A shady pottery collector is dead, and Hubie was one of the last to see him alive Maybe it was the chance to make an easy $2,500. Or maybe it was the opportunity to examine a treasure trove of Anasazi pots–or maybe it was just a slow day at the antiques shop that convinced Hubie Schuze to agree to a strange proposition. A reclusive collector wants a confidential appraisal, with one catch: … appraisal, with one catch: Hubie must be blindfolded and driven to an unknown location by a chauffeur. Sure, it’s an odd setup, but what could possibly go wrong?
Hubie’s nonchalance fades fast when he finds three replicas among the genuine antiquities. Worse, after returning home, he can’t seem to find the $2,500 cash that the collector gave him. Incensed at the rip-off, Hubie is determined to recoup the money, but Detective Whit Fletcher interrupts his scheme, dragging him instead to the morgue to identify a John Doe. When the sheet is pulled back, Hubie is shocked to see the body of the unknown art collector.
Hubie is not a suspect–yet. But the longer he pursues this mystery, the more tangled he will become in the dead man’s shadowy life.
The Pot Thief Who Studied Einstein is the 3th book in the Pot Thief Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.
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Like this series
This whole series is excellent.
LOVED SO MUCH I BOUGHT THE REST OF THE SERIES
This is the third of these “Pot Thief” books for me. I enjoy them but they tend to become a bit formulaic. I DO like the depictions of Nes Mexico.
Off beat, a bit irreverent, but an entertaining quick read. Will probably read more in the series.
Admittedly influenced by the Bernie Rhodenbarr stories of Lawrence Block these are neat, informative little stories that are a treat to read. I really like the knowledge of old southwestern native inhabitants and their pottery. And find myself much in great agreement with the main character’s assessment of many “experts” and museum types.
(Tip: …
I love New Mexico. I started this series just to read a mystery set in NM. Now I am hooked and own all of them. Orenduff does a great job building a sense of Northern New Mexico in all of the books. The hero is almost an accidental hero using his knowledge of ancient Puebla pottery. Read them all, preferably in order.
A good series set in Albuquerque, NM. Local color, realistic character interactions, cultural information.
An interesting concept: the narrator is a pot thief, someone that collects ancient Native American pottery, even though it’s illegal. He sells some of it in a shop in Santa Fe. When called on to appraise a collection, he finds himself in a very bizarre situation, with blindfolded travel to secret localities, confused identities, a femme …
Really enjoy this series
I wanted to like this book, being as how I loved the Lovejoy series. But the too frequent defense of how he acquires pots (museums vs repatriation etc) and too much expository dialog did it in for me. Wish it hadn’t. Oh well. On to one of the remaining 300 plus books on my Nook….
A mystery solved by a quirky sane funny-POV man with a modern southwestern attitude. Loved his quirky comments on American life.
This was enjoyable and amusing. I would have liked more development of plot and the New Mexico atmosphere and the ancient pottery details..
I love new Mexico and this book illustrates why. Good plots and information about ancient pottery (and margaritas)!
I have a special fondness for Albuquerque and the Santa Fe area. So I loved reading a mystery set in Old Town. I even checked out and bought some of the Gruet wine our protaganist insisted on drinking. This is a light fun book that was a delight to read.
I like the entire Pot Thief series. It’s not only well written, and fun, and funny, but teachers about tribal culture. The characters are memorable, realistic, and you wish you knew them in person.