Antiques dealer Lara McClintock meets some old friends from college - the Davenport Divas - and ends up at a museum exhibition where she unexpectedly runs into some other college friends. The exhibition is for the Magyar Venus, a prehistoric carving, and some really odd things happen during the event. What's behind the later suicide of one of the Divas? Is the carving real? Is the provenance real? Lara travels to Hungary and starts checking it out. I have to admit I have not really enjoyed the last couple of these books. To me the plot drags and there are too many coincidences. Seems like I also remember infodumps, where the whole thing grinds to a halt while a character explains something for the reader's benefit. But the characters are well developed, there's enough backstory to keep them moving along like real people, and Lara gets to a different country every outing. I won't be reading any more in the series, but if someone had an interest in antiques and exotic locales they could do worse than check out this series.
The saga of Lara McClintoch, the Toronto antiquities dealer continues with this adventure in Hungary. Down in the dumps after splitting from her life partner Lara runs into some old friends from college. They talk her into going to a museum opening where she chances upon her college love. The man is using a different name and reveals the story of a beautiful artifact from Paleolithic times named the Magyar Venus. Before the night is over Lara witnesses a couple of disturbing scenes involving her fiends and one of them commits suicide. Before long Lara and the other women are on their way to Hungary to check the provenance of the figure. The other women have revenge in mind while Lara seeks the truth both about the figure and the man from her past. Not as convoluted as some of the other stories in the series it does, however, reveal more about Lara and her life.
A lively blend of mystery, history, and romance
Marlene W. (KansasSunflower) - 
