Scan barcode
A review by jcbmathcat
Trojan Gold by Elizabeth Peters
3.0
Our mystery book club members had to read a book that involved treasures stolen from Germany during World War II. I read Elizabeth Peter's book, Trojan Gold. I've never read any of the Vickie Bliss mysteries and this is the fourth in the series. I enjoyed the book, although the fact that every man made a play for her became a bit old. I like my mysteries to be less romantic, although I did really like the character of Sir John (obviously one of his many aliases).
****
I read up on "Priam's Treasure," which is the name given to the cache of gold pendants, bracelets, rings and other articles found by Heinrich Schliemann in 1870. In 1881, he donated the treasure to Germany where it remained until the end of WWII. It disappeared from a Berlin bunker along with other works of art during the war's chaotic last days. The article I read, dated April 16, 1996, appeared in the New York Times. I quote from it below.
"Russian authorities finally acknowledged that Soviet troops occupying Berlin had spirited the gold back to Moscow, along with hundreds of thousands of other works of art. For decades, a handful of Soviet officials, sworn to silence, were the only ones allowed to know that the treasure was here, stored in the bowels of the Pushkin Museum. Even the head curator of ancient art at the museum, Vladimir Tolstikov, learned the secret only by chance in 1975, and he wasn't permitted to see the gold until 1993.
But starting on Tuesday, and for the next year, everyone who braves the endless lines expected at the Pushkin will get to see Priam's Treasure. Occupying a single room in the museum, it consists of about 260 mostly tiny objects, miraculously preserved in mint condition and theatrically lighted. The finest of the lot are large jadeite and lapis lazuli ritual axes and opulent diadems of feathery gold, including the one that Schliemann, with his Barnum-like flair, said might have belonged to Helen of Troy."
****
I was slightly disappointed that there was no definite resolution at the end with regard to the gold. We do find out who masterminded the dastardly deeds that were committed.
****
I read up on "Priam's Treasure," which is the name given to the cache of gold pendants, bracelets, rings and other articles found by Heinrich Schliemann in 1870. In 1881, he donated the treasure to Germany where it remained until the end of WWII. It disappeared from a Berlin bunker along with other works of art during the war's chaotic last days. The article I read, dated April 16, 1996, appeared in the New York Times. I quote from it below.
"Russian authorities finally acknowledged that Soviet troops occupying Berlin had spirited the gold back to Moscow, along with hundreds of thousands of other works of art. For decades, a handful of Soviet officials, sworn to silence, were the only ones allowed to know that the treasure was here, stored in the bowels of the Pushkin Museum. Even the head curator of ancient art at the museum, Vladimir Tolstikov, learned the secret only by chance in 1975, and he wasn't permitted to see the gold until 1993.
But starting on Tuesday, and for the next year, everyone who braves the endless lines expected at the Pushkin will get to see Priam's Treasure. Occupying a single room in the museum, it consists of about 260 mostly tiny objects, miraculously preserved in mint condition and theatrically lighted. The finest of the lot are large jadeite and lapis lazuli ritual axes and opulent diadems of feathery gold, including the one that Schliemann, with his Barnum-like flair, said might have belonged to Helen of Troy."
****
I was slightly disappointed that there was no definite resolution at the end with regard to the gold. We do find out who masterminded the dastardly deeds that were committed.