Grave Error (Arnold Landon Mystery) [Hardcover]

Roy Lewis (Author)

Book Description

Series: Arnold Landon Mystery | Publication Date: December 19, 2005

Archaeologist Arnold Landon's attendance at a conference in Rome leads him into the world of professional grave robbers, when he stumbles upon a revenge killing in the Etruscan city of the dead. Back in less glamorous Northumberland, DCI O'Connor has his own problems, investigating an international smuggling ring in ancient artifacts. The paths of the two men converge when a professional killer arrives to continue the blood feud begun in Italy. For Landon and O'Connor the solution seems to lie in the whereabouts of a missing antiques dealer.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

At the start of Lewis's engaging 16th Arnold Landon mystery (after 2004's Headhunter), the Northumberland archeologist testifies at a trial that turns on proving the authenticity of a Celtic cauldron. Landon's years of experience, however, can't stand up against the academic credentials of a dashing local professor, James MacLean, so the cauldron, which was stolen and sold on the international market, is condemned as a fake, and the dealer, Islwyn Evans, accused of stealing it, is allowed to go free. Landon is in disgrace, as is DCI Jack O'Connor, who had called in Landon as a witness for the prosecution and who shares the story's focus in a fairly successful shifting of narrative. In spite of three murders, there's surprisingly little suspense and the ending is somewhat uneventful. The book's strength lies in the relationships among the characters, notably the dynamics between Landon; his attractive boss, Karen Stannard; and her lovely, implacable assistant, Portia Tyrrel. (Feb.)
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From Booklist

Northumberland archaeologist Arnold Landon returns for another round of amateur sleuthing. In Rome attending a conference, Arnold blunders into a case involving modern-day grave robbers and a revenge killing. Meanwhile, back at home, DCI O'Connor (Arnold's police--officer pal) is having troubles making a case against a globe-trotting gang of artifact smugglers. When a hired killer turns up in Northumberland, determined to settle the score for the Rome murder, Arnold and O'Connor realize their two cases are really one. Archaeology and crime continue to mix well in this series, as they do in Beverly Connor's Lindsay Chamberlain novels. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Hardcover: 286 pages
• Publisher: Carroll & Graf; First Edition Thus edition (December 19, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786716959
• ISBN-13: 978-0786716951
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,447,502 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Poor writing style, May 26, 2006

By 

Edward (CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Grave Error (Arnold Landon Mystery) (Hardcover)

OK plot, but I was appalled by the shallow characters and weak, repetitive writing style. At a certain point I started counting the number of paragraphs that started with the words "Carmella shrugged", but I lost count.

Some authors improve with each new book, others just crank them out. In this case, the author and publisher are clearly on auto-pilot.

5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining archeological mystery, January 22, 2011

By 

Melek - See all my reviews

This review is from: Grave Error (Audio CD)

Solid British cozy from the Arnold Landon series. Don't expect something like classic English literature, as the previous reviewer apparently did, but for some light reading, or listening to on my way to work, I found this installment to be as good as any of the others in this series.