While his fellow cartographers at North Star Maps are mildly interested in their colleague’s involvement in the Tavernier Stone mystery, their work load becomes heavier as John, a normally ultra conscientious  employee, devotes more and more of his time to this puzzle. John notices some strange notations in the border of one of the last maps that Cellarius had made. It was recording the journey of Jean-Baptiste Tavernier to India in search of gemstones.

He suspects they may relate to his relationship with a woman with whom he was smitten. He  believes that the notations are a cipher of some sort and uses his connections with Franklin & Marshall College to ask for help. He is directed toward a professor of mathematics who helps him begin to decipher the code and ultimately leads him to David Freeman.

Freeman is a talented man with a checkered past. He is in essence a jewel thief. Though John is by both nature and upbringing scrupulously honest, his desire to discover the mystery of the Tavernier stones, to which the ruby clasped in his hands when his corpse is unearthed in the peat bog may be related, draws him into partnership with David. Obviously the attention the stones are receiving  from the press invites the interest of several other groups both inside and outside the law. Whether anyone will be able to amass enough clues to discover the location of theses stone which have been hidden for centuries is anyone’s guess.

The Tavernier Stones is a well researched first novel. The basis for the novel is fact. There was indeed a trader named Jean-Baptiste Tavernier who did make voyages to India but not the one in question in this novel. Much of the data about codes and ciphers is accurate as well, as are the mini lessons on gemstones.  Mr. Parrish does a commendable job of integrating the factual information into the narrative of his story, leaving the readers who quest for knowledge as well as a good story adequately satisfied.

There is much going on in this novel, perhaps enough to cause sensory overload for some people. In recent years the world seems dedicated to catering to those people with short attention spans. They expect to be entertained constantly. It would appear that the author has taken these folks as his target audience. There is little time for readers to savor the moment of illuminating facts because something else happens on the heels of a significant discovery.

While there is a great deal of specialized factual information pertinent to the understanding of various aspects of the novel, the author does a more than adequate job of presenting the facts in terms that laymen can easily understand. He is a good teacher. Even if map making or the intricacies of cutting gemstones are not your cup of tea, Mr. Parrish makes you want to learn about them.

Though the content of The Tavernier Stones provides easily enough fodder for several novels, it is a well written book. The author certainly knows his subject matter and relates it to historical fact. There should be something to appeal to most readers of all persuasions.

--Andy Plonka