Rating: Three 1/2 Stars ***^
Genre: Historical Fiction
Summary: Daniel Connor, a medical student, is on his way to Paris to study anatomy under the prestigious Dr. Cuvier. Equipped with coral, a mammoth bone, and letters, the rare and valuable finds are stolen by a sly and intelligent Lucienne Bernard who shares the same stagecoach with him on the trip to Paris. Upon tracking his Lucienne to recover his valuables, Daniel is actually the person being followed and a relationship of love and loyalty develop between the student and the thief. Daniel does recover his belongings and follows through with his apprenticeship in Paris, but he is enthralled with Lucienne and after much explanation, Daniel seeks to protect her from Jagot, the authority who initially aimed to help him find his stolen goods in the first place. A deadly proposition to steal a valuable diamond has Daniel, Lucienne, her daughter, and companions trudging through the secretive and dangerous quandaries of underground Paris to ‘magically’ disappear from their fugitive lives.
Evaluation: The Coral Thief carries a strong narrative and suspenseful plot, while involving philosophy, history, and factual information about nature and the progressive thoughts of evolution and the origin of the species (“Darwinesque”). The story thickens at a nice pace that is lightly mysterious. What makes the story uniquely appealing is simultaneous incorporation of Napoleons whereabouts and pictures from the 1800's. The author's voice is one that is educated and proper. Stott exudes character traits flawlessly, and presents facts that appear to be well researched, as well as realistic. The voice and persona of Lucienne is the strongest.
Read-a-likes: Ghostwalk by Rebecca Stott
The Many Lives & Secret Sorrows of Josephine B. by Sandra Gulland
Rebecca Stott - Author Website
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