The next morning, Lara tries to get pieces of the desk before they are carted off to the dump and finds the lock which is brand new. Lara knows one of the first things she would have checked was the lock and thinks the desks were switched. Later when Trevor Wylie is found dead with an ax in the head, Blair is the obvious suspect, but Lara tells the police about Percy, who was in Trevor’s shop both when Lara inspected the cabinet and when Lara found Trevor, but the police can’t locate Percy and are happy with their suspect.

Lara is called in by police to look through Trevor’s records to see if she can determine when the piece was purchased and if Trevor was also scammed. Lara, ever the stickler for details, follows the cabinet’s provenance to the Orkney Islands, off of the coast of Scotland. It is here that the plot takes off wildly into many directions: the history of the piece, old Viking folklore and a drug running ring. While these subplots don’t all converge neatly, and some things are left unsolved, it is overall an entertaining plot.

Lara is a very likable character, very thorough and very interested in the history of antiques and the people who owned them. Her trip to the Orkney Islands is much like a trip back in time and is a delightful respite to Trevor’s murder. Lara is as genuine as Blair is obnoxious, calling her babe, and the interplays between Lara and her ex-husband, antiques partner and her current lover show several sides of her. While not necessarily the archeological mystery as billed in the subtitle, Lara is much an anthropologist using people’s treasured possessions as a springboard into learning more about their lives, both past and present. The Orkney Scroll is an enjoyable quick read for antique junkies and travel enthusiasts alike.

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry