The Mystery of the Venus Island Fetish - Hardcover

Flannery, Tim

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 125007942X ISBN 13: 9781250079428

Publisher: Minotaur Books, 2016

Synopsis

It's 1932, and the Great Venus Island Fetish, a ceremonial mask surrounded by thirty-two human skulls, now resides in a museum in Sydney, Australia. But young anthropologist Archie Meek, recently returned from an extended field trip to Venus Island, has noticed something amiss: a strange discoloration on some of the skulls.

Has someone tampered with the fetish? Is there a link between it and the mysterious disappearance of Cecil Polkinghorne, curator of archaeology? And how did Eric Sopwith, retired mollusks expert, die in the museum's storeroom? Could Archie's life be at risk as well?

But these are not the only concerns that weigh upon the assistant curator's mind. Why hasn't his beloved Beatrice--registrar, anthropology--accepted his proposal of marriage and the love token he brought back from Venus Island? Has something been lost in translation?

Tim Flannery's The Mystery of the Venus Island Fetish is a delightfully risque caper, full of eccentric characters, intrigue, and adventure.

About this title

Review

A cast of Dickensian characters runs amok in this story of intrigue, murder, and misadventure. . . . [Flannery] leaves it to our imagination how much of his personal experiences might have woven themselves into this entertaining and irreverent romp. "The Australian"

Flannery has had ample fun writing "The Mystery of the Venus Island Fetish" and readers can share that with him. "The Sydney Morning Herald"

[Flannery] lets rip with a brilliantly daft romp that, alongside a predilection for suggestive surnames, mines the mind-sets and manners of pre-war Australia to perfection. "Australian Book Review"

Part Indiana Jones style adventure, part satire on the way museums are run . . . Great fun. "Australian Women s Weekly"

There s a wonderfully quirky array of characters wandering through this delightful period mystery that will not only give you insight into 1930s Sydney, but will also win you over with its warmth and humor. A wonderful read. "Surf Coast Times" (Australia)

"You don t have to be a museum insider to enjoy the fun Flannery pokes at anthropologists of an earlier era." "Publishers Weekly"

"Flannery, who was formerly the director of the South Australian Museum, makes an already electric tale even livelier with his knowledge of artifacts, digs, and desperate measures taken by cash-strapped museums. The novel is filled with the kind of detail only an expert can bring, like the fact that you can tell ancient Roman statues from Greek ones because the Romans made the second toe the longest. This is a fun, intriguing mystery debut."
"Booklist"

""D"eftly channels humorous English writers of the early postwar era (think P.G. Wodehouse or Kingsley Amis) in a hilarious romp set in and around a natural history museum."
"Bookpage"

"A fantastic mystery, lots of action, and laugh-out-loud humor.... A real find for readers who love
misadventure and fantastical tales."
" Suspense Magazine""

A cast of Dickensian characters runs amok in this story of intrigue, murder, and misadventure. . . . [Flannery] leaves it to our imagination how much of his personal experiences might have woven themselves into this entertaining and irreverent romp. The Australian

Flannery has had ample fun writing The Mystery of the Venus Island Fetish and readers can share that with him. The Sydney Morning Herald

[Flannery] lets rip with a brilliantly daft romp that, alongside a predilection for suggestive surnames, mines the mind-sets and manners of pre-war Australia to perfection. Australian Book Review

Part Indiana Jones style adventure, part satire on the way museums are run . . . Great fun. Australian Women s Weekly

There s a wonderfully quirky array of characters wandering through this delightful period mystery that will not only give you insight into 1930s Sydney, but will also win you over with its warmth and humor. A wonderful read. Surf Coast Times (Australia)

"You don t have to be a museum insider to enjoy the fun Flannery pokes at anthropologists of an earlier era." Publishers Weekly

"Flannery, who was formerly the director of the South Australian Museum, makes an already electric tale even livelier with his knowledge of artifacts, digs, and desperate measures taken by cash-strapped museums. The novel is filled with the kind of detail only an expert can bring, like the fact that you can tell ancient Roman statues from Greek ones because the Romans made the second toe the longest. This is a fun, intriguing mystery debut."
Booklist

"Deftly channels humorous English writers of the early postwar era (think P.G. Wodehouse or Kingsley Amis) in a hilarious romp set in and around a natural history museum."
Bookpage

"A fantastic mystery, lots of action, and laugh-out-loud humor.... A real find for readers who love
misadventure and fantastical tales."
Suspense Magazine

"

"A cast of Dickensian characters runs amok in this story of intrigue, murder, and misadventure. . . . [Flannery] leaves it to our imagination how much of his personal experiences might have woven themselves into this entertaining and irreverent romp." --The Australian

"Flannery has had ample fun writing The Mystery of the Venus Island Fetish and readers can share that with him." --The Sydney Morning Herald

"[Flannery] lets rip with a brilliantly daft romp that, alongside a predilection for suggestive surnames, mines the mind-sets and manners of pre-war Australia to perfection." --Australian Book Review

"Part Indiana Jones-style adventure, part satire on the way museums are run . . . Great fun." --Australian Women's Weekly

"There's a wonderfully quirky array of characters wandering through this delightful period mystery that will not only give you insight into 1930s Sydney, but will also win you over with its warmth and humor. A wonderful read." --Surf Coast Times (Australia)

"You don't have to be a museum insider to enjoy the fun Flannery pokes at anthropologists of an earlier era." --Publishers Weekly

"Flannery, who was formerly the director of the South Australian Museum, makes an already electric tale even livelier with his knowledge of artifacts, digs, and desperate measures taken by cash-strapped museums. The novel is filled with the kind of detail only an expert can bring, like the fact that you can tell ancient Roman statues from Greek ones because the Romans made the second toe the longest. This is a fun, intriguing mystery debut."
--Booklist

"Deftly channels humorous English writers of the early postwar era (think P.G. Wodehouse or Kingsley Amis) in a hilarious romp set in and around a natural history museum."
--Bookpage

"A fantastic mystery, lots of action, and laugh-out-loud humor.... A real find for readers who love
misadventure and fantastical tales."
--Suspense Magazine

About the Author

TIM FLANNERY is a scientist, explorer, conservationist, and author of several works of non-fiction, including The Future Eaters and international bestseller The Weather Makers. A regular contributor to The New York Review of Books and The Times Literary Supplement, he also contributes to ABC Radio, NPR, and the BBC. He is the former director of the South Australian Museum and is currently a professor at Sydney's Macquarie University.

About this edition

• Publisher: Minotaur Books
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 125007942X
• ISBN 13: 9781250079428
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 289