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

And here, in the comfort of your own browser, is your free sample: