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The Curse-Maker

by Kelli Stanley

The Curse-Maker Cover

ISBN13: 9780312654191
ISBN10: 0312654197
Condition: Standard
Dustjacket: Standard
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Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

When Roman physician Arcturus and his stunning wife Gwyna arrive at Bath for a holiday, a dead body is floating in the sacred spring. It turns out that the murdered man is a curse maker whose curses actually come true, and as murder follows murder, it looks like there's now a curse on Arcturus.

An exciting and exotic look at the sideshow world of fake healers, ghost-raisers and medicine men, The Curse-Maker is the story of a spa town where people go to heal... only to wind up dead. And it takes the doctor protagonist on a dark road into Roman cemeteries, silver mines, underground water tunnels, and the twisted mind of a killer bent on revenge.

Review:

"A murder interrupts the holiday of Arcturus, the Roman governor's doctor and sometime sleuth, in Stanley's well-plotted second novel set in Britain during the reign of Domitian (after 2008's Nox Dormeinda, winner of the Bruce Alexander Award for Best Historical Mystery). When the strangled body of Rufus Bibax, a scribe who made his living writing curses, surfaces in a reservoir in Aquae Sulis (today's Bath), his mouth is stuffed with a piece of lead on which is inscribed Ultor ('The Avenger'). The physician learns of earlier mysterious deaths, which may be connected with the legend of a nearby mine. More murders, possibly by a copycat, follow. The author, as she explains in a note, has imaginatively reconstructed how curses might have been used in Roman society. Some may find the language too modern sounding ('Logically, she was right — but goddamn it, I wasn't logical'), but all will wish this historical series a long life. (Feb.)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright PWyxz LLC)

Synopsis:

The Curse-Maker is the sequel to he award-winning Nox Dormienda, the first book of the Roman noir series created by Kelli Stanley (City of Dragons). Wedding impeccably researched history to prose and themes reminiscent of classic hard-boiled writers, The Curse-Maker is a thrilling and suspenseful journey into a dark corner of Roman Britain you've never seen before.
 
When Roman physician Arcturus and his stunning wife, Gwyna, arrive at Bath for a holiday, a dead body is floating in the sacred spring. It turns out that the murdered man is a curse-maker whose invocations actually come true, and as murder follows murder, it looks like there's now a curse on Arcturus.
 
This is an exciting and exotic story of a spa town where people go to heal...only to wind up dead. And it takes the doctor-investigator on a dark road — into Roman cemeteries, silver mines, and underground water tunnels — to comprehend the twisted mind of a killer bent on revenge.

About the Author

Kelli Stanley is also the author of another series featuring PI Miranda Corbie, the first book of which, City of Dragons, was published to rave reviews last year. She lives in San Francisco, California.

What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 1 comment:

Bill C, March 21, 2011 (view all comments by Bill C)
Kelli Stanley is a troublemaker, because she has two series going and neither one of them comes along fast enough to make me happy.

Nox Dormienda was a fave of mine a couple of years ago, so I was very happy to see The Curse Maker come along to continue the adventures of Arcturus.

Kelli does a wonderful job of blending a noir sensibility with the classical historic setting of the Arcturus tales. The mystery is rich and engaging, the characters damaged, the sense of place enthralling. This one is a winner.

Now off to pine for the next Miranda Corbie tale from Kelli.
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No

Product Details

ISBN:
9780312654191
Author:
Stanley, Kelli
Publisher:
Minotaur Books
Subject:
Mystery & Detective - Historical
Subject:
Mystery Historical
Edition Description:
Hardcover
Publication Date:
20110231
Binding:
HARDCOVER
Grade Level:
General/trade
Language:
English
Pages:
320
Dimensions:
8.25 x 5.50 in

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Related Subjects

Fiction and Poetry » Mystery » A to Z
Fiction and Poetry » Mystery » Historical
Languages » Foreign Languages » Spanish » Fiction and Poetry » Mystery » Historical

The Curse-Maker Used Hardcover
0 stars - 0 reviews
$12.50 In Stock
Product details 320 pages Minotaur Books - English 9780312654191 Reviews:
"Publishers Weekly Review" by , "A murder interrupts the holiday of Arcturus, the Roman governor's doctor and sometime sleuth, in Stanley's well-plotted second novel set in Britain during the reign of Domitian (after 2008's Nox Dormeinda, winner of the Bruce Alexander Award for Best Historical Mystery). When the strangled body of Rufus Bibax, a scribe who made his living writing curses, surfaces in a reservoir in Aquae Sulis (today's Bath), his mouth is stuffed with a piece of lead on which is inscribed Ultor ('The Avenger'). The physician learns of earlier mysterious deaths, which may be connected with the legend of a nearby mine. More murders, possibly by a copycat, follow. The author, as she explains in a note, has imaginatively reconstructed how curses might have been used in Roman society. Some may find the language too modern sounding ('Logically, she was right — but goddamn it, I wasn't logical'), but all will wish this historical series a long life. (Feb.)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright PWyxz LLC)
"Synopsis" by ,
The Curse-Maker is the sequel to he award-winning Nox Dormienda, the first book of the Roman noir series created by Kelli Stanley (City of Dragons). Wedding impeccably researched history to prose and themes reminiscent of classic hard-boiled writers, The Curse-Maker is a thrilling and suspenseful journey into a dark corner of Roman Britain you've never seen before.
 
When Roman physician Arcturus and his stunning wife, Gwyna, arrive at Bath for a holiday, a dead body is floating in the sacred spring. It turns out that the murdered man is a curse-maker whose invocations actually come true, and as murder follows murder, it looks like there's now a curse on Arcturus.
 
This is an exciting and exotic story of a spa town where people go to heal...only to wind up dead. And it takes the doctor-investigator on a dark road — into Roman cemeteries, silver mines, and underground water tunnels — to comprehend the twisted mind of a killer bent on revenge.
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