The Crypt Thief

by Mark Pryor

published by Seventh Street Books

2013

Summary

It’s summer in Paris and two tourists have been murdered in Père Lachaise cemetery in front of Jim Morrison’s grave. The cemetery is locked down and put under surveillance, but the killer returns, flitting in and out like a ghost, and breaks into the crypt of a long-dead Moulin Rouge dancer. In a bizarre twist, he disappears under the cover of night with part of her skeleton.

One of the dead tourists is an American and the other is a woman linked to a suspected terrorist; so the US ambassador sends his best man and the embassy’s head of security—Hugo Marston—to help the French police with their investigation.

When the thief breaks into another crypt at a different cemetery, stealing bones from a second famed dancer, Hugo is stumped. How does this killer operate unseen? And why is he stealing the bones of once-famous can-can girls?

Hugo cracks the secrets of the graveyards but soon realizes that old bones aren’t all this killer wants. . . (from Goodreads)

My Review

I eagerly awaited the publication of Mark Pryor’s new book, which is the second Hugo Marston novel he has written.  The first-The Bookseller-I enjoyed so much! (here is the review for The Bookseller-https://turnthepagereviews.com/2013/03/05/the-bookseller/)  I love books about books, and thsis was a story about books, wrapped in a mystery.  I enjoyed Mr. Pryor’s style of writing and really liked his characters, especially Hugo Marston.  So, I sat down to read The Crypt Thief with high expectations.  I was not disappointed.  This story takes up soon after The Bookseller left off, with Hugo working as head of security for the U.S. Embassy in Paris.  There is a double murder in the famous Pere Lachaise Cemetery, and Hugo, along with his friends, are on the case.  In The Bookseller, I learned all about the  bouquinistes, the booksellers with stalls around the Seine.  In The Crypt Thief, the topic of the famous cemetery is front and center.  I loved learning who was buried there (aside form Jim Morrison), about the Moulin Rouge, and the about the ancient tunnels running under the city.  If you enjoy a good mystery, along with some history and humor thrown in, I recommend this (along with the first) book by Mark Pryor.

Rating- 4 out of 5

Chemin Errazu of cementery Père Lachaise (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

English: The grave of Edith Piaf (1915-1963) in Pere Lachaise Cemetery, Paris. Svenska: Fotografi föreställande Edith Piafs (1915-1963) grav i Pere Lachaise Cemetery, Paris (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

English: The grave of Moliere at the Pere Lachaise Cemetery in Paris 20th. Français : La tombe de Molière au cimetière Père Lachaise à Paris dans le 20eme arrondissement. Deutsch: Das Grab von Moliere im Pere Lachaise Friedhof in Paris. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)