The Thai Amulet

Lara McClintoch Archaeological Mystery #7

by Lyn Hamilton

Toronto shopkeeper Lara McClintoch heads for Bangkok to search for the truth about a missing antiques dealer, with only a fifty-year-old newspaper clipping about a murder and broken terracotta amulets as a clue to a deadly conspiracy and a family tragedy. Reprint.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Archaeology, Crime, Historical Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Canada

274 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Lyn Elizabeth Hamilton was a Canadian author of archaeological mystery novels.

She worked in communications in the public service and private companies before publishing her first novel at the age of 50. She had been director of Cultural Programs Branch for the province of Ontario and director of public affairs for the Canadian Opera Company. Later, Hamilton taught mystery writing for the School for Continuing Studies of the University of Toronto and served as writer-in-residence for libraries in North York and Kitchener.

Reviews

[Terri Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good mystery from the late Lyn Hamilton. I discovered her mysteries only recently and have devoured almost all of them. In this one, antiques shop owner Lara McClintoch goes to Thailand supposedly for a vacation with her lover Royal Mounted Police Officer Rob's young college student daughter Jennifer and Jennifer's rich Thai boyfriend Chat. She gets a second mission when Nathalie asks her to examine a package she received from her husband Will who had run off earlier leaving Nathalie to support and care for their handicapped little girl with no financial support. There is a cryptic note that looks like it was meant to be sent upon his death and some amulets. There are precious jewels in the amulets. Nathalie needs to get him pronounced dead in order to get the life insurance money she desperately needs.

Of course, nothing is easy for poor Lara. At first she and Jennifer get a warm welcome from Chat's family but as soon as Chat's dad is murdered and Jennifer realizes that Chat's mother had her youngest daughter Fatty by an employee she begins to openly promote to a high position, suddenly neither Lara nor Jennifer is welcomed and Lara is moved to a broom closet to sleep. After Chat is murdered, Lara and Jennifer must flee the house. Chat's mother is am embezzler and smuggler/drug dealer.

Lara meets a nice man at the Canadian consulate and he tries to help find the missing Will. After a wanna-be movie producer who had a copy of Will's book manuscript about a white woman who supposedly murdered her husband and chopped him up is threatened, the man who claimed to be his agent is murdered, the secret son of the woman Helen is badly beaten, and Lara herself is threatened, the truth is finally revealed.

As always with these archaeological mysteries, we have an historical story going on at the same time with each installment briefly at the beginning of each chapter and this one was very absorbing and about the royal Thai family with much intrigue. We learn about the history, culture, and people of Thailand as a bonus in this story. I liked it a lot.

[Clare O'Beara · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Toronto antiques dealer visits Thailand a couple of times a year, yet she has to learn something about amulets portraying Buddahs. I thought that was odd. Anyway Lara has agreed to look for a missing fellow dealer on behalf of his wife and disabled daughter. (The disability seems to be the reason why the wife can't go herself.) Lara is meeting her student age stepdaughter, who has a wealthy young Thai boyfriend.

No surprise that despite sumptuous hospitality, the lad's family do not intend he should marry a foreigner. Business ties require close family ties and friendships in this country. Lara spends some time getting measured for an outfit of Thai silk, paying half, and never pays the rest of the money or picks up the clothes. I really thought that was a glaring omission. She also seems to go around with endless cash when street robbery of tourists must be rife. No credit card or travellers' cheques?

Paintings, ceramic amulets, swords, woodcarvings, temples, sights and monks. Also greasy book agents and straight-up American consuls. The murders start quite early and never let up. Have to admit, it's very scenic.

We are treated to a historical retelling of the usurping of Thai royalty. This is layered at the start of chapters, followed by a slice of a scandal about an America woman in Thailand perhaps killing her family, and paralleling the historical tale we see evil events in modern times triggered perhaps by Lara or by sheer greed. In a sense, the historical account is unnecessary, because there is no connection whatsoever to the recent events. It just serves to show us some culture and history. I agree that packing this much into a single volume requires a great deal of intelligent plotting. However it's not my favourite of this author's books, besides which anyone not used to Thai names may find it hard to keep track. Worth a read for anyone thinking of heading to this region.

This is an unbiased review.

[Chris Gager · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this out of my massive collection of rescued mysteries after I finished "The Sun Also Rises." I needed to pick an author I hadn't read before... So, it's not bad at all but not special either. Very much a conventional sort of mystery. Distinguished a bit perhaps by all the antiques trivia and the exotic setting. Then again, I've been to Thailand so it can't be all THAT exotic!

I finally got back to reading last night after a weekend away visiting family. Things are beginning to get more interesting in this one as a couple of bodies have turned up and interesting information continues to be uncovered. The lead snooper continues to be something less than charismatic - dogged would be the right word I think - but it I'm sure she'll get the job done. I doubt that I'll be reading any more of Ms. Hamilton's stories, however. The "old" story, which is in the form of a first person "look back" actually seems more compelling, and is suggestive of the plot of Hamlet, as is the present time story. The new is a mirror of the old. Or vice versa ...

Finished last might amid confusion on may part of exactly who did what to whom, but I think I figured it out. This book actually presented THREE levels of murder mystery! Anyway, my opinion is still the same: 2.75* rounds up to 3* = the all-purpose rating of a so-so-book.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Convoluted plotting and a dearth of archaeological detail make this one of Hamilton's weaker efforts, which is unfortunate as the setting had potential.

[Clyde · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!

[C. (Don't blank click my reviews, comment please! · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the balance Lyn Hamilton distributes over her vibrantly archaeological quests: detail when warranted, momentum in between. My sole critique was mumbling about her ex-husband and getting nowhere with Rob. Her first four adventures easily earned 5 stars. I savour reading only one per year or two! What a pity to find that “The Thai Amulet” is my least favourite. It may also be that two years of reading other authors caused an aversion to a faux-pas that might not be new to Lyn. I cannot stand anybody employing “I said” in a sentence that is a query! I prefer not annotating dialogue because speakers should be obvious but at least use “asked” or “wondered” in queries.

Lyn referred to 40 year-olds as if they were elderly, which got my gall. It has dawned on me that she would have been my Mother's age, so perception has changed. Her mid-forties heroine is a favourite trait of this series. Creative storylines abounded with her firsthand Bangkok flavour. Honestly, this was slated for 4 stars until her character acted stupidly: nearly smashing clues out of anger that someone died, while she checked on the welfare of a stranger. Sleuths don't belittle their mission.

I love originality, a switch from typical endings. A missing person is normally brought home. It was an anticlimactic judgement call not to show us the most fascinating person from a local legend. I was caught up in exciting revelations and Lara's well-varied investigating. This mystery about who Rob's daughter, Jennifer was courting is colourful. I loved its expansion to even more compelling stories. Thus 3 stars for that clue-destroying nonsense and not seeing the most explosive storyline through. Also, although they were used, this novel was not really about amulets. I had anticipated quite a surreal atmosphere.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I discovered this author some months ago. The series is called archeological mysteries and that's what attracted me. I have two books in this series. I have now read them both. They are not actually archeological mysteries in the sense that there are digs in the books. Lara, the main character, owns an antique shop and the books take place in exotic places where she goes to buy antiques for her shop and for private collectors. I liked this book even better than the other one I read. This book takes place in Bangkok, Thailand, where Lara goes with her boyfriend's daughter both to buy antiques and also to have a little vacation. An acquaintance asks her to look into the mysterious disappearance of her husband, Will, who has an antique shop in Bangkok but hasn't been heard from in several months. The twisted events all center around Lara's inquiries into Will's life in Bangkok where Lara sees the splendid side of a rich and powerful Bangkok family and also the seamier side of the city and its residents. Lara is intrigued by the a 50 year-old murder of a man by his American wife and this mystery is at the center of everything else that occurs.

[Sherrill Watson · Rating 3 out of 5]

See Clare's review.

As several reviewers have mentioned, this is a very good intro to Bangkok. The old part of the book tracks exactly with the present-day part, which gives us a history lesson I suppose. "Where is the world is. . . " Billy Beachamp / Fairfeild? There are some twists and turns; I was glad the painting provided as much as it did.

I was able to follow the names fairly well, until somewhere around pp 200, when Ms. Hamilton seems to have needed to finish the story. Throughout, most of the characters are clearly good or bad. Mr. Khun Wichi wavers between the two. By pp 208, when I was HOPING Jennifer would just go & visit, or try to wake up, Chat, I realized he would never wake up. By page 245 it was ended, unsatisfactorily to my mind.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has been one of my least favorite of the series. As usual, she describes the location and culture very well . . . but this whole book was just . . . darker than I was honestly OK with. And there was one BIG coincidence underlying the whole concept that kept bothering me. I didn't feel like there was enough of the historical / archaeological connection. She included a very interesting episode from Thailand's history . . . but except as a parallel to the present-day story, it didn't have any real bearing on the plot.

[LDuchess · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written, as usual, (I'll give it 3- 1/2) but two caveats:

It's difficult to follow all the different Thai names, especially when many are in the same family.

And these books should NOT be called "archaeological" mysteries. They may be mysteries, but there is absolutely NOTHING related to archaeology in them!

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Started this series at home during this staycation of 2020. Now I'm back to work (remotely) and still enjoying this series. More for the settings than for the actual mystery. I can pretend I'm right there in Vietnam experiencing the food stalls, the crowds, the excitement of just being somewhere different.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I preferred the contemporary storyline to the ancient one, but this was still an entertaining read and I'll try more in the series.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice mystery. Loved the Bangkok setting.

[Spaddy]

Occasionally you should start with the 7th book in a series

[Les · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book that I read by Lyn Hamilton. It takes place in Thailand. We have a mystery of a missing antique dealer who is living in Thailand and is divorced from his wife and his special needs daughter. The wife must find out if he is dead so she can collect his insurance. A women by the name of Lara McClintock, who is also a antique dealer tried to find out what happen to him. The author also brings out a story of the past in Thailand which is true and the characters are real. it is a good read

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lara is a co-owner of an antique store in Toronto. She travels to Bangkok for a holiday. While there, she searches for a missing antiques dealer whose wife is wondering what has happened to him. Also, she meets with her good friend’s daughter who has been travelling through Thailand with her boyfriend. They are visiting with his family who live in Thailand. A bit of the history of Thailand is tied in with the story of mystery and intrigue. This is another archaeological mystery by Hamilton. It was an enjoyable read although I like some of her other books bette

[Aprilleigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the more tragic stories in this series, but still one of my favorites. The intertwined tale from the past is exceptionally well-suited to the tale taking place in the present, and the final results, while harsh in both cases, are equally satisfying. This is the kind of murky justice we don't truly want in the real world, although it can be very appealing when faced with these kinds of crimes and criminals that are likely to prosper because of them. That murkiness bothers Lara a great deal, but not half as much as the end results of the crimes themselves.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad story. Sort of a murder/missing person mystery set mostly in Thailand, a fairly easy read with no big surprises. From what I understand the main characters show up in several of Hamilton's books, which makes sense, I got the feeling she was skipping a lot of character development and just telling the story as if I already knew their history. Unfortunately it was not really gripping enough to make me want to go find the other books and catch up.

[Writerlibrarian · Rating 2 out of 5]

More like 2 and 1/2 stars. The mystery is telegraphed in advance through the flashbacks. The 1600's century story is a complete parallel to the modern tale of deceit, death, murder and love lost. This isn't the best of Lyn Hamilton's novel. She tries for moral ambiguity and ends up instead with a very black and white, strait forward, very common mystery. Which is too bad because the structure and plot were promising.

[C.G. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a big improvement over the last of the Archaeological Mystery books that I had read. I thought I'd giver the series one more chance and this one was enjoyable, even though I could see some of it coming, but others things were a surprise. Most of the historical information was conveyed through a purported writing which started each chapter and ran parallel to the modern story-line.

I may try one or two of her more recent books in the future.

[Doina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lyn Hamilton books are hit or miss for me. This one was kind of meh. The plot was promising, but the delivery was not really there. Too many things going on, the flashback was too close to the current story, and pretty much foreshadowed the ending of the book. I like the descriptions, as usual the author did a very good job on those. If she would have cleaned up the plot a bit it would have been more enjoyable.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Canadian antique dealer goes to Thailand to visit her boyfriends daughter --- and to find a missing antique dealer. Daughter's boyfriend is heir to wealthy powerful family - full of intrigue. Story weaves from present day to ancient Thailand, giving insight to culture. Names a little hard, but couldn't put it down half way through. Sense of Thailand through markets, treehouses and details about antiques she discovered

[Donna Dishman · Rating 4 out of 5]

a great who done it book based in Thailand with some knowledge of the history and and local culture
I liked the book it was a fast read and interesting enough to think that I now know a little more a thailand than I did before
I would go there to buy silks and antiques
seriously and also to see the temples

[Steve Clark]

Lyn has an interesting formula. She writes about an instance of intrigue in an ancient culture, and then writes a parallel mystery set in the same location today. Her detective is an antiques dealer from Toronto.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a pretty good adventure. The setting was exotic and the story had several interesting twists and turns but the individual characters were generally two-dimensional and the mystery elements, of which there were several, were a bit thin. Still, I enjoyed it.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am reviewing this for Goodreads. Very well written for its genre. It is an easy read and I would recommend it for a rainy afternoon or lazy weekrnd. Be ready for a few twusts and turns you did not expect.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author did a great job of capturing Bangkok and a lot of little cultural details. Might be a good way to get oriented to Bangkok before visiting.

[Leslie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this would be my kind of book.
Didn't think it was good enough to want to read any more in the series.
Archeology and thriller rolled into one.

[Jane(Janelba) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thailand

[Nancy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Even as a summer read (it's pushing 120 in the desert folks . . .) this book is not well written enough to entertain or enlighten me.

I'm half way through and that's enough.