The Cymry Ring

by Michael Allen Dymmoch

Ian Carreg, a charming detective with a career he loves, is coming to terms with the recent death of his wife and middle age. He's sent to apprehend a convicted felon, Jemma Henderson. She is a gifted surgeon with beauty to match and the daughter of a famous physicist - and a murderer. When he pursues her to Cymry Henge, something - or someone - knocks him out cold. He regains consciousness in a strange yet oddly familiar place - second-century Roman Britain. An encounter with three armed horsemen leads to an extended stay in the horsemen's village. Then the Roman cavalry arrives, and Ian and Jemma must fight to save their lives. They become Roman prisoners, and Ian starts to doubt his sanity. When their captors send them on a journey Ian finally accepts the truth - just in time to join with Jemma in foiling a conspiracy that could alter history. Michael Allen Dymmoch has served as president and secretary of the Midwest Chapter of Mystery Writers of America, and newsletter editor for the Chicagoland chapter of Sisters in Crime.

322 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2006

About the author

Michael Dymmoch was born in Illinois and grew up in a suburb northwest of Kentucky. As a child she kept a large number of small vertebrates for pets and aspired to become a snake charmer, Indian chief or veterinarian. She was precluded from realizing the former ambitions by a lack of charm and Indian ancestry and from the achieving the latter by poor grades in calculus and physics. This made her angry enough to kill. Fortunately, before committing mayhem, she stumbled upon a book titled Maybe You Should Write a Book and was persuaded to sublimate her felonious fantasies. Moving to Chicago gave Michael additional incentives to harm individuals who piss her off. On paper of course.

Reviews

[Damona · Rating 3 out of 5]

the history is very well-researched and nicely laid out, but the story itself isn't written terribly well, in my opinion. it was an interesting read, a good book, but not a great one.

[Terri · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love good time travel.

[LJ · Rating 2 out of 5]

THE CYMRY RING (TimeTravel-England-Cont/Iron Age) – Okay
Dymmoch, Michael Allen – Standalone
Five Star, 2006- Hardcover
CID detective Ian Carreg is a widower with grown children and a grandchild on the way. Dr. Jemma Henderson is a physician and daughter of a physicist; she is also wanted for murder in America. When Carreg follows Jemma into a shed on Cyrmy Henge, he is knocked unconscious. He wakes up, with Jemma in Roman Britten during the Iron Age.
*** I have always been a fan of Dymmoch’s writing. I am also a fan of time travel. Unfortunately, neither work very well in this book. Not only was there no logical explanation for how the time travel happened, there really wasn’t any explanation at all. There was also no logical loop connecting a talisman from the present to the past and back to the present, which could have been resolved with just a bit more thinking. The history was fascinating and I learned quite a bit about the period, but the characters were flat, as was the story. I kept expecting to feel more involved and just never did. So why did I rate it “Okay” rather than “Poor.” Because I did finish the book, fairly easily, shall definitely keep reading other books by Ms. Dymmoch and, overall, recommend her as an author. Just don’t judge the author by this particular novel.

[Marissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting blend of science and historical fictions. Ian, a detective in present-day UK, follows Jemma, a woman who has been accused of murder, into the time of the Celts via a time machine.

[Tara]

7/20/12 .. I got this at Greenburgh Library today 4/$1. (& Tragic Magi by Laura Childs, Night of the Jaguar by Michael Gruber & Fallen by T. Jefferson Parker - all hardcovers in great shape!)