At a glittering reception hosted by Pierre Thibodaux, director of Metropolitan Museum of Art to announce a cooperative exhibition with the American Museum of Natural History, the discovery of a perfectly preserved corpse in an ancient Egyptian sarcophagus, sets DA Alex Copper and NYPD’s Mike Chapman on a bizarre investigation at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. For the body is identified as that of Katrina Grooten, a young, shy, studious researcher from South Africa. Although preserved, evidence suggest that the victim has been dead for some months and the method of the killing appears to be arsenic poisoning.
With a staff of more than 3000 at the gallery Mike Chapman is keen to trace the movement of the sarcophagus, but this proves to be a monumental task, as Pierre Thibodaux, explains, objects are constantly on the move and the gallery has more than three million objects and works of art, of which at any given time the most that is ever on display, is less than ten per cent of that number. The descriptions of the mechanics of the gallery is enthralling, and as Alex and Mike delve into the workings of the gallery they uncover several skeletons, such as the existence of private vaults which no one owns to know much about, not even how many exist, or their exact locations in the vast area that the gallery covers. Discussions with Katrina’s immediate colleagues Erik Poste and Anna Friedrichs reveal that arsenic is used in their work. Interspersed with the main investigation are the on going cases that Alex is handling, and these, as in all her earlier books, provide fascinating reading.
There are also interesting shifts in the relationship between Alex and Mike
which now spans an eight year period. During that time they have developed a
deep friendship and come to respect and rely each on the other, but both have
relationships with other people. Could they be viewing each other differently?
On every level this is a stunning book, and one I recommend you all to read.
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Lizzie Hayes
Other books in the series are, Final Jeopardy, Likely To Die, Cold Hit and
The Deadhouse.
Visit Linda web site at http://www.lindafairstein.com