka and it confirms my belief that this is one of the best mystery series around today. It combines a hard-boiled detective story seamlessly entwined with real history, in this case, the history of Verreaux, a brilliant taxidermist but a flawed man who, in fact, was the creator of the original and very real diorama, Lion Attacking Dromedary, that was years later discovered to contain human skull with teeth - I was so intrigued by the story that I looked it up which is just one of the reasons why I am such a fan of this series. it is also smart, compelling, pretty much unputdownable despite being more cerebral than action, and, while loving the mysteries, they make me want to learn more about the history they're based around. All I can say, if you love smart, well-written mysteries with a bit of the hard-boiled detective combined with actual history, this one's for you.

Thanks to Netgalley and Anamcara Press for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review… (más)

June Albright is the Dean of the faculty of liberal arts and science at the university of Kansas and an expert on prehistoric cave art. She is also ruthless and uses her power as dean to force sexual favours from the male faculty of the department. When she is murdered, no one is surprised. There are plenty of suspects to choose from - men who's careers were ruined when they spurned her advances as well as many of her adversaries from archeology whose theories she has ridiculed. But the most obvious suspect is her latest lover, Dr Porter. But Porter swears he's innocent and when he's arrested, he hires one-time paleontologist and now private detective, Harry Przewalski to prove it. Harry isn't completely convinced of Porter's innocence given the evidence against him but he is intrigued by the case, especially its links to the question of the authenticity of cave art near Rouffignac, a small village in France and the site of an unspeakable atrocity during WWII.

Death Spoke is the second Harry Przewalski novel by author Leonard Krishtalka and it is already near the top pf my list of best modern mystery series. It is intelligent, well-written and blends real history and science seamlessly into the story. It also has one of the most interesting protagonists in Harry that I have encountered in mysteries since...well, forever. But most importantly, it is engrossing and damn near unputdownable. A definite high recommendation for anyone who likes smart mysteries with plenty of suspense and twists and turns as well as a look behind the curtain of academia and references to history that rarely gets taught in school

Thanks to Netgalley and Anamcara Press for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review… (más)

When the star paleontologist of the Pittsburgh Carnegie Institute goes missing while on a dinosaur dig in the Wyoming Badlands, PI Harry Przewalski is hired to find him. Harry, once a student of paleontology himself, arrives at the site, no one seems particularly worried. The man was known as a notorious womanizer and everybody, including the local sheriff, seems to think he just ran off with his latest conquest. However, as Harry gets to know everyone at the dig, he begins to suspect there may be more to the disappearance than anyone is saying. Everyone seems to have a reason for wanting the man gone. But, although motives are plentiful, clues are not and as the scientists is prepare to pack it in, he is no closer to an answer. But Harry is not one to give up easily despite the lack of cooperation of both the dig crew and the townsfolk and even after a dangerous fall that may or may not have been an accident.

Okay, I've got to admit when I started The Bone Field (A Harry Przewalski Novel Book 1) by Leonard Kristalka, I liked the idea of a noir set at a dinosaur dig but I wasn't really expecting a whole lot - frankly, I would be satisfied with a solid 3 star mystery. All, I can say, it definitely exceeded my expectations. In fact, I can honestly say it's one of my favourite novels so far this year. It is a real page turner and not just because of the mystery which, as intriguing as it was, ended up taking second place to the vivid descriptions of the Badlands, the in-fighting of the scientists, the history of the area, but most of all, the dinosaur facts Krishtalka, a paleontologist himself blends into the novel. This is one smart, highly compelling mystery debut and I recommend it to anyone who likes their mysteries with a bit of science mixed with a great noir detective and a solution that kept me guessing right until the ending. I will definitely be reading more in this series.

Thanks to Netgalley and Anamcara Press for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review… (más)