2011 Independent Publisher Awards – Gold Medal IPPY Winner for Mystery/Suspense/Thriller!
Scrupulously honest Amish-born cartographer John Graf teams up with outlaw gemologist David Freeman in a fierce 21st-century treasure hunt to break the secret code behind the centuries-old Tavernier Stones mystery. A great read with all the laughs that were missing from The Lost Symbol!
Here’s the set-up for Stephen Parrish’s The Tavernier Stones, just $2.39 on Kindle:
When the body of seventeenth-century mapmaker Johannes Cellarius floats to the surface of a bog in northern Germany with a 57-carat ruby clutched in his fist, the grisly discovery ignites a deadly twenty-first-century international treasure hunt to unearth the fabled Tavernier Stones. The hoard reputedly contains some of the world’s most notorious missing jewels, including the 280-carat Great Mogul diamond and the 242-carat Great Table diamond.
Scrupulously honest Amish-born cartographer John Graf teams up with outlaw prospector and gemologist David Freeman in a ferocious race to find the treasure and break a secret code that will unravel the centuries-old Tavernier Stones mystery. But other fortune hunters, opportunists and criminals alike, are in hot pursuit of the mismatched partners–and they’ll stop at nothing to possess the legendary jewels.
From the reviewers:
“Relentlessly fascinating, Stephen Parrish’s Tavernier Stones is reminiscent of Dan Brown’s Lost Symbol . . . It’s one hell of a good time.”–Mark Terry, author of The Fallen
“The author certainly knows his subject matter and relates it to historical fact. There should be something to appeal to readers of all persuasions.”–The Mystery Reader
“Parrish keeps the dialogue light, throws in more than a few witty scenes, and ties it all up in a neat and satisfying bundle at the end. What more could you want from a late summer read?”–Bookgasm
“If his subsequent novels are researched to the same degree, he could claim a legitimate position among the notables of this genre.”-Library Journal –April 1, 2010
Stephen Parrish is a cartographer and gemologist. The Tavernier Stones is his first novel. He lives in Germany.
The Author writes:
The character Woody Allen plays in his movie “The Front” is asked how he came to be a writer. He answers that he worked as a sailor, a boxer, and all those other professions a writer must pursue in order to gain the necessary background.
I have a fear of deep water, and I’d just as soon chew rocks as hit someone, but my experiences are no less varied. I’ve been a caddy, a factory worker, a bartender, a chef, a soldier. Most recently I spent twelve years directing university outreach programs in eight European countries.
I earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of Louisville and a master’s degree in cartography from the University of Illinois.
While in graduate school I raised money in a trademark variety of ways: as teaching assistant, research assistant, fellowship recipient, and even jewelry salesman. The jewelry experience led to the completion of a gemology diploma from the Gemological Institute of America.
After graduating I accepted an offer from R.R. Donnelley Cartographic Services in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The company, at the time the most prestigious custom mapping firm in the country, has since split into several enterprises including MapQuest, the most prolific map source on the web.
THE TAVERNIER STONES draws on much of my education and experience, especially in cartography and gemology. Even my mathematics background finds expression in the code breaking aspect of the novel. As do years of overseas residence, a passion for history, and enthusiasm for wine, magic, and other subjects that enrich the story.
And here, in the comfort of your own browser, is your free sample: