Review: Bright Hair About the Bone by Barbara Cleverly

Title: Bright Hair About the Bone
Author: Barbara Cleverly
Publisher: Delta
Paperback: 416 pages, mystery, Laetitia Talbot mysteries
Link to buy: http://www.amazon.com/Bright-About-Laetitia-Talbot-Mysteries/dp/0385339895/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246305703&sr=8-1


When Laetitia Talbot learns of her godfather Daniel's murder, she knows that she must carry out his wishes and find out who killed him. Her father, Sir Richard, hired William Gunning, a previous vicar and army priest during the Great War, to watch over Laetitia much to Letty's dismay. As an archaeologist, the intelligent and very stubborn Letty travels to Burgundy, France where Daniel was murdered under the pseudonym Stella St. Clair. As she adjusts to her mother's homeland, she is encountered by Comte Edmond d'Aubec, who is a rogue gentleman who makes some advances towards Letty throughout the novel. As Letting gets closer to the comte, she begins to slowly unravel the mystery of her godfather's death, a plan to take over France and stop the growing menance in Germany (the Nazis),and a mystery of Mary Magdelene and the forms of the goddess of Epona, Isis, etc.

Bright Hair About the Bone by Barbara Cleverly is a historical mystery novel set in 1926 France. Although it is the second Laetitia Talbot novel to come out, it is actually the first novel Cleverly wrote about the character. Letty is a very modern woman, intelligent, resilient, and very stubborn. My favorite character though is Gunning, who is a complete mystery that is slowly unraveled; whereas, Letty is what you see, what you get type of woman. I enjoyed the novel for its historical aspects, but I felt that the mystery part of it was a tad slow. I enjoyed Cleverly's The Tomb of Zeus much more, although I do believe that Bright Hair About the Bone is worth reading. I do look forward to more Laetitia Talbot mysteries.

My book rating: 3.5 out of 5.