In Burgundy, France, in 1926, a famed archaeologist dies a terrible death in a country not his own.…Thus begins CWA Historical ...
read full description
reviews
Jan 07, 2009
LJ
rated it: 
BRIGHT HAIR ABOUT THE BONE (Hist/Ama. Sleuth-Laetitia Talbot-France-1926) - Okay
Cleverly, Barbara – 2nd in series
Delta Trade Paperbacks, 2008, US Trade Paperback – ISBN: 9780385339896
First Sentence: The priest smoothed down his white robe and prepared to make his entrance into the Village Hall.
Laetitia Stella St. Clair Talbot receives a postcard from her beloved godfather after learning he has been murdered in a medieval town in France. Determined to discov More...
Cleverly, Barbara – 2nd in series
Delta Trade Paperbacks, 2008, US Trade Paperback – ISBN: 9780385339896
First Sentence: The priest smoothed down his white robe and prepared to make his entrance into the Village Hall.
Laetitia Stella St. Clair Talbot receives a postcard from her beloved godfather after learning he has been murdered in a medieval town in France. Determined to discov More...
Jul 07, 2010
Cherie
rated it: 
When Laetitia Talbot learns of her godfather Daniel's murder, she knows that she must carry out his wishes and find out who killed him. Her father, Sir Richard, hired William Gunning, a previous vicar and army priest during the Great War, to watch over Laetitia much to Letty's dismay. As an archaeologist, the intelligent and very stubborn Letty travels to Burgundy, France where Daniel was murdered under the pseudonym Stella St. Clair. As she adjusts to her mother's homeland, she is encountered b
More...
Sep 11, 2010
Kim
rated it:
I spent the first hundred pages of this book in a mixture of confusion and annoyance while I tried to figure out whether this was supposed to take place before or after the first book in the series. I finally figured out that it's set 2-3 years before the first book. If I were going to randomly set the second book in a series before the first one, I would at least make a note of it at the beginning of the book. The fact that this is a prequel also ruined much of the suspense for me. The only
More...
Feb 04, 2012
Janet
rated it:
second in the second series by author of the outstanding Joe Sandilands books. Starts strong with gripping prologue. Main character not too believable; brilliant, wealthy, beautiful, brash. Letty doesn't feel real, even allowing for the fact that she's fictional, and her supporting cast are all too too as well. The denoument truly pissed me off. I'd liked where the story seemed to be going, but our protagonists seemed to me to be on the wrong side in the end. Ill read the next Sandilands, but no
More...
Oct 03, 2009
Mascanlon
rated it:
Well when this book first started out I was very engaged. Laetitia Talbot is a charming heroine and aspiring archaeologist on a dig in France between the first and sWW1 and WW2. She meets a charming son of a privileged French family who leads her deeper and deeper into ancient Celtic mysteries and one sacred truth. But, and this is a huge but for me, the backstory is way to long, with lots of pages on various theories of the role of woman and especially Mary Magdalene in the development of ea
More...
Feb 21, 2010
Debbie
rated it:
This is a second series by Cleverly, the first is the Joseph Sandilands series. This is the Laetitia Talbot series set in England, but since Letty is interested in archaeology, the setting moves. This story is set in Burgundy, France, and brings into play the stories of Mary Magdelene. WWI has ended, and the year is 1927, but already, Hitler is busy in Germany. Letty, and her new sidekick, William Gunning, a cleric from WWI, go to France to discover who killed Letty's godfather, Daniel. The
More...
Jan 13, 2009
Susan
rated it:
Beautiful, wealthy Latitia Talbot goes undercover at a 1926 archaeological expedition in Burgundy to try to find who killed her godfather. Her husband has hired ex-soldier William Gunning to be her bodyguard; he, too, is undercover as the vicar he once was. The handsome, autocratic count of the region demands Letty's attention, although Gunning is distrustful of him and, indeed, of anyone who pays too much attention to her. They're looking for a murderer, but they find a sinister, centuries-o
More...
Dec 08, 2010
Susan
rated it:
A disappointing volume from an author who is usually much better. Amateur archeologist and detective Laetitia Talbot goes to France to investigate the murder of her godfather. Accompanied by a bodyguard hired by her father, a shell-shocked WWI chaplain, the book actually gets off to a promising start. However, she meets a handsome French aristocrat straight from the romance genre and the story ends up bogged down in arcane plots and Gnostic theology
Nov 21, 2008
Jennifer
rated it:
I was a bit confused as I started this sequel to Cleverly's first Laetitia Talbot mystery, The Tomb of Zeus; it took me a little while to realize that Bright Hair takes place before the other. I enjoyed the book, about Letty's investigation of her godfather's murder, but not as much as Zeus. This one centers around Burgundy and its ancient religious secrets. Shades of The DaVinci Code appear (aside: Cleverly's writing is much improved on Brown's so I hate to compare -- it's the timing tha
More...
Jan 04, 2009
Kelly
rated it: 
It's a murder mystery set back in 1926 France and it's really interesting. Laced with tons of historical references to art, religion/myth, and the region of Burgundy, I'm curious as to which parts were heavily researched and which are the author's creative license. . . but I may have to do more research of my own to find out. It's easy to read, yet thought provoking, and I can honestly say that I can't easily predict "who done it!" A great read!
Dec 09, 2009
Babette
rated it:
I enjoyed this book, in part because it was set in France and I enjoyed the descriptions of the village and villagers. Cleverly keeps the reader guessing about who is at the center of the murders, and the historical background of the motive was interesting, but the basis for the motive itself was a bit far-fetched.
However, I enjoy Cleverly's writing and settings, so I will plod on to the next book.
However, I enjoy Cleverly's writing and settings, so I will plod on to the next book.
Jun 06, 2010
Kelly
rated it:
Laetitia Talbot is an engaging, intelligent herorine and I look forward to reading more of her adventures. I won't write a full review here but what I liked about this novel was that there was a little whiff of the gothic about it. Brooding Frenchman who may or may not be a villian who happens to live in an old magnificnet chateau with possible hidden rooms....fabulous
Jan 01, 2011
Linda
rated it:
After reading some of the negative reviews, I was surprised by how much I did like this. I enjoyed most of the characters and I liked the archaeological and mythical details. It did move a little slowly, and I found it pretty easy to put down most of the time. Still, a pretty fun read and I'd read more in the series.
Apr 19, 2010
Jenna
rated it:
an interesting prequel to The Tomb of Zeus, though published second. It started off well, though I lost interest in the last third. Still, I very much enjoyed Letty and Gunning, and worth reading for them.
Jul 03, 2009
Deb
rated it:
This is the 2nd book in the Letitia Talbot series. It apparently takes place BEFORE the first book, The Tomb of Zeus, but it took me most of the book to figure that out. I enjoyed the writing, and the way the time period was evoked. I also liked the development of William Gunning. However, I thought the whole plot was a bit too-farfetched and earnest.
Oct 19, 2011
Kate
rated it:
An OK if garbled mystery set in between the wars France. An engaging heroine but too much going on in this book. Is it an ancient mythological mystery? Is it a murder mystery? Is it a modern conspiracy? Gad, it's all three! The setting rather than being evocative, is incidental, as well as the archeologist profession of the heroine, who barely spends any time digging...Amelia Peobody this is not.
Oct 02, 2011
Madonna
rated it:
o.k. mystery. Interested in the story of William and wonder what will happen with the William/Laetitia story--or if there is one.
Apr 06, 2011
Margaret
rated it: 
A mess. The characters all have the same voice, all seem to hew, strangely to the main character. Characters change on a dime.
Oct 24, 2009
Ali
rated it:
I've really liked most of the Barbara Cleverly books that I've read, but this one -- while still fairly well written -- just went off the deep end in terms of plot. I think she's been reading too much Dan Brown recently. Skip this one and read one of her other books.
Jan 12, 2010
Margaret
rated it:
I like this one better though the order of the series seemed backward.It has interesting historical fiction.
Dec 09, 2010
Kirsten
rated it:
Has all of the ingredients for a good mystery, but somehow they don't combine to make it engaging. I lost interest and really didn't care how it turned out. Her other detective is more interesting.
Sep 08, 2009
Angie
rated it:
The second in this series and a worthy follow up. Miss Talbot is an able detective in restrictive times. She and Maisie Dobbs should team up for a case sometime.
Jul 19, 2010
Susan
rated it:
oh darn, this is the SECOND book with this detective...I'll come back to it...
This one was a slog to finish and it wouldn't have mattered at all to read it first...in fact, in many ways it felt earlier time-wise...
This one was a slog to finish and it wouldn't have mattered at all to read it first...in fact, in many ways it felt earlier time-wise...
Sep 20, 2011
Naina
rated it:
gave up 3 chapters into this book. So disappointed in this series that I haven't picked up anything else to read in 2 weeks. okay, thats not true, but this was pretty bad
