Panama: A Novel (Paperback)

by Eric Zencey (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
This is that extremely rare find, a first novel that is not only extremely accomplished but also quite unlike anything else. It daringly places a real person?American historian and philosopher Henry Adams?into a historic situation?the scandal in 1892 Paris over the corrupt collapse of the grand Panama Canal plan?and makes of it a dashing, sometimes touching and, yes, thoughtful thriller. Adams is sketched quickly and deftly: enterprising, sensitive, observant, still mourning the suicide of his wife years earlier, half in love with beautiful Elizabeth Cameron. We see him briefly in Panama, stealing a picture that will come to be significant; at Mont Saint-Michel and Chartres (naturally), where he is much taken with a young American painter, Miriam, who seems like a new breath in his life, and to whom he becomes quickly, quixotically attached; finally in Paris, where Miriam instantly disappears, is perhaps dead. At once, Adams begins to search for her, becoming involved with Parisian police, including a fledgling fingerprint expert and his young nephew; a coroner is killed, a macabre gift arrives for Adams via a pneumatique and the political plot around the Panama scandal, which could bring down a government and create a new one, thickens. At the heart of it all, Adams barges ahead like a gallant detective with the mind of an aesthete; through his eyes Paris, on the brink of the modern age, has never seemed stranger or more alluring, its people more enigmatic. That Zencey can create a headlong read, with a piercing climax and a poignant final note, out of such esoteric material is almost miraculous. A wonderful debut. 100,000 first printing; BOMC and QPB selections.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal
In 1892, Henry Adams, distinguished historian and descendant of two presidents, is in Paris, where he finds himself embroiled in several mysteries: a charming woman attracts him on the beach, then disappears and is, or isn't, killed. Jacques de Reinach, a major figure in the failed French effort to build a Panama canal, dies by suicide or murder. An American senator's wife seems to be trying to change her longstanding relationship with Adams from friendship to something else. A trusted friend is hiding knowledge of a dead woman. Adams is drawn into an intrigue of scandal, bribery, murder, corruption, and sex. He can't resist searching for the missing woman. Along the way he, and we, learn a lot about French politics, the nature of history and experience, love, loss, and forensic science. This outstanding first novel is highly recommended for its intelligence, characterization, suspense, and setting. [A BOMC and Quality Paperback selection.]-Edwin B. Burgess, U.S. Army Combined Arms Research Lib., Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
--Edwin B. Burgess, U.S. Army Combined Arms Research Lib., Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Berkley Trade (August 7, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425178331
• ISBN-13: 978-0425178331
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #204,174 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An entertaining historical mystery, December 16, 1999

By	Roger Lee (Jacksonville, FL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Panama (Mass Market Paperback)

I read this book several months ago and so I don't remember all the details of it. I do remember that it was a very enjoyable read. The plot is very clever and complex, the characters are interesting and well defined, and there is some action and suspense in some parts. The best thing about this book is its atmosphere; you really feel transported to late nineteenth century Paris. I wouldn't say that it was an outstanding novel, but it definately deserves a lot more than the one star some reviewers gave it.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent literary thriller., July 10, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Panama (Mass Market Paperback)

As you will see from many of the customer reviews, this historical thriller is not a purely plot-driven page-turner, a la Robert Ludlum or Ken Follett. If that is what you are looking for, you will be disappointed. Rather, the author takes the time (and, yes, forces the reader to do so) setting a mood, at the same time capturing the spirit of the age and the tormented inner spirit of the protagonist (Henry Adams). This is first and foremost a book about Adams' emotional recovery, so, no, it is not as fast-paced and action-packed as The Alienist. (I liked both books very much, but they are different--perhaps the marketers are at fault for raising false expectations.) But, so long as you are willing to savor a mood, and to arrive slowly at your destination, this is an excellent read.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A charmer!, August 23, 2001

By	Rob Reeve (Mission, British Columbia Canada) - See all my reviews

A stellar effort for Zancey's debut. Taking place in 1892 the story is a mixture of fact and fiction. Henry Adams is an American historian whose descendants include two U.S. presidents. He becomes fascinated with the story surrounding the Panama Affair which is where the French royally messed up the building of the Panama Canal due to poor planning and widespread corruption among government officials. While in Paris a woman is pulled from the Seine named Miriam Talbot. This is someone Adams has befriended a couple of months previously and he goes to identify the body. It's not her but she has gone missing. He then starts his own amateurish investigation. We then get to see the quirkiness of his character and the humourous and uncomfortable situations he gets himself into. We get wonderful descriptions of Paris circa 1892 and meet some wonderful characters on both sides of the law. We get into the beginnings of forensic science and become acquainted with power hungry French politicians such as Loubet, Delahaye and Clemenceau. Adams is constantly at odds with himself also. Why is he pursueing this dangerous escapade? Is it for adventure and to fill the void of his wife Clover's suicide seven years ago? He observes the encroachment of the industrial age and wonders if it is destroying man's moral fibre. Overall the story is so vivid, each conversation and confrontation can be clearly imagined. It's not a page turning suspense thriller but it is a rich experience that leaves you feeling very satisfied. Stick with it through the first 50-60 pages and you will be generously rewarded. A charming, intelligent read.