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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
FINALLY!, April 10, 2006
Ever since I read 'Verse of the Vampyre', with its tantalizing excerpt from 'Sonnet of the Sphinx', I've been waiting impatiently for the rest of the story. And not because I care overmuch about the possibility that there's a lost sonnet by Shelley floating around somewhere. Though I admit that treasure-hunting is fun, what I really wanted, was to know the details of the Istanbul-affair, the one that landed Grace's boyfriend Peter in a Turkish jail for fourteen months. After two books full of hints, I wanted answers, and I wanted them now!
The books starts with Grace finding an old letter mentioning the unknown Shelley sonnet. Hard on the heels of that, Harry, an acquaintance of Peter's from his stint in Turkey, shows up, and threatens to have Peter extradited. Then Harry turns up dead, and naturally, Peter is at the top of the suspect list. Grace is not safe from suspicion herself, however, after Scott Sartyn, the new head librarian, accuses her of going through the dead man's pockets. (No, she didn't. Really. And Sartyn shouldn't really be talking anyway, since he knew Harry from before and is trying to keep it quiet. With good reason.) While Peter is out of town, someone forces Grace's car off the road and into the lake, and then someone sets fire to her cottage. Then Scott Sartyn ends up dead. And woven through the whole intricate web is the mystery concerning the soldier who was in possession of the Shelley-sonnet back in 1943. What happened to him? Did he desert? Was he - and the sonnet - blown to smithereens by a bomb while on leave? Did he really run away with his girlfriend's sister, or was someone else to blame for his disappearance? And for that matter, is the sonnet still around somewhere, and can Grace and Peter find it?
I quite enjoyed both 'High Rhymes and Misdemeanors' and 'Verse of the Vampyre', but I think 'Sonnet of the Sphinx' beats them both, hands down. Grace and Peter's relationship moves forward by leaps and bounds; they seem more comfortable together now, than what they did in the previous book. The plot is nice and tight, with enough surprises to keep the reader reading long after she should turn out the light and go to sleep. And while I thought for a moment, at one point, "I wonder if this person had something to do with it...?", I'd forgotten all about it by the time I got to the end. And best of all, all my questions about Istanbul were answered, and enough loose ends left dangling to make for a few more books. My only gripe is that this time, there's no excerpt to whet my appetite for the next installment, when, surely, the cursed Serpent's Egg diamond will once again resurface, to tempt Peter off the straight and narrow...
Oh, no! Here we go again!
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Three's a charm!!, March 6, 2006
If three's a charm, then Diana Killian's third installment in the Poetic Death Series, Sonnet of the Sphinx, is just that.... A charm!
While sorting through some old books and papers at Rogue's Gallery, Grace stumbles upon an old love letter written in 1943 by a man named John Mallow. The letter hints of an unknown sonnet by poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. Realizing the significance of this find, Grace attempts to share her enthusiasm with Peter, who only wishes to tease and poke fun. During some light hearted banter between the two, a ghost from Peter's past enters the gallery and immediately the mood is changed. The mysterious stranger is Hayri Kayaci, a policeman from the Turkish prison where Peter had spent some time. He has come to claim something he feels Peter owes him and if he doesn't get it, he's going to extradite Peter back to Turkey. Grace fearing for Peter, tries to come up with a plan to help him but Peter assures her that it will be taken care of. A few days later, Kayaci turns up dead with Grace and Peter becoming the prime suspects. Thus begins this fast paced mystery, complete with shadowy figures in the night, some very amusing and colorful characters, death threats on Grace's life, cover ups, a relentless detective determined to pin the murder of Kayaci on Peter, some surprising discoveries, a little romance and an ending that will shock you! Sonnet of the Sphinx is jam packed with heart pounding action and nail biting suspense! Hang onto your book and get ready for the ride of your life!
The dialog is witty and fun. The events may seem far-fetched and out of the ordinary but if the book was ordinary, it wouldn't be worth reading. Ms. Killian is an accomplished story teller with a knack for wit and creativity when describing a feeling or situation. From the very first page of the prologue, Ms. Killian's descriptive style starts working its magic. Describing the storm that will soon claim Shelley's life, she writes, "The young man raked fingers through the golden hair that was perpetually in his eyes, then turned his attention once more to the book of Keats's poetry. The boat creaked, the sails whispering to each other. The storm that whipped up off the black-glass ocean was like an enchanted thing, so sudden, so parlous. The pages in the book flapped like chattering paper teeth." Explaining the thoughts running through Grace's head regarding the possibility of discovering an unknown work by Shelley, she states, "Grace's brain continued to spin sweet airy fantasy as though someone had left a cotton candy machine on overdrive." While detailing Grace's constant battle to fight the urge to pry into Peter's mysterious past, she says, "Peter's mysterious history acted upon her the way an unopened jigsaw tempted a puzzle addict."
The writer's descriptive style and imagination brings this book to life. It sparks our own imagination, inviting us into the story and encouraging us to experience it for ourselves. We become the unseen sidekick tagging along after Grace, helping to solve the mystery. We are sitting with her in the garden mulling over the events of the day before. Our senses come to life and we can smell the flower's sweet fragrance, hear the buzzing of the bees and feel the warmth of the sunlight on our face. We are the fly on the wall, listening to every conversation and witnessing the intimate moments between Grace and Peter. Our heart beats frantically as we feel our way through the darkness with Grace and Peter, trying desperately to elude the dark figure trying to kill us. For a brief moment we are transformed from our dull everyday life to an exciting adventure of intrigue and mystery. Ms. Killian has given us a wonderful gift. It is the opportunity to live out our own fancy through her book. When the last page is turned and the book closes and we are again back in the real world, there is a sadness and a yearning for another wonderfully exciting adventure and book four.
Sonnet of the Sphinx is a book that can stand on its own merits but should you want the full experience, my suggestion is to start at the beginning with the first two books of the Series, High Rhymes and Misdemeanors and Verse of the Vampyre. All are equally enjoyable and fun to read!
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Literary Murder Strikes Again, May 2, 2006
Rogue's Gallery has just bought a farmhouse full of antiques. While Grace and Peter are sorting through the items, Grace stumbles on a letter referring to a previously undiscovered sonnet by Percy Shelley. Naturally, this peaks Grace's interest. Unfortunately, the letter was written during World War II, and the writer disappeared right after writing it. Further complicating the search, the antiques' owner demands them back because he didn't intend to sell them.
As if that weren't enough, Peter's past comes walking right into Rogue's Gallery. Hayri Kayaci was a guard in the Turkish prison where Peter spent some time. Now he's back, demanding an item Peter doesn't know how to locate and threatening to use the extradition papers he brought with him if Peter doesn't cooperate.
When Hayri is found murdered after a concert at the local park, Grace's relief for Peter is short lived. They are the top suspects in the case, and the new inspector in the village won't leave them alone. Meanwhile, Grace is hot on the trail of the missing sonnet, or at least piecing together the life of the man who discovered it sixty years before. If she can just figure out who is trying to kill her, life could be perfect.
Fans of the series will enjoy the latest entry. This story has several different mysteries tangled together, the sonnet, the murder, and the letter writer's disappearance. We even get a little more about Peter's past. The story is ultimately satisfying, but the pace is slightly off, slowing down at times in the middle. Overall, this is a minor complaint.
The characters continue to grow. The cautious, predictable Grace of book one is gone, and there are several times she does things I wouldn't have expected her to do, yet perfectly fit who she is becoming. On the other hand, Peter is becoming more cautious about life. These two are great for each other, and it's fun watching their relationship continue to evolve and grow.
Several characters from the previous entries make appearances, and new characters grace the page. They are all sharply drawn and memorable.
One of the charms of the book is the setting. I hadn't heard of the Lake District in England before starting this series, but Diana Killian makes the area come to life. Despite the murders, she makes it so inviting I would love to visit it some day.
If you enjoy the Romantic poets, this is a series not to be missed. Don't let the subject turn you away, however. These are great tales that will appeal to anyone.
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