Lara McClintoch Archaeological Mysteries Series

A client commissions Lara McClintoch to buy an Eighth Century T’ang dynasty Chinese silver box, which contains a formula for immortality. Before Lara can outbid a Toronto museum curator, the box is stolen from a Beijing auction house. Lara follows a dangerous trail through the back alleys of modern China to find the box and the thief. Despite its promise of life forever, the ancient box keeps getting people killed. Lara fears she will be next unless she can uncover the secret behind the heist. The Chinese adventure is the last in this acclaimed archeological mystery series. “Antiques dealer Lara McClintoch is targeted by ruthless criminals while trying to recover an eighth-century Tang Dynasty silver box with an alchemical for the elixir of immortality etched on the inside of the lid. The rare item holds the key not only to the mysterious death of a museum curator, but to Lara’s own survival...In this 11th outing for the globe-trotting Lara McClintoch, fans will enjoy the China setting as well as the history provided in flashbacks at the start of each chapter. An enjoyable, educational and suspenseful road trip.” --Fresh Fiction “Chinese history from the perspective of a royal concubine, a eunuch, a family of tomb raiders and even the Chairman himself... Hamilton, who rivals Jan Morris as a travel writer gives her eunuch Wu Yuan a mesmerizing story about serving the Imperial Palace and the Son of Heaven.” --Kirkus Reviews “...longtime series fans will enjoy seeing McClintoch in action in China." --Publishers Weekly “The mystery reading year is brighter when a new Lyn Hamilton appears...USA today calls these archaological mysteries ‘a wonderful series’ and The Chinese Alchemist is ample evidence: ...the plotting that weaves the storyline into a cohesive whole, the exquisite description of people and events, the integration of setting into the story and the character evolution that combines, motive deception and consequences.” --The Hamilton Spectator

When Will Beauchamp locked the door of his antique shop in Bangkok for the last time and quietly disappeared, he left behind a family in Toronto and a lot of questions. When fellow antiques dealer Lara McClintoch tries to find him in Thailand, she faces suspicion and deceit. Did Will run away? Was he involved in corruption? Why was he fascinated by an old murder case? Now people he knew are under attack. Lara regrets she started this search, but she won’t stop looking.

How many people put a visit to remote and mysterious Easter Island on their life to-do list? Lara McClintoch and her best friend Moira share a yearning to hug one of those famous giant carved heads. But when they get to the island, someone is bumping off members of a strange congress gathered to study local culture. Who has murder on their bucket list? Lara must figure out what the victims have in common as she races against time to stop the killing. “Vivid descriptions of the terrain, as well as details of the history and cultural evolution of Easter Island’s people, enrich this chatty whodunit... Hamilton...puts a first-class twist on the traditional locked-room mystery.” -Publishers Weekly “Hamilton makes maximum use of her setting with superb research and lots of local colour. This book is a lot of fun, and should make a great companion for the beach or the pool.” -Globe and Mail “There’s also the pleasure of spending time with smart, independent, funny Lara who, always keen to travel, is a reliably entertaining instructor in far-flung histories and geographies – useful for the real traveler and perfect for the armchair sort.” -London Free Press

Lara McClintoch, her marriage ended and her antiques business sold, eagerly embarks on a trip to Mexico to help an old friend solve a mystery. On arrival, her friend puts off their meeting and then disappears. After Lara witnesses a brazen robbery of a valuable statue of the ancient Mayan civilization and stumbles on a corpse in a museum of antiquities, she becomes a police suspect. Afraid of the police and unsure whom to trust, Lara follows clues pointing to black marketeers and zealous revolutionaries. This dangerous trail takes her to remote archaeological ruins, lush jungles, and bustling streets filled with revelers. Lara engages in a thrilling battle of wits and courage to unmask a killer and stop a tomb-robber in the shadowy world of Xibalba, the Lords of Death.

It looked like an ordinary group of tourists – a mix of easy-going and critical, quiet and talkative, enthusiastic and bored. But antiques dealer Lara McClintoch is leading this tour through the souks, mosques and ruins of Tunisia so you know it is going to get complicated. One member of the group is found dead in the pool and another dies in a hotel fire. Who are these people? The police think accident; Lara thinks murder. Then there’s trouble in the harbor as two ships compete for marine treasure. Lara’s quest for justice climaxes in a harrowing race across the desert.

Lara McClintoch’s professional pride is hurt when a writing cabinet she thought was a genuine antique turns out to be a fake. When the antique dealer who sold it for a million dollars is murdered and the money goes missing, Lara follows the forgery trail to Orkney, islands off the northeast coast of Scotland ruled long ago by Viking earls. Amid the peaceful landscape and friendly inhabitants, Lara looks for vindication and finds danger instead. “With twists, turns and conundra that challenge her readers’ imagination, author Lyn Hamilton deftly combines a contemporary mystery with an ancient Norse saga describing the travels and exploits of a long-dead adventurer known as Bjarni theWanderer and his journey with a valued artifact. As she pursues her quest, Lara [McClintoch]’s life - and those of others engaged in the same odyssey – will be put at risk and more than one victim claimed before the puzzle is solved.... The author skillfully balances two stories, weaving them together as they head towards a compelling climax....it is refreshing to run across a tale with an original story line that carried the reader to new and interesting worlds.” --The Sherbrooke Record “Hamilton makes the islands of Orkney so beguiling they ought to be listed as a top-ten travel destination.” --Kirkus Reviews “Hamilton is a funny writer. Lara’s culture shock in super-friendly Orkney is especially humorous.” --Publishers Weekly “Lyn Hamilton is emerging as one of Canada’s most successful crime writers. Her series of archeological mysteries featuring Toronto antiques dealer Lara McClintoch has found legions of devoted fans. Her secret? Her ability to take us right to the centre of places that pique the imagination, and then serve up a nice puzzle plot with a dash of arcana for seasoning.” --The Globe and Mail “What an entertaining armchair-travel companion Lara McClintoch has grown into as protagonist of Torontonian Lyn Hamilton’s archeological crime fiction.” --London Free Press “This is the most accomplished and clever book yet from a writer who is quickly becoming Canada’s queen of crime fiction.” --Calgary Herald

In Rome, a reclusive billionaire businessman asks antiques dealer Lara McClintoch to find a rare Etruscan artifact for his collection. Lara likes the idea of visiting the beautiful hill towns of Tuscany on an expense account. But when strange men start following her, an eccentric collector dies suddenly, and a strange package turns up in her car, Lara feels evil closing in on her. From Paris to Rome, from Nice to Volterra, from Arezzo to Cortona, Lara is on the move to unravel the conspiracy of the mythical chimera, a monstrous creature that is part lion, part goat and part snake. "Erudite and entertaining.....a journey that is every bit as magical as the elusive chimera." "Marilyn Stasio, New York Times Book Review Canadian Hamilton serves up her usual appealing mix of objets d'art and murder in her sixth well-researched mystery to feature antiques dealer Lara McClintoch.....Erudite mystery fams will enjoy the sophisticated wit." Publishers Weekly

Antiques dealer Lara McClintoch expects a working holiday on the Mediterranean island of Malta will be a nice break from the Canadian winter–until she discovers a dead body stuffed inside an antique chest and another impaled on an ancient knight’s sword. Lara joins forces with an RCMP officer assigned to her case to solve the murders and foil an assassination plot in this exciting thriller. Lara’s adventures are set against the backdrop of Malta’s fascinating history, including the legendary Knights of St. John, in this fast-paced addition to the acclaimed Lara McClintoch series.

Lara McClintoch, an antiques dealer based in Toronto, thought her life was finally getting back to normal. One failed marriage and a failed business behind her, Lara’s new antiques shop is doing well and her personal life is nothing to complain about either. That is, until her ex-husband decides to set up shop across the street. After winning a bidding war just to spite her ex, Lara gets more than she bargained for when her antiques shop suddenly becomes a target for burglary, arson and murder. It turns out the box of junk from the auction isn’t as worthless as she thought. What she assumed were cheap reproductions turn out to be actual ancient artifacts—and illegal ones at that. In an attempt to save her store, her reputation, and ultimately, her life, Lara journeys to Peru where more danger awaits. She cons her way into the crew of an archeological dig, but soon discovers she isn’t the only one there with a hidden agenda. Unsure of whom to trust, Lara is left to her own devices to take down an entire faction of black market antiquitites dealers and an army of grave robbers to boot! “With its setting shifting from Toronto to New York to Peru, this engaging story is a passport to adventure... richly woven descriptions... [a] fascinating and vividly presented subject matter and [an] artfully crafted plot.” Booklist “Armchair travelers and mystery buffs will enjoy the smooth blend of history and murder.” Publishers Weekly

The reading of the last will of wealthy Eamon Byrne sets off a murder spree and a treasure hunt in the Irish countryside, and antiques dealer Lara McClintoch is in the middle of the action. Lara’s friend Alex is one of the beneficiaries of the Will, and she is worried he may be on the murderer’s list. The Byrne family is feuding and there are hints of a troubled past. Lara enlists her new Irish friends to help decipher clues based on a poem of mythic Ireland, and risks her own life to follow the clues Byrne left behind.

Roommates from college draw Lara McClintoch into an encounter with an old lover and the mystery surrounding a 25,000 year-old statue. To find if the antiquity is real or fake, Lara traces the path of a 19thC adventurer who is said to have found the statue in Hungary. Both her old lover and her old college friends follow her to Budapest. Lara learns that digging up the past can be dangerous, whether it is someone else’s or your own in this Arthur Ellis-nominated crime novel. “The eighth in Hamilton’s appealing series takes chatty, always upbeat antiques dealer Lara McClintoch to Hungary to research the provenance of the Venus, an ancient bust carved from mammoth ivory. Lara’s tireless quest gives an absorbing view of post-Communist Budapest and its surrounding prehistoric caves full of archaeological treasures. A lively blend of romance, humor and occasional tragedy.” Publishers Weekly “She’s three inches tall and over 25,000 years old. Or is she? That’s the question Lara McClintoch must answer, as a suspicious suicide, a rekindled flame, and the clues and lies given to her by six old college chums lead her to the fascinating city of Budapest. Hamilton has executed a thrilling mystery full of flawed but lively characters, each with his/her own agenda.....I highly recommend this book.” The Best Reviews “It’s always a pleasure to follow Hamilton and Lara around the Globe.” Deadly Pleasures “This is the eighth novel in the series featuring antiques expert Lara McClintoch and to say it’s as good as the rest is no insult. She gives us a puzzle, a recurring heroine, an interesting setting, a fabulous antique object, some history and some travel – and a whiff of forbidden romance.” Globe and Mail