Kindle Edition Download from Smashwords (eBook) Amazon Pillared Roses - Amanda Brenner Category:  Mystery/Suspense Publisher: Createspace ISBN-10:  1483948986 Type: Fiction Pages: 322 Copyright: March 21,2005 ISBN-13: 9781483948980 Price: $3.00 (eBook) The Mystery of the Nourdon Blue is the story of a soul-searing and destructive obsession as it ripples through the lives of those it touches. Sid Langdon is hired by a young girl, Felicia Weberley, to find her father, who she believes has gone in search of a family legend, a dazzling sapphire known as the Nourdon Blue, looted from the home of a wealthy English merchant during the unrest of the Crimean War in 1856.  Over the years the stone had disappeared, although tales of tragedy befalling rumored owners surfaced from time to time. The stone was said to be an omen of good fortune as long as it remained shielded from the outside world; but the source of a deadly curse should it ever see the light of day in the hands of its possessor. Sid suspects Felicia’s father is trafficking in stolen artifacts, and the prospect of finding him alive is highly unlikely. Still, he attempts to track the stone in earnest, hoping it will lead him to Andrew Weberley. Through the murky world of clandestine antiquities and a deranged fantasy surrounding a local actress, his leads eventually converge on a pawn shop in Seattle’s Chinatown. But where, and how, will the odyssey end?   Excerpt Somewhere in the hell of a Guatemalan jungle, Noubo Torre sat amidst the ruins of an ancient temple at the site of a long forgotten civilization and examined the thing in his hands. He turned it over repeatedly, examining its facets in the sunlight; its deep blue fire danced in his eyes. He was not an educated man, and he knew nothing of the value or the history of the stone he was holding, but it must be what he had been sent to find. It was as it had been described to him when he had been told to obtain it at any cost.

Reviewed by Paul Johnson for Readers' Favorite: Four Stars
Reviewed by Paul Johnson for Readers' Favorite: Four Stars

The fabulous sapphire known as the Nourdon Blue has captivated the imagination of searchers for many years. And so it was for Andrew Weberley. Despite rumors about its deadly curse and doubts of the stone's very existence, Andrew fully believes and is determined to risk his life to search the sweltering jungles of Guatemala for the stone. Weberley is a world traveler and away from home months at a time. However, he always manages to contact his family on special occasions. Something is different this time. After months without word from her father, Felicia Weberley hires private detective Sid Langdon to find him. With very little to go on except Weberley's last known location, Sid attempts to track the stone, believing it will lead him to the missing man. Along the way, he comes upon the murky world of stolen artifacts. After some initial disappointments, he gets a lead to check on a pawn shop in Seattle's Chinatown. There he finds a delusional pawnbroker who trades in antiquities, but is at the same time financing a search for the ultimate prize -- the Nourdon Blue. Can he locate the missing man and possibly the stone? Or will his dire premonitions come true?

"The Mystery of the Nourdon Blue" is technically well-written and the story is very detailed. The author has chosen some interesting characters; however, for me they weren't defined as I would have liked. I did, however, really like Max. The plot was good, but was slow to develop and lagged a little from time to time, asking for a little more action. Overall, "The Mystery of the Nourdon Blue" is a good story, well worth the time to read it.