The Crypt Thief: A Hugo Marston Novel

Overview

It’s summer in Paris and two tourists have been murdered in Père Lachaise cemetery in front of Jim Morrison’s grave. The cemetery is locked down and put under surveillance, but the killer returns, flitting in and out like a ghost, and breaks into the crypt of a long-dead Moulin Rouge dancer. In a bizarre twist, he disappears under the cover of night with part of her skeleton.

One of the dead tourists is an American and the other is a woman linked to a suspected terrorist; so the...

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The Crypt Thief: A Hugo Marston Novel

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This item will be available on May 7, 2013.
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Overview

It’s summer in Paris and two tourists have been murdered in Père Lachaise cemetery in front of Jim Morrison’s grave. The cemetery is locked down and put under surveillance, but the killer returns, flitting in and out like a ghost, and breaks into the crypt of a long-dead Moulin Rouge dancer. In a bizarre twist, he disappears under the cover of night with part of her skeleton.

One of the dead tourists is an American and the other is a woman linked to a suspected terrorist; so the US ambassador sends his best man and the embassy’s head of security—Hugo Marston—to help the French police with their investigation.

When the thief breaks into another crypt at a different cemetery, stealing bones from a second famed dancer, Hugo is stumped. How does this killer operate unseen? And why is he stealing the bones of once-famous can-can girls?

Hugo cracks the secrets of the graveyards but soon realizes that old bones aren’t all this killer wants. . . .

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Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly
Two young lovers make the fatal mistake of sneaking into Paris’s Père Lachaise Cemetery the same night as a bone-stealing psychopath, in Pryor’s propulsive second novel starring affable former FBI profiler Hugo Marston (after 2012’s The Bookseller). Because one victim is a U.S. senator’s son, the potentially explosive case lands in the laps of Hugo, now the U.S. embassy’s security chief, and his friend Tom Green, a semiretired CIA spook, at a time when their relationship is strained by Tom’s alcoholism. And if they have any hope of stopping—and surviving—the stone-cold killer dubbed the Scarab by Hugo, because of the glass beetle charms he leaves at each ransacked grave, they will both need to be at the top of their game. The engaging characters sweep readers into a suspenseful chase from Pigalle to the Pyrenées, marred only by the Scarab’s overkill as he pursues his Grand Guignol fantasy of revenge, death, and reincarnation. Agent: Ann Collette, Rees Literary Agency. (May)
From the Publisher
"[A] tale of a city that's gritty, utterly real and filled with surprises both horrifying and tender. Much like a baguette, this fabulous story is crusty on the outside, sweet on the inside, and once you've had a bit, you can't wait for more." -OPRAH.com

"[A] fascinating adventure with enough intrigue to satisfy every reader.... A fantastic debut!" -RT Book Reviews, 4 1/2 Stars

"Pryor's steady and engrossing debut combines Sherlockian puzzle solving with Eric Ambler-like spy intrigue. With a cast of characters you want to know better and a storyline cloaked in World War II betrayals…the author winningly blends contemporary crime with historical topics." -Library Journal Starred Review

"[A] well-crafted debut novel. Mark Pryor creates a new hero full of intelligence and charm which mixes well with the ever twisting plot of the story. Each turn of the page is a new piece of the complex puzzle that readers will enjoy fitting together. A leaf out of a classic Agatha Christie novel, mixed with the modern world of crime, is a suspenseful adventure waiting to happen." -Portland Book Review

Library Journal
When two young people (one the son of a U.S. senator and the other a Pakistani woman) are shot dead in a Paris cemetery, the American Embassy brings in security expert Hugo to investigate. The senator is convinced terrorism is behind the murder, but a second incident at the cemetery—a grave robbery—causes Hugo to question that connection. His instincts are proved correct when he learns that the Pakistani victim was a professional dancer and that the grave robbery was of the remains of a famed Moulin Rouge dancer. While Hugo applies his profiling skills to the case, other investigators want to track down another Pakistani as a person of interest. Collateral damage ensues. Meanwhile, a warped individual is systematically trying to reconstruct a living being. He's on a tight time line though, and Hugo must outfox the serial killer soon. VERDICT Pryor's second case for Marston (after The Bookseller) doesn't disappoint. The crazed serial killer leads readers into the darkest regions of Paris, making it a good bet for Cara Black fans.
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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9781616147853
  • Publisher: Prometheus Books
  • Publication date: 5/7/2013
  • Pages: 260
  • Sales rank: 264237
  • Product dimensions: 5.45 (w) x 8.19 (h) x 0.67 (d)

Meet the Author

Mark Pryor (Austin, TX) is the author of The Bookseller, the first Hugo Marston novel, and the true-crime book As She Lay Sleeping. A former newspaper reporter from England and now an assistant district attorney with the Travis County District Attorney's Office, in Austin, Texas, he is the creator of the true-crime blog DAConfidential. He has appeared on CBS News's 48 Hours and Discovery Channel's Discovery ID: Cold Blood. For more on Mark Pryor, visit his website: www.markpryorbooks.com.

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