Customer Reviews

Mark of the Lion: A Jade Del Cameron Mystery

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Early praise for this mystery novel is well-deserved. Jade del Cameron is an appealing heroine and locales in France, England, and Africa are beautifully rendered.

Jade del Cameron epitomizes American toughness and determination in the early 20th century. Raised on a New Mexico ranch, Jade is doing her bit during World War One by
driving an ambulance at the Front. She's a top notch driver and mechanic, a gutsy girl who pilots a rickety Model T Ford through crossfire and shellbursts all day, every day. Transporting wounded and shell-shocked soldiers is a heartbreaking job. Despite her courage, War has taken a hard toll on Jade. When friend and would-be suitor David Worthy crashes his plane, Jade is the first person on scene. Before his death, David extracts a promise from her: Find his brother Abel and investigate his father's suspicious death in Africa. Jade is a girl who keeps her promises. At war's end she dedicates herself to honoring David's last request. In her new job as reporter for an American magazine, she begins the investigation in England then heads for Nairobi.

In Africa, Jade encounters an intriguing mix of characters: English Lords and Ladies living like royalty; native warriors and servants; working class coffee growers trying to survive Africa's climate; and shape shifting witch doctors out to end her investigation. Jade is enthralled by Africa's wildlife, people, and vistas, but doesn't lose sight of the purpose for her visit. The search for David's brother takes her from Nairobi to the foothills of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Handsome Harry Hascombe heads the safari to Kilimanjaro country. Jade is courageous and capable, a crack shot. And thanks to her Spanish-Irish-French ancestry, her looks attract Harry like a magnet. But Jade is all business and focused on the promise made to a dead pilot. She believes the mystery is all but solved until first a lion, then a hyena try to kill native guide, Pili.

I won't share more of the plot because the mysteries are only partially solved by book's end. Jade will carry on her investigation with the next book in this series. Because of top notch prose style, exciting plot, and memorable characters, Mark of the Lion is highly recommended.

Jade Del Cameron is a terrific new character. I've loved African stories since I was small, and rarely do I find one with such a charming lead female. Jade is able to take care of herself. She's the sort of character that makes you keep turning the pages long after bedtime.

I like the character of Africa, too. Suzanne Arruda brings the area to life. I loved the little chapter headings - the articles that Jade "wrote". They bring added life to the story.

I hope to see lots more of Jade, and of Africa in the future.

Mark of the Lion is a wonderful read. The setting is extremely important in the novel and becomes a character itself because Ms. Arruda has done her research. But luckily the other characters are so well-developed, likeable, and even quirky that they do not get lost in this wonderful setting. And the plot is not typical--Jade is searching for the missing brother of her former love in the middle of witchcraft, greed, wild animals, secrets, and best friends.

I highly recommend this historical mystery novel to anyone--mystery lovers or not. I think anyone who enjoys a good read with exceptional characters will love this book!

For mystery fans who enjoy novels set in Colonial Africa (post WWI), books written by Elspeth Huxley ("The Flame Trees of Thicka," "Murder at Government House," etc) and that wonderful TV mystery series "Evil Under the Sun," Suzanne M. Arruda has created a new mystery series set in Africa that is sure to enchant and beguile. Though why anyone would want to compare "Mark of the Lion" with Alexander McCall Smith's the Precious Ramotswe series quite bewilders me -- they're nothing like, neither in period nor in genre. Comparing "Mark of the Lion" with Huxley's wonderful "Murder at Government House" would be more accurate. And while Suzanne M. Arruda's novel may lack Elspeth Huxley's polish, she was, nonetheless, quite successful in her ability to capture vividly the vitality, vibrancy and liveliness of Africa during those post WWI years. And I for one, was quite happy to loose myself for a few hours in this very compelling mystery novel.

When the RAF pilot she's in love with, David Worthy, dies in her arms, ambulance driver, Jade del Cameron resolves to honour her beloved's request that she find his missing brother. Knowing full well that David was an only child, Jade turns to his cold and remote mother, hoping that she would be able to shed some light on David's mysterious request. But when Mrs. Worthy refuses to help, Jade turns to the only other person she can think of to shed some light on the matter: the family solicitor of the Worthy family, Mr. Jacobs. From Jacobs, Jade learns that David's father, Gil Worthy, had died in Africa under highly suspicious circumstances, and that he had had a mistress, who had borne him another son. Gil wanted to do the right thing for his mistress and son but had been killed before he could find them. And so Jacobs hires Jade to go to Africa in order to find the missing young man and to discover who murdered Gil Worthy. It is a task that Jade willingly takes on. And even though Jade realises full well that her investigations may ruffle quite a few feathers and that she may uncover secrets many think best left buried, Jade is determined to carry out David's last wish, no matter the cost...

"Mark of the Lion" turned out to be quite the absorbing and compelling read. Rich in period atmosphere and with a very interesting storyline, what made the book really absorbing was the charismatic character of the chief protagonist, Jade del Cameron. Intelligent, determined and quite courageous, Jade is the kind of heroine detective that is bound to win the approval and hearts of many mystery buffs. And even though I grew a little tired of reading about Jade's striking good looks and her flashing green eyes every few paragraphs or so, such was the storyline that I quickly shelved my irritation to the back of my consciousness. Other than that, all I will say (and all I actually need to note) is that this was a well executed novel that had a very clever and intriguing plot, that was written with appropriately vivid and colourful imagery, and that possessed a remarkably intelligent heroine with gumption. All in all a very good read, and I'm looking forward eagerly to the next Jade del Cameron installment.

I admit, I went into this book with preconceptions, which probably increased my disappointment with it. Being such a huge fan of Elizabeth Peters' Amelia Peabody series as I am, a series concerning the exploits of an adventurous Victorian woman, I had been on the lookout for another similarly-themed book or series. When I saw Arruda's book, I was excited, thinking I'd found an Amelia Peabody stand-in for those long lags between Peters' book publications. After all, it's a story of a bold American woman, Jade de Cameron, a former ambulance driver on the French front lines during WWI, who undertakes the fulfillment of a dying man's last wish, a quest which takes her to the wilds of East Africa and into the heart of darkness (ooh, such a cliché, but I had to use it).

The concept is great and sounds wonderfully exciting, but the actual execution is disappointing. After the initial chapters set on the French battlefields, full of explosions and near-misses and heart-pounding action, the excitement quickly drops off and the story dissolves into a weak mystery (in which the perpetrator is quickly identified by any astute reader, leaving us to suffer through many more pointless chapters of characters running around like chickens with their heads cut off as they try to solve the murders, poorly-done "red herrings," and unnecessary breaks in the story to allow brief babbling excerpts from the villain's P.O.V., a feature which does nothing to enhance the narrative). As we wait for the mystery to be (finally) resolved, we're treated to what basically amounts to a travelogue of East Africa in the 1920's with a bland quasi-romance thrown in for good measure.

Halfway through the book, with my patience worn thin and the culprit already figured out a few chapters back, I couldn't help thinking that if this were a tale of Amelia Peabody, she would've already gotten into a scuffle with some minor miscreants, been kidnapped by the Master Criminal, escaped, figured out what treasure had inspired the M.C.'s interest, and been on her way to grabbing it first, as well as had a loving quarrel or two (with the requisite romantic making-up afterwards) with Emerson (who would've been knocked on the head at least once already) and (depending on his age at the time of the story) corralled/rescued/disentangled Ramses from some sort of perilous situation. In comparison, Arruda's story had barely gotten off the ground. And while the landscapes of Africa are lovingly and lavishly detailed (the aspect in which Arruda's writing talent shines), narratives rich enough that you can hear the cough of lions in the sunset-shadowed savanna, the laugh of hyenas on the prowl in the inky night, passages where you can almost smell the earth baking under the noon sun and hear the crisp grass bending in the breeze, it almost clashes with the flatness of writing when it comes to the rest of the novel. The characters are 2-D and uninspiring, with no real purpose other than to orbit Jade and provide motives for her movements. Jade herself is rather jarring, her independent spirit coming off at times as heavy-handed and anachronistic. Again, to compare (probably unfairly), while Amelia Peabody is feisty, independent and bold, those traits are always with the context of the times in which she was born and raised and lives. So while she'll wear Bloomer's bloomers and defy certain conventions when and how they become cumbersome to her, to other rituals and mores she'll adhere fiercely and become quite shocked at the idea of doing otherwise. Jade comes off more as a woman of the 21st century plonked down in the 1920s: there's no obvious chafing from her at the constraints against women of that period, no indication that she's of her time yet slightly ahead of her time, no evidence that her independence costs her anything either socially or emotionally. She's bold and everyone simply accepts that, attributing her independence to the fact that she's American and just doesn't "get" the social niceties of the society around her, a cop out that doesn't sit well with me.

I won't say this is a bad book, but I will say, in order to finish it because I was so bored, I skimmed over the last third. Otherwise, I don't think I'd been able to force myself to slog through and finish the book in a normal fashion. With a plodding storyline and a lackluster plot, I fear this book has little to recommend it. It's possible the succeeding books in the series improve, however I doubt I'll give them a try to find out.

Mark of the Lion is the first of a series of Jade Del Cameron mysteries. The book begins in France during WWI and then moves forward to after the war when Jade is embarking on a mission to find her war killed beau's long lost half brother and his father's murderer.

Let's be honest. Mark of the Lion is not going to win any literary awards. However it is a perfect beach read. Simply and etertainingly written, with few obvious errors. An interesting subject and mysterious plotline. The female protagonist was thoroughly modern, strong, beautiful, and unflappable (almost too much so), but still I felt able to root for her during her troubles. I could pretty much guess the main bad guy about halfway through the book so don't expect too many surprising plot twists and turns. Jade also has a possible love interest in the book, but I liked the way the author does not let that rule the book and instead focuses more on the adventure in Africa.

Overall I would recommend this book if you are looking for some light, entertaing reading which focuses on a strong female protagonist set in 1920's Africa.

In 1919 France, ambulance driver Jade del Cameron is driving towards one of the fronts to evacuate the wounded when she sees a German plane knocked out of the sky; she knows the downed plane was piloted by her friend David. She goes to help him, but instead he demands she honor his dying wish that she find his brother; he also starts to say that his father's death was suspicious, but dies before he can complete the statement.

Jade travels to London to see David's mother, who insists that she had only one son. Jade assumes that the sibling must be a half-brother sired by David's dad with another woman perhaps when the late father was in East Africa. Feeling it important to accomplish David's dying wish, Jade follows the trail to Nairobi. Her stay leads to romance and adventure as she continues to track down the sibling.

Readers will compare this gem of a historical investigative tale to Alexander McCall Smith's Precious Ladies Detective Agency thrillers. The story line is cleverly written so that fans will obtain a taste of life at the end of WWI in England and Africa as Jade goes from one escapade to another whether it is human or hyena. This is the start of what looks like to be a long friendship between historical mystery fans and Jade del Cameron.

Harriet Klausner

My husband gave me "Stalking Ivory" as a gift recently. I was surprised that I had not heard of the author and when I mentioned it to a friend who is an avid mystery reader she said that she had seen it. The fact that she had not bought it, left me a little wary because my friend cannot resist a good book. It was apparent that it was a series and when I searched Amazon on line, I discovered that it was the third book. I immediately ordered the first two. I find that it's always better to read books in order written if they are a series even though the stories are unrelated. The writers always add in bits to give you charater background but reading through as the characters develop is more satisfying. "Mark of the Lion" is the first in the series and takes place in post WWI Africa. I loved the characters and the story. It was an enjoyable read. Not too heavy but with substance. I was able to truthfully thank my husband for my "3 book gift" and look forward to reading more as they become available.

"The Mark of the Lion" begins in the closing moments of World War I in France, where we meet the American ambulance driver Jade del Cameron. Jade has volunteered to serve with an all-female British ambulance corps. As Jade is sent out to evacuate some wounded troops from near the front lines, she witnesses a dogfight between a British and German airplane. The British plane enters a deadly spin, and to her horror, Jade realizes that the pilot is her love interest, David Worthy. Jade manages to pull David from the burning wreckage, and then David gives Jade a ring which is a family heirloom, and with his dying breath tells Jade that he has an illegitimate half-brother (who David only learned of recently) and that their father was killed under suspicious circumstances. All this happens just in chapter one!

The fast-moving plot develops quickly from there,and after the close of the war Jade procures a position as a writer and photographer for a travel magazine. Through a visit to London, Jade finds herself hired by David's father's solicitor to go to British East Africa to deliver a mysterious package to David's surviving brother, if she can find them. So Jade combines the trip to search for clues about the murder of Gil Worthy, David's father, the search for David's brother, with her journaliam and sets off for Nairobi.

Once in Africa, Jade meets a collection of eccentric British colonists and Kikiyu and Maasai tribesmen. Jade becomes involved in a hunt for a hyena who killed a Kikiyu villager, and while at the village she discovers that the villagers suspect that an evil witch doctor, locally called a "laibon", might have enchanted the animal to attack their village. What follows is more excitement as Jade and her English friends prepare to go on a safari across Kenya to look for David's missing brother, and also investigate the evil magic which appears to have been unleashed against the local village.

Miss Jade del Cameron is one of the most exciting female protagonists I've read about in a long time. This was a book that was very difficult to put down, the action just keeps coming. I hope that author Arruda will give us the next adventure for Jade very soon!

In this first of a series set after World War I, Arruda introduces brave and beautiful Jade del Cameron, a New Mexican rancher's girl, lately of the British ambulance corps in France. Jade saw plenty of action fetching casualties off the front lines and a form of shell-shock has lingered with her, sparked by loud noises or the sound of wild, hysterical laughter.

Near the end of the war, she lost a dear friend, David, a pilot whose marriage proposal she had just refused. He died in her arms after a dogfight with a German plane and pressed a ring on her with a final request: "Find my brother."

Motivated partly by guilt (had he been showing off to impress her?), partly by love, and partly by her yen for adventure, Jade accepts a post on a travel magazine and a mission from David's father's lawyer, who hands her a packet to deliver when she finds the unknown half-brother somewhere in Africa.

David's father had gone to Africa to seek his fortune. A few years later he'd gone back again to seek his illegitimate son. But he died without finding the son and when Jade gets to Nairobi she discovers his death was more than strange - he was killed by a hyena in his room in Nairobi's finest hotel.

As Jade makes her way through African society - an American made uncomfortable by the strictures of class and race - she learns Swahili, moves to a coffee plantation, navigates the rutted roads of Africa in an unreliable car, and saves a boy and a village from a bewitched hyena. This event begins her real adventure as she gains the gratitude and aid of the village while attracting the enmity of the witch, a shadowy, sinister figure whose point of view punctuates the narrative with periodic bloodthirsty malevolence.

Jade is a forthright, blunt-spoken, action-oriented heroine who knows more about guns than fashion. Clips from her travel articles head up each chapter and the action moves swiftly through bush and ballroom until it culminates in a sufficiently atmospheric and danger-riddled safari.

Arruda does a particularly good job of evoking the feel of colonial Africa - the heat, the amazing animals, the superstition and the Brits. Jade is plenty likable though there are a few too many mentions of her green eyes. And maybe somebody could rescue her once in a while instead of her having to do all the crack shooting herself. But the period is well drawn and the story succeeds in absorbing the reader. This reader, for one, looks forward to her next outing.

--Portsmouth Herald