Gold of Kings

    Suspense and anticipation, page by page, are how I describe this 2009 book written by Davis Bunn. 

     How about throwing together three very unlikely characters: 

     Storm, a dealer in art and antiques, who has just been fired by her grandfather in order to protect her life;

     Harry, a professional treasure hunter who has just been released from jail in the Caribbean;

     and Emma, a United States government lawyer who changes sides midstream to join Interpol.

     After various people in the art antiquities business are murdered, these three characters begin attempting to not only solve a whole host of mysteries surrounding those deaths (including Storm's grandfather), but they also throw themselves wholeheartedly into seeking the last treasure that Storm's grandfather ever investigated. 

     Davis Bunn has masterfully woven a story filled with suspense, intrigue, mystery, and history from ancient times through the Renaissance.

     If I hadn't studied those time periods with my children, recently, I wouldn't have enjoyed this book as much as I did. 

     But don't be afraid to read this if you know nothing or very little about the middle ages and the renaissance.  As you read, go to the computer and google a few topics such as Constantine, Constantinople, and a few other key terms and locations in this story, and you'll be set.  It will only take you a few minutes to do this as you come across certain locations or people in the story, and you'll be glad that you did.

     This is one of my favorite historical fiction books I've read in the last few years, and even if historical fiction isn't your favorite genre, the mystery and suspense, along with a touch of romance, will be enough to pull almost any reader in.  

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