A Fly Has A Hundred Eyes [Paperback]

Aileen Baron BARON (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2007

It is the summer of 1938 and Jerusalem is in chaos. The atmosphere teems with intrigue as terrorists roam the countryside and the British are losing control of Palestine, even as Europe nervously teeters on the brink of World War II.

Against this backdrop of international tensions, Lily Sampson, an American graduate student, is involved in a dig—an important excavation directed by the eminent British archaeologist, Geoffrey Eastbourne.

As he makes his way to the opening of the Rockefeller Museum, an important member of the dig is murdered. Precious artifacts from the dig are missing, one of which is a beautiful blue glass amphoriskos (a vial about three and a half inches long) which Lily herself had excavated. Upset by this loss, she searches for the vial—enlisting the help of the military attaché of the American consulate.

But when she contacts the British police, they seem evasive and offputting—unable or unwilling either to find the murderer or to look into the theft of the amphoriskos. Lily realizes that she will get no help from them and sets out on her own to find the vial. When she finds the victim’s journal in her tent, she assumes he had left it for her because he feared for his life.

Lily’s adventurous search for information about the murder and the theft of the amphoriskos lead into a labyrinth of extreme danger and intrigue.

This impressive historical mystery novel has already won first place in its category at both the Pikes Peak and Southwest Writers Conferences in 2000.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Baron adeptly resurrects the uncertainty and the intrigue that characterized pre-World War II Jerusalem. As Arabs and Jews vie for power and position, the British in Palestine are threatened from within by both communities. Amidst this turmoil, scholars and archaeologists continue to conduct research and digs in the disputed lands of the Middle East. Though war looms in Europe and terrorists and riots are becoming commonplace in the Holy Land, Lily Sampson, a young American graduate student, continues to labor on an excavation supervised by celebrated British archaeologist Geoffrey Eastbourne. When Eastbourne is murdered and an artifact Lily recovered is stolen from the excavation site, she resolves to find out why. Naively plunging headfirst into a morally ambiguous morass, Lily becomes a pawn in an ever-escalating international game of double cross and deceit. This atmospheric adventure will effortlessly transport lovers of historical mysteries to another time and place. Margaret Flanagan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Academy Chicago Publishers (September 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0897335643
• ISBN-13: 978-0897335645
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 6.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,545,951 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I have a Ph.D. in archaeology and taught for twenty years in the Department of Anthropology at California State University in Fullerton. My many years of archaeological fieldwork in the Middle East include a year at the American School of Oriental Research in Jerusalem as an NEH scholar, and director of the overseas campus of California State Universities at the Hebrew University. My first mystery, A FLY HAS A HUNDRED EYES, about the murder of a British archaeologist in 1938 in British mandated Palestine, won first place in the mystery category at both the Pikes Peak Writers Conference and the SouthWest Writers Conference.
THE TORCH OF TANGIER, published in 2006 by Poisoned Pen Press, is the second mystery in the Lily Sampson series. It takes place in MOrocco during WW II, when Lily is recruited into the OSS to work on the preparations for the Allied invasion of North Africa, Operation Torch.
My latest mystery, THE GOL OF THRACE (July,2007), a stand-alone, also published by Poisoned Pen Press, is a tale of danger and deceit in the antiquities trade.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Palestine/Jerusalem - 1938, July 10, 2009

By 

Lyn Reese (Berkeley, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Fly Has A Hundred Eyes (Paperback)

Pre-World War II tension is palpable in this suspenseful story which dramatically opens with explosions, riots and seemingly senseless killings in Jerusalem. A war may be looming in Europe, but as one character notes, "What's happening here and in Spain and China is the prologue. Before it's over, the world will be bleak and changed forever."

In this time of chaos, Baron reveals the ways British control over their Palestinian Mandate is weakening. Her characters are drawn from the competing groups - a Kibbutzim Jew, Irgun arms smugglers, Arab Palestinians, the Grand Mufti al-Husseini encouraging insurrection, Nazi sympathizers, various members of the British community, and, in the midst of all, archaeologists. A naive young American, Lily Sampson, is a member of the latter group. When her mentor, the celebrated British archaeologist Geoffrey Eastbourne, is murdered and an ancient vial of importance to her disappears, she finds that given the indifference of the British authorities she must seek answers to the crimes herself. With this decision, her political awakening begins. Forced to confront the regions tensions and secrets, Lily also faces the ways she has been used even by those close to her.

Baron's lengthy descriptions of the people, places and diverse cultures in 1938 Palestine are rich additions to the plot. Her background as an archaeologist who has worked in the Middle East lends particular credibility to the scholarly dialogues and details of the excavations. Some historic characters such as Lawrence of Arabia and the influence of American philanthropers, such as John D. Rockefeller, are mentioned, as is background to the reasons behind the struggle for the Middle East. Baron deals with gender by showing that although Lily's blond beauty allows her access in some areas, being young and female limit her in others.

There is a brief glossary of the terms used at the end.

2 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fly Has a Hundred Eyes, November 18, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Fly Has A Hundred Eyes A (Hardcover)

An exciting and well written book, echoing the turmoil of today.