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The Pot Thief Who Studied Ptolemy (2009)

by J. Michael Orenduff(Favorite Author)

3.98 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

1892343797 (ISBN13: 9781892343796)

languge

English

genre

Fiction

publisher

Dark Oak Mysteries

series

A Pot Thief Murder Mystery

review 1: THE POT THIEF WHO STUDIED PTOLEMY centers around extremely rare and beautiful Ma pots from the mysterious San Roque pueblo. San Roque is the Spanish name; the Indians refer to themselves as the Ma and these pots are sacred to them. A former UNM professor, Masoir, believes that the recently retired head of the Anthropology Department, Gerstner, never returned them; that he, in fact, stole them.This sets Hubert off to find out if the pots are indeed in Gerstner’s apartment in the Rio Grande Lofts and another adventure.The Pot Thief mysteries are intelligent with out being condescending. There’s a wonderful sense of humor with Hubert often leaning toward self-deprecating, but never mean. The flow is easy and laid back, the writing clean and uncluttered even while bein... moreg descriptive enough to make me feel I’m in Albuquerque. I love Hubie’s description of the sound of the Ma language, “I liked hearing the sibilant consonants that sounded like dry leaves being chased by the wind across sandy ground”. I’ve never heard the Ma language but this gives me such an incredible sense of the sound that I can hear it in my head. I never fail to learn quite a few truly interesting tidbits when reading the series. The characters are a joy to spend time with. Susannah and Hubie’s relationship is delightful. I love the laugh out loud banter between them and look forward to 5 o’clock margaritas at Dos Hermanas Tortilleria. Susannah is steadily working her way through the University’s catalog while she searches for “a nice guy”. Hubert is, well Hubert.Ms. Gladys and her casseroles, Tristan the techno geek (but adorable to women) nephew, Father Groaz (of the thick accent), Martin Seepu of a local pueblo who sells Hubie pots his uncle makes, Whit Fletcher the cop who often bends the rules for Hubie, Layton Kent big shot lawyer extraordinaire, and last but not least Consuelo and Emilio to whom Hubie is devoted. Then there’s Albuquerque, NM itself; the landscape, culture, food, peoples past and present, the lore all permeate The Pot Thief mysteries creating an indelible sense of place as important as the wonderful characters. For someone who claims he isn’t a burglar, Hubie is becoming extremely adept at breaking and entering. Once again the book he’s reading, Ptolemy, plays into his mental efforts to solve the problem of the Ma pots and the murder that just happens to occur along the way. Can Hubie, with the help of Susannah, margaritas, Tristan, and a few other friends solve the mystery of the missing Ma pots? Who is the beautiful and successful Stella? She keeps telling everyone they know her but Hubie doesn’t have a clue, though she does look familiar. He has to wonder why she’s so interested. After all, he’s not the type of fella women like Stella are usually attracted to. Will Hubie solve the mysteries of the Ma pots, the murder, and Stella? You’ll just have to read THE POT THIEF WHO STUDIE PTOLEMY to find out. You won’t be disappointed.The second in the series is stronger and even more enjoyable than the debut. I’m so hooked and looking forward to the next two. Simply put I LOVE The Pot Thief mysteries.4.5 starsReviewed by IvyD for Manic Readers
review 2: The follow up to the Pot Thief Who Studied Pythagoras is just as good if not better. Hubert Schuze is up to old tricks "acquiring" pots. I won't say stealing, because you can only steal something if it actually belongs to the person you are taking it from. At least, that's how Hubert looks at it. Hubert has a difficult time even locating these particular pots, and in the meantime meets a hot woman, does a little B & E, and gets accused of a murder. How's that for a few day's work? I don't want to give away too much of the plot, so I'll end by saying Orenduff's Pot Thief series is a must-read. He tells a compelling story, weaving his words in such a way they should be used as an example for all writers on how to show-not-tell, and if you don't laugh out loud at Hubert's antics and some of the positions he finds himself in, you either have no sense of humor or you're already dead. This is a great story by a great writer. less

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