The Pindar Diamond

by Katie Hickman

It's Venice, 1604. When rumours of a spectacularly rare and priceless diamond begin to circulate amongst the gamblers and courtesans of the Venetian demi-monde, the Levant Company merchant, Paul Pindar, becomes convinced that the jewel is somehow linked to the fate of his former love, Celia Lamprey. As his obsession with the mysterious stone grows it becomes clear that there are other, more sinister forces at play. Is the diamond real, or is it just a trick to lure him to his ruin? "The Pindar Diamond" moves from the canals of Venice to the coasts of Dalmatia, from a famed physic garden in the Venentian lagoon to the secret corridors of a convent - a tale of lust, love, greed, wealth and danger set among the Levant traders in the early years of the seventeenth century. Written in the exquisitely evocative style that is Katie Hickman's trademark, this is a gripping and superbly told story that goes as deeply into history as into the human heart.

• ISBN10: 160819213X
• ISBN13: 9781608192137
• Publish Date: 17 August 2010 (first published 7 June 2010)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 27 May 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Bloomsbury USA
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 288
• Language: English

Reviews

[Ace]

I don't know if it was because I was listening to it but I had a lot of trouble following the storyline until well into part two. I do have auditory processing problems which doesn't help especially with books I haven't physically read/listened too before but I don't know if that was part of the problem too. It was an interesting idea but at the same time the ending was a let down to me. It just felt like it didn't resolve a lot of the things. I might give it a shot at another point and read the actual book but we shall see.

Edit: I didn't realise this was a book 2 which could explain the problems I had with some of the storylines.

[ladygrey]

I received an Advanced Reading Copy so some of these notes may very from the published book.

I was excited to read [b:The Pindar Diamond|7845179|The Pindar Diamond|Katie Hickman|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1279549579s/7845179.jpg|10949650]; a story of mermaids and diamonds and old world superstitions. It was very authentic, drawing the reader into an Italian summer heavy with heat and decadence. It's a story full of intrigue, conflicting loyatlies, betrayal and love.

After an engaging opening sequence the narrative is a little slow getting started, vague nouns that make it difficult to find your place in this story. But once things begin to unfold the story is a suspenseful whirlwind of these disparate elements coming together and for the most part they are woven together with good pacing and interesting character development.

I had serious issues with the ending, or at least one small part of it. All of the story threads are resolved, except one was just so illogical, so out of nowhere it felt contrived and really bothered me.