Shades
of Persephone
https://books2read.com/Shades-of-Persephone
Shades of
Persephone is a literary mystery that will entertain those who delight in exotic
settings, foreign intrigue, and the unmasking of mysterious characters. Crete
in 1980-81, more specifically the old Venetian harbour of Chania, provides the
background against which expat Canadian Steven Spire labours in pursuit of
David Montgomery, his enigmatic and elusive mentor, who stands accused in
absentia of treachery and betrayal. The plot has many seams through which
characters slide, another of them being the poet Emma Leigh, widow of
Montgomery’s imposing Cold War adversary, Heinrich Trüger. In that the setting
is Crete, the source of light is manifold, but significant inspiration for
Steven Spire comes from Magalee De Bellefeuille, his vision of Aphrodite and
his muse. “Find Persephone,” she directs him, “and you’ll find David
Montgomery.” Her prompts motivate much
of the narrative, including that of the Cretan underground during the Nazi
occupation, 1941- 45.
Shades
of Persephone presents a story of love and sensuality, deception and war, spiritual
quest and creative endeavour. The resolution takes an unanticipated turn but
comes as no surprise to the discerning reader. Like Hamlet who must deal with
his own character in following the injunctions of his ghostly father, Steven
Spire discovers much about the city to which he has returned, but much more
about himself and his capacity for love.
The
Palimpsest Murders
https://books2read.com/The-Palimpsest-Murders
Day
one: check-in on the Iphigenia, a
Boat & Bike home for thirty guests of diverse backgrounds on a one week
excursion through Holland and Belgium. Personalities clash, conflicts arise.
Day
seven: a body is found in canal waters at the stern of the boat. And then a
second body is discovered.
Many
questions are asked, but few answers truly satisfy collective curiosity. Why in
the canal? Why two coins for the ferryman? Who among the cyclists is hateful
and motivated enough to kill? Twice. In what ways are the two murders related?
Is the ugly jug, both admired and derided, merely symbolic? How does the gold
death mask of Agamemnon lead to resolution?
`Determining
truth entails travelling from Amsterdam to Bruges to Paris to the ancient site
of Mycenae in Greece where what’s past is shown to be prologue.
Lighting the Lamp
https://books2read.com/Lighting-the-Lamp
Lighting The
Lamp dramatizes the efforts of Terry
Burke, a sympathetic, at times critical, but ordinary old guy, to come to grips
with what his life has been. His struggle to accept retirement
spreads to concern over the mysterious death of a wanderer in Cowichan Bay. Terry’s obsession to solve the mystery fuses
directly with his personal history and leads him in and out of fascinating,
half-remembered mythological landscapes. Family dynamics of the present,
mirrored in Irish heritage of the past, come into play as do contrarian
opinions encountered among cronies, distant friends, and lost loves. Motivated by his muse to tell all, what he
seeks in addition to understanding is truthful voice and the purest possible
point of view.
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